“Oh you think that’s funny do you?” Kalen growls, stalking towards me. He cracks his whip, the end lightly kissing my bare thigh with a sting before I’m crushed against his chest. Not gonna lie, that whip is hot. And where the hell did he learn to wield it like that?
“You need to bring that whip next time you sneak into my dorm,” I whisper in his ear.
“Yeah?” He grins, running the soft leather against my bare skin. “You like?”
“Mmmmm,” I give a throaty groan as I lean back my head to give Kalen access to my neck. He takes the hint and begins to kiss his way along my sensitive skin, still trailing the whip along my thigh. “I’ve told you before, you can be rougher with me.”
“Like BDSM and shit?” he whispers in my ear.
“Yeah,” I moan before kissing him. He grasps my hands and pulls them against his chest, trapping them as he wraps his arms tightly around my back.
“Like this?”
“How is this BDSM?” I frown.
“I’m restraining you, aren’t I?”
“Kalen, this is snuggling.” I snort back a laugh. He holds me tighter.
“Shut up, snuggleslut.”
I shake my head at his ridiculousness and a thought suddenly pops into my head. I wiggle against Kalen, working my hands free and wrapping them around his neck. Pulling him closer, I murmur against his lips, “Shut up and kiss me, you goofball.” Thankfully, he complies.
I deepen our kiss, pressing my body against his, gyrating to the music and grinding against him. I’m practically dry humping him, but it’s okay because he’ll probably assume I licked a card atthe entrance. My behaviour isn’t any different to everyone else’s here. Just a little less carefree, and a little more calculated.
Kalen’s hands slide round to cup my breasts, pulling them free of the corset and I let out a blissful sigh, both at his touch and at being free of the confines of the damn corset. I need to force Kalen to wear one so that he knows what it feels like. But then his fingers find my nipples and as he pulls and tweaks them, my knees buckle and I have to cling to him to stay standing. I don’t even care that Slate and Onyx are with us, watching. If anything, it makes this hotter.
Just as Kalen’s mouth finds my hard nipple and his fingers slide under my short skirt and into my panties, a loud whistle blows, startling me back to my senses.
“W-what’s that?” I stammer.
“Ten-minute warning, it’s almost midnight,” Slate explains.
Shit. I need to get moving. I quickly push my breasts back into my corset – which isn’t easy, but I'm not about to ask for help.
“Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom before whatever brand of bat shit crazy Kalen has concocted is unleashed.” I make my excuses and leave. They don’t follow me, probably needing this time to set up or fetch the dogs or whatever. It doesn’t matter, it means my coast is clear to weave my way across the dance floor of gyrating bodies. As soon as I spy Jasper and Elsie – thank god he’s tall – I march up to them.
“Jasper, I need your shirt. Now!” I snap. He doesn’t put up any fight, shrugging and pulling off the black tee to hand to me. Elsie giggles and slides closer to Jasper, running her hands all over his defined chest. It’s like I’m invisible to the two of them; they only have eyes for each other.
I race down one of the halls off the main tent, the one labelled toilets. For the first time ever, there’s no queue for the ladies and I slip into a single stall and flip the lock. Rushing, I strip myselfof every item of clothing I have on before turning the faucet on full blast and hastily washing down my body. The water is icy, but I don’t have time to wait for it to heat up. I wonder if it’ll be enough, but then decide I’m not willing to risk it. I load my hands with the liquid soap and dunk my head under the tap, vigorously washing it.
Wet hair at midnight on a late February night has to be a recipe for disaster, but I figure the guys won’t let me die of hypothermia, right?
I squeeze out the worst of the wet as best I can, before pulling it back in a messy bun and securing it with a band. My hair will hate me for the rough treatment and nasty impromptu shampoo tomorrow, but some things – like pride – are more important. My body is dry so I pull on the shirt. It’ll have to do. There’s no way I’m running in white hooker heels either, so I keep my feet bare.
As I’m exiting the bathroom, a heavy hand clamps down on my shoulder and I jump out of my skin.
“Here.” A gruff voice hands me a pair of black trainers and I look up to see Frost scowling down at me. He doesn’t approve of whatever is about to happen, but he knows he can’t stop it.
“Thanks.” I pull the shoes on, impressed that they fit. Not to be a bitch, but would it have killed him to grab me some leggings or a jacket? Oh well. I hear another whistle blow and know that it’s time. I follow the hordes of people exiting the tent and allow myself to get swept up into the crowd.
The Ringmaster in his red and white getup and holding a flaming torch is easy to see in the dark, and I follow him deeper into the woods alongside everyone else. When we come to a stop, I see Kalen, Onyx and Slate standing on a small podium overlooking us all. Slate’s keen eyes scan the crowd, searching for me, but I duck down and use my crappy height to my advantage. Smoke machines pump out hazy fog all around us,making the whole event even more eerie and creepy. Thank fuck it’s not Halloween, I think I’d pee my pants. If I was wearing any. I wasn’t about to take any chances with that bloody spray.
“Revellers, Rabbits and Miscreants,” Kalen booms over the excited crowd. “The time has come for our greatest showdown. I hope you’ve packed your running shoes because it’s time to flee. For one night only, the hunters become the hunted.”
A massive foghorn sounds and everyone bolts like they were waiting for this moment. Kalen cracks his whip over the heads of the crowd and cackles like a lunatic as we all take off into the dark. We run blindly, panic and chaos, fear and carnage dictating our route. There are too many people, too out of it, and I’m being pushed and shoved all over the place. In amongst all of the dark outfits, the flashes of white bunnies disappearing into the darkness are too easy to see. Everyone may be playing the game, but I know who the real hunted are here. I’m glad I changed.
Breaking away from the crowd, I contemplate which way to go, when I hear it: a loud sharp whistle followed by the howling of dogs.
