His thumb traced my jaw, almost tender, before his expression shifted back to something more controlled.
Then he stepped back, and the cool night air rushed between us.
“We need to go,” he said, his voice still rough. “Get dressed.”
Reality crashed back. The forest. The hunt. The fact that I was his captive, no matter what had just happened between us.
I gathered my clothes from the ground, minus my ruined underwear, and slid back into them, slowly and haltingly.
“Hands,” Julian said when I was done.
I blinked. “What?”
He was already pulling something from his jacket pocket. Zip ties. Of course he'd come prepared.
“Hands behind your back,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
“Are you serious?” I muttered. “I'm not going to run again. Not after… all that.”
“Yes, you are.” His mouth quirked slightly. “Or you'll at least try. So, hands. Now.”
I reluctantly turned around, and he pulled my wrists together behind my back. I felt the plastic bite into my skin as he secured them. Not tight enough to hurt, but definitely tight enough that I couldn't slip free.
“Is this really necessary?” I asked, voice rising. “You already caught me. Where am I going to go?”
“It's necessary,” he replied, coming back around to face me. He pulled out his phone, the screen's glow illuminating his face in the darkness. “Because you're clever, Violet. And stubborn. So I'm not taking any chances.”
With that, he pulled out his phone, the screen illuminating his face in the darkness. He tapped something, then held it to his ear. “It's Julian Valcourt. I need a car at…” He glanced at his screen, reading off a string of numbers that meant nothing to me. “Closest access point to those coordinates. Fifteen minutes.” A pause. “Yes, I have her. Just send the car.”
He ended the call and pocketed the phone, then took my arm. “Can you walk, or do I need to carry you?”
The image of being hauled through the forest like a trophy made my stomach turn. “I can walk,” I muttered.
“Good. Let's go.”
He started guiding me through the trees, one hand firm on my elbow. I stumbled almost immediately over a root I couldn't see in the darkness.
“Careful,” he said, steadying me.
How thoughtful,I thought bitterly.My captor doesn't want me to trip and hurt myself on the way to imprisonment. How considerate of him.
“Watch your step,” Julian said when I nearly tripped over again a moment later.
“It’s hard to walk properly with my hands tied behind my back,” I snapped.
“Would you prefer I throw you over my shoulder?”
“I'd prefer you let me go.”
“Not an option.”
We continued walking, the only sounds our footsteps and the occasional rustle of wildlife. My arms were already starting to ache from the position, and the adrenaline from earlier was wearing off, leaving exhaustion in its wake.
“How far?” I asked.
“Another ten minutes to the road. The car should be there by the time we arrive.”
“Why not just take me back to your own car at the cabin?”
