Lorelei.
I let go of the women’s hands next to me and took off running. Lorelei turned and ran too, the ghost of her laughter swallowed up by the blood rushing to my head. She was wearing a long, red dress with a plunging neckline, high slits on either side.
“Let the hunt begin!”
Jayne’s voice boomed through the forest. Birds cawed and migrated from tree to tree. I stumbled on a branch, catching myself before I lost balance and face planted.
I’d lost sight of Lorelei, but I knew she’d been heading toward the cottage, so I made that my target. The closer I got to the building, the louder the voices within it became. Men were chanting.InLatin. Because of course they were.
I spun around, scanning the trees and brush. I saw a few bodies on the move, but no one in a red dress. The sun was setting. I clutched my flashlight hard in my palm.
The chanting stopped. I peeked inside the nearest window.
Men in golden masks surrounded two bound and gagged women strung up from the ceiling by their wrists, their toes barely touching the floor. Thin streams of blood trickled down their nude bodies like they were meat in a butcher’s shop.
I swallowed, scanning their faces, checking to make sure they were okay, that this was all still a game.
Suddenly, every cloaked and masked man turned toward the window. Towardme.
I froze. I watched in horror as every single one removed their masks. I vaguely recognized multiple faces, though my horrible identification software couldn’t quite place them. The only man I could name was Elliot Sultan, billionaire tech oligarch. His pasty, wax figure-like face broke out into a smile. He opened his mouth, and I read his lips.
Run.
“Oh, fuck.” Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I took off, scanning the woods for a red dress as masculine laughter chased after me. The terrain was hilly and littered with old, abandoned stone walls and glacial boulders, providing ample natural hiding places.
“Lorelei!” I yelled.
I jumped when I saw movement in my periphery. A woman struggled against rope that had tied her nude body to a tree. Her breasts were bruised, and an O-ring gag kept her mouth open, spit running down her body.
I broke my stare when I heard more girlish laughter in the distance, and I wasn’t sure if it was Lorelei or not, but I chased after the sound anyway.
I was so busy scanning my surroundings for a red dress, I didn’t notice the sound of twigs snapping behind me until they were alarmingly close.
“Cute ears,” a low voice said. “I suppose this makes me a wolf, doesn’t it, angel?”
I didn’t turn. I didn’t need to. Roman’s dark laugh haunted me as I took off running again. My lungs heaved. I ducked behind a massive fallen tree, just twenty feet from a mossy granite slab.
Somewhere close by, I heard flesh slapping against flesh. I peeked out from my hiding spot, and I didn’t see Roman.
I kept low as I beelined for the boulder, which offered far better coverage.
My mind was scrambled—not only was I hunting Lorelei, I was also being play-hunted by Wes and potentially real-hunted by powerful billionaires.
In hindsight, this had perhaps not been the best idea.
But I’dseen her. I’d finally seen Lorelei with my own eyes, ever so briefly. She was here. One of those rich assholes was her boyfriend. He would capture her if I didn’t catch her first, and we would finally be able to talk. I would finally be able to tell her?—
The moment I reached the boulder, an arm wrapped around my waist.
I squealed, dropping the flashlight as I kicked back against shins.
“Hello to you too, baby,” a familiar voice growled in my ear as strong arms overpowered me, dragging me the rest of the way behind the mossy slab.
I relaxed slightly in Wes’s hold, his scent soothing me.
I opened my mouth to tell him I saw Lorelei, but his hand closed over my lips before I could. A woman shrieked close by, sending a chill down my spine.
“Do not make a sound,” Wes commanded.
