“Then I choose you,” she whispers, and it feels like a curse and a blessing at the same time.
She chose me, despite everything.In spiteof everything and the weight of that choice settles in my gut.
I kiss her, softer this time, and she melts into me.
For a long time, we just breathe, the silence thick and perfect.
Eventually, she rolls on top of me, straddling my hips as my cock slowly springs back to life, her hands braced on my chest. She looks down at me.
“What happens now?” she asks.
I reach up, run my fingers through her hair, and pull her down so our mouths are inches apart.
“Now we make our own rules.”
She grins, feral and free, and rides me slow, her cunt gripping me tight. She sets the pace, her hands digging into my shoulders, her hips grinding down with every thrust. I let her take control, let her use me the way I used her, let her carve her own name into my skin.
We come together, a mess of sweat and noise and always present desire for each other.
I willalwaysneed her like this.
She’s a wreck, my cock is raw, but I’d do it again if she wanted to. She lies on my chest, her breath slow and even.
I stroke her back, tracing the curve of her spine.
“You were never just a Hunt Runner to me,” I say, voice hoarse. “You’re my equal. My partner.”
She’s quiet for a long time.
Then she lifts her head, eyes searching mine.
“There’s one thing I want,” she says.
“Name it.”
She hesitates, then says, “I want one last Hunt. My own. Not for the Board. Not for anyone but me.”
I cock an eyebrow. “You want me to chase you?”
She smiles, wicked and sweet. “I want you to catch me.”
I grin, the predator in me stirring.
“Tomorrow,” I promise. “Tomorrow you run. And tomorrow, I’ll hunt you.”
She kisses me, hard, and settles back against my chest.
We fall asleep like that, two monsters wrapped around each other, dreaming of the hunt to come.
Epilogue: Amara
Darknessmakeseverythinglouder.
The car is silent except for the engine, a muted growl that climbs into my skull and sets up a nest there. I’m blindfolded, hands in my lap, wrists resting on soft black leather. I have no idea where we’re going, no idea how long we’ve been in motion, and even if I tried to guess, I’d fail. Julian is quiet behind the wheel, and I have the sense he’s smiling, it’s the kind of smile you can’t see—only feel, crawling over your skin, tightening your nerves.
Every minute that passes, I’m less Amara and more a mess of raw senses. My hearing turns feral, tracking every turn, every upshift, every time the tires slide through gravel or slap over a pothole. The scent of his cologne is thick in the air, but beneathit is a sharp hint of pine, like the world outside is getting wilder the farther we drive.
I realize I am holding my breath. I let it out in a shudder and his hand finds my thigh, warm and heavy, fingers spreading until they touch bone.
