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Like a fly stuck to molasses in the dead of summer, I was trapped here waiting for her to return. But once she did, I would lift her on top of me and seat myself fully inside her. And watch her as she took everything I had to give.

I shut my eyes tight against the explosion of color as I came undone, biting back the urge to shout her name.

When I opened them, I was nowhere near satisfied.

Three days.

She’d be back in my arms soon.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

BRYN

My mouth was dry, thirsty for water. My feet pounded against the terrain as I ran.

I could feel him closing the distance between us. Could sense him stalking me like prey.

I was too exposed out in the open like this.

I needed to find a place to hide.

The plush green of the rolling hills offered me little shelter. The occasional group of gray boulders scattered throughout the tall, vibrant grass my only safety. My best chance would be hiding behind one, then doubling back the way I’d come once he lost my trail.

My final chance at survival.

I ran to the nearest boulder and dropped into a crouch, my back and arms pressed firmly against it, daring a peek around the stone to see if I could catch a glimpse of him.

Big mistake.

I immediately locked eyes with him, my stomach bottoming out.

His chocolate-brown eyes narrowed on me, a vicious smile meeting the look of terror I knew was plastered across my face.

There was no time to hesitate. I pushed off the rock and ran as hard as I could away from him.

But my attempt at escape was pointless.

He was twice my size and twice as cruel.

Within seconds, his hands seized my waist, pulling me against him, then down to the ground. His body pressed against mine as he rolled me onto my back, pinning my arms against the soft grass.

“You’re it,” Adrian whispered, blowing a piece of my hair out of my face that had come undone from my ponytail, a grin appearing on his lips. All viciousness of the hunter gone.

I suppressed the urge to scream in frustration. This was the fifth time he’d caught me.

“Again,” I said. “We need to go again.”

He rolled off me, sitting up next to me. “That’s enough for today, Bryn.”

“I have just under two days until the test, Adrian. I need to be ready.”

“You are ready. No amount of training in two days is going to make you stronger. Or faster. You run like a calf.”

I hit his arm. “Adrian!”

“I’m kidding.” He laughed. “You’re fast, I’m just faster.” He stood, pulling me up to stand next to him. “The test isn’t going to just be physical. It’s mental, too. If you drain yourself, you’re only doing a disservice to your body and your mind.”

Earlier he had told me there were typically three trials in Delirium but was unable to provide exact details because of the secrecy behind it.