I closed my eyes, tears of frustration stinging behind my lids.
“Four. Three...”
I couldn't win this. I was never going to win this.
“Two...”
I rose to my feet and stepped out from behind the boulder.
Julian stood about ten feet away, his mask still in place, his posture relaxed, like he'd never doubted that I'd come out.
“Good girl,” he said softly.
With the moonlight filtering through the trees, I could see him better now. Tall, broad-shouldered, completely calm. He looked like he'd just gone for an evening stroll, not chased someone through the forest.
“What now?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
“Now?” Julian tilted his head slightly. “Now you come with me. Back to the estate. Your friends go home safe.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You won't.”
It wasn't a threat. Just a statement of fact.
Suddenly, a shout echoed through the forest. Distant but clear. “Violet! Keep going! You can make it! Don’t worry about us!”
Jeremiah.
Julian's head snapped toward the sound, and in that split second of distraction, I ran again, instantly filled with another burst of resolve.
Behind me, I heard Julian laugh, and then he was after me again.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it far. My exhausted legs betrayed me after mere moments, and I stumbled, catching myself against a massive tree trunk. I tried to push off and keep running, but my muscles simply had nothing left.
Before I could take another step, Julian was there. His hand slammed against the trunk beside my head, his body blocking any escape route.
Shit.
I was trapped, pinned between him and the tree, both of us breathing hard. I tried to duck under his arm, but his other hand came up, caging me completely. My back pressed against the rough bark as he leaned in closer.
“Finally got you,” he murmured, and there was something in his voice—something dark and possessive—that made my breath catch.
The way he said it… it seemed like he wasn't just talking about tonight. Not just about catching me in this particular hunt. There was something deeper to those words, like he'd been chasing me for far longer than a few hours. As if this moment was the culmination of something that had been building for weeks.
I was sure I already knew what that ‘something’ was. The Dionysus Club had obviously sent him to monitor me and make sure I didn’t get too close to them in my investigation, and now that I had, he’d been commanded to get rid of me. Putting me in this hunt was just a way to turn my demise into a twisted game for him. To make me submit first; make me beg for mercy only for him to coldly reject it.
I refused to give him that satisfaction. Refused to beg him for mercy.
His hand came up, fingers curling around my throat as he pushed my chin upward with his thumb, forcing me to meet hiseyes. Even through the mask, I could feel the intensity of his gaze.
I drew in a choked breath as his fingers tightened around my throat. His breath was hot against my cheek, the scent of his cologne washing over me.
Oh, god.
This was it. This was the moment he'd kill me, just like he killed Kane. Just like his brother had killed Cal.
But instead…
