Total pages in book: 186
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 176552 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 883(@200wpm)___ 706(@250wpm)___ 589(@300wpm)
“That isn’t surprising to me,” Roxxi replied.
“How did he tell you? Did he send a screenshot or describe it?” Cloe asked, ever the analyst.
“He read the note out loud. It was… vague. Something about his sins will be catching up to him.”
Roxxi tilted her head. “And what sins would those be? Unseasoned foreplay and emotional whiplash?”
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to laugh. That would be wildly inappropriate. Ari did the same, suddenly fascinated by a spot on the sectional.
Cloe sighed. “If Ashton’s in, it’s only a matter of time before he starts acting like a martyr about it.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not if you like being guilt-tripped into comforting a grown man through his 'poor me' era,” Roxxi muttered.
Cloe shrugged. “It’s not always a bad thing, but with Ashton? It could go either way.”
“I didn’t think he’d be in this. I never thought to ask,” I admitted.
“None of us thought we’d be in this, Sanj,” Ari said gently.
“Yeah, you’re right. What do we do about it?”
“We remember who the fuck we are,” Roxxi stated. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t freaked out. I hate the idea of some rando even thinking about being near our house where we lay our heads at night. I’m just gonna picture our Huntsmen as emotionally stunted, and pitiful college dudes with musty dicks. I guarantee at least one Huntsman fits that description.”
Cloe crossed her arms. “We don’t know that they’re all guys. One or more of the Huntsmen could be women.”
Roxxi shrugged. “That’s fine. They probably have pH issues then.”
Ari’s nose wrinkled. “I think I’ll picture them like the men in my books.”
“That’s one way to pop your Hunt cherry,” Roxxi joked.
“Guys, please? This thing doesn’t start for a few more days, and I’m already about to lose my mind.”
“They can’t hurt us, Sanj,” Cloe reminded me comfortingly.
“That’s only somewhat true,” Ari corrected, a bit hesitant.
“Don’t say that kind of ominous shit and not explain,” Roxxi warned.
“It isn’t anything new, though. You guys don’t remember hearing about some of this last year?” Ari asked.
“I barely made it through last year, period. All my focus was on cheer and keeping my GPA alive.”
“Right. So, I was reading earlier and remembered this story about a guy who dropped out after The Hunt. Did some digging, and apparently, he got dragged outside of town in a trunk. Then they made him get out and run half-naked through the woods… while wearing a sheep mask.”
Roxxi’s brows rose. “And the school just let that slide?”
Ari gave a shrug that essentially said, yeah, pretty much. “The Hunt’s supposed to be a test of mental fortitude and fun.”
“Fun for who?” I asked flatly.
“Some of the Marked and then the Huntsmen, of course. Think of it as a hazing of sorts.”
“It’s a lot like hazing,” I said slowly, realization sinking in.
“That implies we’re trying to join something,” Roxxi argued. “Last I checked, we didn’t ask to play.”
“We agreed to participate when we signed our acceptance forms for Crowsfell. I’ve been looking into it,” Cloe divulged. “Either way, our names will end up on a shiny plaque.”
“That’s fucked,” Roxxi stressed, going to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. “If someone tries to drag me out to the middle of nowhere and strip me down for a twisted-ass campus tradition, I swear to God I’ll go to jail.”
Cloe straightened, brushing an invisible piece of lint from her top. “Look, we’ll get cameras and a full security setup as soon as I talk to my dad. Until then, we are going to check every door and window before we leave and each time we come back. No exceptions.”
Roxxi capped her water. “Adding to that, when the Hunt officially starts, we don’t go anywhere alone. Period. As for Layla? She doesn’t get to come and go anymore.” She motioned to the sliding glass door. “That’s done.”
Ari nodded slowly in agreement. “Once we talk to the guys about all of this, I think we’ll feel better, but I like that we’re doing this on our own first. We’re not being damsels.”
“That word could never apply to us,” Cloe stated as if the very idea was insulting.
I sighed. “Let’s just get started.”
We began checking every entry and exit door, then each window in the house, including the ones in the basement that didn’t open. Even then, it didn’t erase the feeling that someone was watching.
Because someone was.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SANJANA
My eyes locked on the amber-streaked sky. The late afternoon sun had dipped just enough to cast everything in a warm golden glow and creeping shadows.
“One, two, down!” Roxxi’s sharp call cut clean through the blasting beat of our cheer anthem.
My core tightened instinctively as the ground surged up. Kellan and Noah caught me with perfect timing, their grip solid as they dipped into a cradle. The distorted guitar faded as the portable speaker cut out. My feet met the turf again, my heart still racing from the routine and adrenaline. We’d been running this for the past hour. The visuals were sharp, unapologetic, and loud, our formations in sync with every beat drop.