They would take the collar off?
I bit my lip. The fact that this fucked up little scenario they were forcing me into felt like a win-win for me instead of a twisted game should have probably sent alarm bells through my mind… instead, I just felt excited.
“What’s it going to be, deathtrap?” Ramel asked, his voice a deep dangerous purr.
I swallowed and licked my lips before nodding.
“Okay,” I agreed. “One hour. No magic.”
Shem bit the side of my neck gently and chuckled before releasing his hold on me. He shoved me roughly toward the tree line, a feline grin curving on his lips.
“Run, Lilith. Run as fast as you fucking can because if we catch you, we’ll make sure you never run from us again.”
My stomach bottomed out in terror. I had a moment of regret as I took in the terrifying looks on their faces before I turned on my heel and bolted into the trees.
I was soafraid I could barely breathe. My heart hammered against my ribs, making it almost impossible for me to swallow enough air to keep my legs pumping. The second I hit the tree line, the temperature in the air around me dropped, and what little light had been provided by the night sky dimmed further.
I paused to take in my surroundings. Acres and acres of bone-straight trees stood around me, their thick black trunks standing like silent soldiers in the darkness. The hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I glanced back out toward the graveyard. I couldn’t see Ramel and Shem anymore—had they come after me already?
No. They said ten minutes.
They wouldn’t break the rules of their own game. I forced myself to take a deep breath before sprinting deeper into the woods.
The darkness seemed to press in from every angle, and my entire body began to feel flush with panic. I had never run through the woods in the dark. I tripped several times over roots that seemed to crawl up from the ground out of nowhere, and I wondered if the trees were truly silent witnesses or active participants. If they were playing the game too, whose side were they on?
Branches seemed to reach out and grab at me as I darted through the trees. Woody fingers tore at my hoodie and my hair, scratching my face as I stumbledthrough the woods. I jumped every time I felt a tug or a pull, my imagination immediately assuming I had been caught.
The feeling of being watched grew in intensity and I became more and more panicked as I ran. My lungs were burning, and my throat was on fire. A twig snapped in the distance, and I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from sobbing out loud.
It couldn’t have been ten minutes already, could it?
Seconds stretched into minutes, and before I knew it, I was so turned around I had no idea which way I was running anymore. I could have sworn I had run past that fallen log already. Was I heading back the way I had come?
My heart slammed in my chest in terror. Was I runningtowardthem? Or away from them?
My skin rolled with an unexpected shiver, and I was suddenly very sure I wasn’t alone anymore, but I still couldn’t see anything but trees.
A breeze rustled through the branches overhead, and I trembled at the eerie sound. It was so quiet out here, and I felt the need to be still. To hide.
Why did it feel like they were watching me?
“Liliiith…”
I nearly jumped out of my fucking skin at the sound of my name whispering through the silent army of trees. I clapped both hands over my mouth to keep from screaming.
“I can see you, Lilith.”
Whipping around, I felt my eyes strain through the darkness. I could hear them, but I couldn’t fucking see them. I couldn’t even tell what direction their voices had come from.
“What should we do to her when we catch her?” Shem’s voice taunted me from the shadows. I jumped and spun around again; it sounded like I was running directly toward him.
“Make her scream,” Ramel purred from somewhere to my right.
I shot through the trees and felt fingers graze my arm. Jerking away, I choked on a sob. Which one of them was that? Biting back another sob, I forced my legs to move faster, ripping through the woods as quickly as I could. When I looked back again, their shadows were gone.
“I’m going to make her beg so pretty,” Shem purred, once again sounding much closer than he should have been. They were toying with me, I realized. Drawing this out. The fucking sadists could have already caught me, but they wanted me scared.
I heard another twig snap and made a split-second decision. I bolted away from the sound, throwing my arms up over my face to protect my eyes as I crashed through thebrush.
