Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
We were glad to see her go, and her children were finally free from the horrors she put them through. But usually, it’s men we hunt. Men who think drugging women is acceptable, and those who think taking inappropriate videos is acceptable.
“Lilith.” Her name echoes through the trees, and my feet suddenly feel heavy. Surely, I didn’t hear that right. “Lilith!” Arlo screams, and I move faster than I ever have before until I find Arlo slumped against a tree with his mask lying at his feet. His dark eyes meet mine. “I didn’t know. Fuck, I didn’t know.” He shakes his head. Soren picks the hunted, and sometimes, we know who it is beforehand. Usually, Arlo is informed. But it seems Soren kept him in the dark—this one is a secret, and now I know why. My blood turns ice cold, fear gripping me tightly as I look down at him.
“Where the fuck is she?” I growl.
“She took my gun.” He nods down to his injured arm, where I see the knife she stole from me embedded there. I grab the handle and pull it out. Arlo grunts loudly as I pocket it.
“Which way did she go?” My voice is low and deadly.
No one will win this Hunt.
And if they think they will, I will kill them all.
If anyone so much as lays a hand on her, I’ll fucking end them.
“That way.” He points, and before I go, he grabs my arm. “She’s in the Hunt now, Reon. You know how this ends.” His words are sour, and if he weren’t already stabbed, I’d stab him myself. I shrug him off and look him dead in the eyes as I grip my axe tightly.
“They better hope by the time I find her, no one has hurt her. Because I will kill them all,” I declare.
Then I run, screaming her name, and hoping to God she knows it’s me.
Lilith, I’m coming.
TWENTY-SIX
LILITH
I know that voice.
I know it well.
But do I want to answer and let everyone know where I am? No.
The gun shakes in my hands as the ground gets colder beneath my feet, which are feeling very numb right about now.
Could I shoot my way out of this forest?
Or will I die here?
I really hope I don’t die.
I like death. I like dreaming of death. But others’ deaths, not mine.
Maybe this is payback for all those evil thoughts.
It has to be, right?
Why else would I be put in this situation? But the real question is, why was I stupid enough to come?
Oh, that’s right. I wanted Reon. A date with Reon means he would accept me into his world, so I was excited about the invite. A part of me wanted to be in this world. This Society is a taboo that I crave… not crave, but I yearn to know more about it.
Now I know better.
I need to re-evaluate my thought process because that is foolish thinking. And I like to think I’m not that dumb. Granted, I have made incredibly stupid mistakes along the way, but this one takes the cake.
Looking up at the black sky, I wonder if things would’ve been different—actually, I know they would be—if I’d given Deven a chance and stayed. Is this worse than that? A part of me says no. Why would I choose to stay in a loveless marriage? That’s just ridiculous.
Reon has made me feel things in the short time I’ve spent with him that no other man ever has. And I hate that he has that effect on me. I hate that when I close my eyes, I dream of him. Does my brain not understand that he’s bad for me?
We are bad for each other.
And it’s the exact reason I ran that first night.
My head falls between my knees, and I count to ten. How long until I move again? I’ve been running for what feels like hours, and I’m so tired.
So, so tired.
“Lilith.” There it is again, his voice. My back straightens at the sound, and I stand. I’ve dreamed of that voice. I wanted to hear it speak to me in all the dirty ways.
He sounds so far away, and I’m afraid to answer back. Instead, I sit here, clutching the gun in my hand, unable to move.
Do I have frostbite? I have no idea, but my toes and fingers have no feeling, and when I look at my fingers, they are a concerning shade of deep blue. I must get out of this cold before hypothermia becomes a real problem.
My teeth won’t stop chattering, and I’m not even sure I can pull the trigger with my fingers as they are now.
“Aww, there she is. What a pretty thing,” someone says from behind me.
Oh, fuck! It’s not Reon.
I know his voice like the back of my hand, and this voice is laced with something else—intent, maybe. I lift the gun, but it’s knocked from my hands and drops to the ground.