The forest was a maze of shadows and obstacles, with tree branches that clawed at my face and arms and roots that coiled across my path like traps. The auburn wig finally gave up and snagged on something, tearing free, and I didn't stop to retrieve it. Just kept running with my own hair streaming behind me.
My breath came in ragged gasps, each one burning in my lungs. God, how long had I been running? Five minutes? Ten? It couldn’t have been too long, but it already felt like hours.
The ground began to slope downward, and I half-ran, half-slid down the incline, grabbing at branches to keep myself from falling. At the bottom, I found myself in a small ravine with a creek cutting through it.
I splashed through the shallow water, the cold biting through my boots, and scrambled up the opposite bank. Maybe the water would throw off my trail. Maybe—
A branch suddenly snapped behind me. Close. Way too close.
I pushed harder, legs shaking with exhaustion. The oversized sweater Jeremiah had picked for me caught on a branch, and I heard it rip, but I yanked it free and kept going.
Ahead, I spotted a cluster of massive boulders, dark shapes hulking in the night. I ducked behind the largest one, pressing my back against the cold stone, and clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle my gasping breaths.
Silence reigned around me then. Nothing but my own heartbeat thundering in my ears and the distant sound of the creek.
Had I finally lost him?
I waited, every muscle tensed, straining to hear any sign of movement. Thirty seconds passed. A minute. Two minutes.
“You can't hide from me, Violet.”
Julian's voice suddenly rang out from somewhere to my left, calm and conversational, as if we were discussing the weather. He didn’t sound even remotely winded from the chase.
“I have to admit,” he continued, his voice echoing slightly in the darkness, “you're faster than I expected. And it was smart to use the creek like that. But it won't be enough.”
I pressed harder against the boulder, wishing I could become one with the stone.Don't move. Don't breathe. Don't make a sound.
“Your friends are probably worried about you right now,” he went on. I couldn't pinpoint exactly where his voice was coming from; it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. “Cherry's definitely blaming herself for her acting skills not being up to par tonight. Jeremiah and Dylan are probably already planning your rescue. And Ginny...” Hepaused. “Well, Ginny's probably just relieved her sister gets another chance at life.”
Footsteps. Closer now. Crunching through dead leaves.
“I'm not angry about what you did, you know,” Julian said. “Sneaking into our ceremony. Investigating us. Trying to find out what happened to your sister.” Another pause. “In fact, I'm pretty fucking impressed. Most people would have given up after they heard all the rumors about the Club. But not you. You kept digging. Kept pushing. Even when you thought it was dangerous.”
The footsteps stopped.
“You're probably wondering why I haven't just dragged you out already,” Julian continued. “Why I'm letting you hide behind that boulder when I know exactly where you are.”
My heart stopped.
He knew.
“Because I want you to understand something, Violet. This hunt isn’t just about catching you. It's about claiming you and making you submit yourself to me.”
I heard him move, and suddenly his voice was directly on the other side of the boulder. Less than three feet away.
“I know you probably don’t trust a word I say, but there’s something you should know,” he went on. “I don’t know what happened to Calista during last year’s hunt. But I can help you find out. All you have to do is stop fighting. Give in.”
Rage flared through my terror. He had absolutely no right to talk about Cal.
When I didn’t budge, Julian spoke up again. “Come out, Violet,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “Or I might have to let the Club know who aided you during the hunt. You wouldn’t want them to face any consequences, would you?”
My hands clenched into fists. That sick bastard.
“You have ten seconds to decide,” he said. “Ten. Nine. Eight...”
I couldn't let him hurt my friends. Not after everything they'd done for me. Not after they'd risked so much.
“Seven. Six. Five...”
