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Chapter 13 Rhianelle
I plunge deeper into the cave system beyond. My lungs burn as I sprint through the darkness, using my hands to guide me along the rough walls. This is foolish and I know it.
Svenn’s a predator perfected by centuries of hunting.
I’ve just made myself prey.
What was I thinking? I shouldn't have provoked him and told him about the fae. Now the bond itself is chasing me through the darkness and I have nowhere to go.
A shadow moves in my peripheral vision. I spin but nothing's there.
"Why are you running, little fawn?" His voice bounces off the cave walls, making it impossible to tell where he is. "You wanted to see the monster. Don't you want to play?"
I press against a wall, trying to calm my ragged breathing. This is Svenn, I remind myself desperately.
Svenn loves me. He would never truly hurt me.
But this version of his is something else entirely.
“I can hear your heartbeat,” he calls, closer this time. “It’s pounding so loudly I could follow it blind.”
I duck into a narrow passage, pressing myself flat against the wall to catch my breath. My heart is indeed racing from running and the fear.
His voice is closer now. “Come out now.”
A silhouette passes the entrance to my passage. I hold my breath, pressing harder against the stone until I feel like I’m part of the wall itself.
The shadow moves on.
I wait until I'm sure he's gone. Then I slip out and run in the opposite direction. But the caves are a maze. Every passage looks the same in the dim phosphorescent light.
"Are we playing chase?" His voice carries dark amusement. "I always win this game."
I finda small alcove hidden behind a jutting rock formation and squeeze inside. It's barely big enough for me but maybe if I stay perfectly still—
"You can't hidefrom me, Rhianelle."
His voice is right outside my hiding spot. My breath catches. I clamp my hand over my mouth.
"I know exactly where you are," he murmurs. "I can smell your fear, your arousal and that frantic pulse when I'm near.”
He's so close I can feel the temperature drop from his presence. Frost forms on the stone near the alcove entrance. One wrong breath and he'll find me.
“Do you know what happens when I catch you?" His voice drops to something dark and hungry. "I'll show you why runningwas a mistake. Then I'll make sure you never forget who you belong to."
I should run. Every instinct screams it. But some treacherous part of me wants to know what happens when he catches me.
He stops moving.The silence stretches out, “Found you.”
I bolt from my hiding spot before his hand can grab me. He’s gaining on me. I race down another passage with my heart in my throat.
"You can't run forever, little fawn."
I burst into a larger cavern with multiple exits and choose one at random. My mistake is immediate. It’s a dead end. I spin around quickly.
But Svenn’s already there, filling the entrance and blocking my escape.
