“It won’t be gentle,” the words were a growl as he traced the back of a large knuckle over my skin, so faintly we barely touched. Was he worried about breaking me, now that I’d proven to be fragile?
“I don’t want it to be. And, if it’s okay, I won’t be gentle either.”
“Vivian.” His chest rumbled pleasantly. “Darling, please try to hurt me if it’ll help you feel better.”
The “try to” rang true, because there was no fucking way I could hurt him while he was like this.
“Give me a ten second head start, and trust that if there’s anything I don’t like, I’ll tell you.” I stroked a thumb over one of his horns. Even hunched over as he was, I could barely reach his forehead. “You do the same. Tell me if it’s too much.”
“Try me.” He grinned a mouthful of sharp teeth, his blackened eyes glinting.
My heart raced with anticipation. Finally, an outlet. He looked like a monster, and I was about to release my own from my chest.
“Ten,” he warned.
Oh shit. Time to run. I was about to be hunted down by somethingfarscarier than my enemies. Once I was caught, I would be fucked. Hard. Relentlessly.
Just when I felt like the thrill was too much—threatening to switch me back to numbness—I turned on my heels and ran.
“Nine.”
I sprinted for my alcove. What was about to happen couldn’t occur in our cabin, it’d be too triggering.
I wasn’t fast or graceful. My breasts were sore as they bounced. My lungs burned almost immediately. I welcomed the sensations. They were real, and situationally appropriate, andme.
“Eight.”
I stumbled over a hill of soft green clover, catching myself on my palms. Tiny plants pressed between my spread fingers, tickling my wrists before I pushed myself back to my feet.
“Seven.”
He was no longer trying to quiet his monstrous voice. The sound touched every part of me. Just like he would when I lost the chase.
“Six.”
My eyes pooled with anxiety induced tears, but that was okay. Crying was good. It was more than I’d been able to do for days. This fucked up little game was exactly what I needed.
“Five.”
Would I make it to the alcove? Having a target just out of reach felt exhilarating, even when I had no plan for what I’d do when I reached it. I was vulnerable. Naked and watched, soon to be devoured.
“Four.”
My thighs were slippery as they brushed against each other.
“Three.”
I was so eager to fight, to fuck, to be filled.To feel.
“Two.”
A jolt of primal fear shot through my chest. There was no turning back now. He would be on me in a matter of moments.
“Times up, darling.”
Vivian
Theo closed the gap between us in a matter of moments. Why was I surprised? He was twice my size, and I’d seen the way he charged those men. Before I had a chance to formulate any sort of plan for hiding, I was tackled to the ground with a heavythud. I felt something soft behind my head preventing it from cracking against the rock—Theo’s hand. Very considerate.
