Seconds later, the man stops at the edge of the forest, causing my heart to race again.
“We’ll see you soon, Palmer Weston.” His voice is ominous and certain, and he looks directly where I’m hiding before running in the direction we’d come from.
My stomach rolls when my name leaves his mouth. Everything threatens to climb my throat and to make its way out of my body. I touch my forehead, cold sweat on my fingers when I pull them back. I jolt at the sound of a twig snapping.
Whatever scared him away is still out here. There’s no way he’s given up on me this easily. I race further into the forest, ducking behind anything larger than my body. My black dress makes it easier to hide in the shadows and dense foliage. When my legs are too tired to carry me another foot, I rest my head against the trunk of a large pine. My heavy breath is hard to control. I close my eyes for a few minutes, or maybe more. With the amount of fear bogging my mind, I can’t be certain.
“This was easier than I thought it would be.” The faint voice is somewhere off in the distance, yet close enough to slither around my lungs and squeeze, stealing what little breath I have left.
I open my eyes, startled to recognize the voice. Relief never comes. Marek is no knight in shining armor. If he’s out in these woods, it’s not to save me. He’s here to ruin me. I push myself as far back against the tree as I can, willing myself to be smaller than I’ll ever become. Survival is my only goal.
Sticks snap, and leaves tussle around me. The footsteps are moving closer, removing the safety net these woods have given me. It seems the guy in the hood has herded me here for a reason, right into the jaws of a predator hungry for his prey.
Marek is a cruel son of a bitch, but I’ve never taken him as homicidal. My instinct says it’s a coincidence that he’s here moments after the guy in the hood abandoned chasing me. Do I trust my instincts enough to trust Marek?
A few yards away, a tall, lean body circles a monstrous tree and moves into a small, moon-lit clearing. Against the blanket of snow, his black pants and black shirt stand out like a caricature’s silhouette. His mask matches mine. I lift my hand to run my fingers over the delicate detail. Where I expect to feel the soft fabric, I’m met with nothing but skin. I check the ground around me as if the mask matters. Reed isn’t here anymore to miss it.
“This isn’t what I wanted,” Marek whispers in the space between us. His steps are slow as he approaches me.
There has never been a time I’ve thought Marek capable of hurting me.
Until now.
He stares through me as if I’m nothing. I’ve known all along that he is dead inside, yet I’ve refused to acknowledge it. Every touch has been a set-up, and now I’m certain my willing body has led me into his blood seeking hands.
“It was you,” I say low and stoic, trying my hardest to pretend the walls aren’t closing in on me. “The attacks, the breath nipping at my neck, it’s been you all along.”
Marek’s attention breaks to the side, snapping his eyes from me as I try to distract him and buy me more time to devise a plan.
“All of it was a lie!” I shout, startling both of us.
“I warned you, Palmer. I told you I was no good for you, told you to not let me in.” Marek closes the gap between us, pressing his chest into me, pinning me against the tree. My breath grows heavier, and my body contorts to give me more space, but he’s too strong.
His hand skims up my bare thigh to my center. His touch disgusts me, but I don’t fight, knowing it will do me no good. He buries his nose in the hair behind my ear, inhaling my perfume.
“One thing I’ll miss is this body.” His hands roam over me, taking inches of flesh that don’t belong to him. “How about one last time, Palmer, for old time’s sake?”
“You’re a demented piece of shit, Marek, if you think for a second, I’m ever going to let you inside of me again.”
At my threat, he spins me, pressing my chest to the bark. I hold on for