Chapter Twenty Six
BAST
I stood on the stage at midnight in the feasting hall, waiting for my Persephone. Tristan and Nate sat on their thrones, and the Reapers talked and laughed among themselves. The anticipation and excitement were running high. This was one of the most popular events of the season, and even I couldn’t help but look forward to it. Tonight, we’d get to hunt Paige through the forest. Our Persephone making her “escape”, only to be caught and punished for her audacity to believe she could ever be free of us. Only the Reapers in their final year would partake in the hunt. They needed to have been part of the club long enough to understand the price they would pay if they laid a hand on her. Thirty-four men in black clothing, hoods raised, skull masks in place, stood along the aisle that led to the stage. With us, that made thirty-seven hunters. They would chase her, steer her towards us, and we’d inflict her punishment then and there. My cock twitched just thinking about it, and I pushed the thought to one side. Right now, I needed to keep my head in the game.
The door to my right swung open, and Paige made her way up onto the stage. Any thought of the game flew straight out of my head as I took her in. She was a vision in white. Golden curls hung down her back, and a white filigree mask covered half of her face. The white silk dress was practically see-through, clinging to curves that sent my blood rushing south as my eyes took in her hard nipples and the darker triangle at the junction of her legs. Fuck. My body reacted instantly, hardening my cock and firing up an animal urge that clawed at my control.
“Jesus, Paige,” I muttered, my voice rough like gravel. She was beauty and chaos intertwined, a stark contrast to the dark, brooding forest that lay beyond the windows. Tonight, she would be the prey, and I would no longer be her protector, but the predator that hunted her in the night.
“You will be given a half hour head start. The Reapers will hunt you in the forest, as per tradition. It’s just the senior members, and they will not touch you.”
A shiver ran through her, and I didn”t miss the flicker of doubt. ”And if they do?”
“They won’t. They know the consequences,” I said, my voice cold. “Only me, Tristan, or Nate.”
She nodded, her implicit trust in my words nearly as much of a turn on as her outfit.
“Are you ready?.”
“I am.”
“Good. It’s time to go.”
She took a deep breath, and gave me, Tristan and Nate a small smile, raised her head and walked down the stone steps into the hall. The Reapers fell silent, each watching her as she walked between them. Pride filled my chest as I watched her move through them like a fucking queen. Like Persephone, Paige truly was transforming. Blossoming into something none of us could have ever predicted.
The Reapers watched her go, ascending the stairs at the end of the hall, her pale, ghostly form disappearing up the stairs into the darkness.
I sat back on my throne, my eyes never leaving the path she’d taken. The half-hour head start began ticking down, and I had to fight to calm myself, to keep myself from rising and sprinting after her. The hunt was only beginning; I would have her soon enough.
The other Reapers sat down at the tables, drinking and laughing together. Sometimes including Nate, Tristan and myself in their conversations. I smiled, and laughed and talked with them, some of them good friends, but in the back of my mind, all I could think about was Paige.
My phone vibrated in my pocket, indicating the timer was finally up, and I stood. Tristan and Nate followed and one by one the Reapers fell silent and got to their feet. They moved with a predator’s grace, forming a line by the door. Their masks gleamed in the dim light – thirty-four skulls waiting to hunt their prey. They were silent, their faces hidden behind their masks showing no emotion. I pulled my skull mask over my head and nodded at Nate and Tristan as they did the same. The adrenaline pumping through my veins was almost intoxicating - there was nothing like Hunt Night. Tonight was not about control anymore, it was about submission. Tonight, Paige was going to learn just how much she belonged to us.
I led the Reapers up the darkened stairs, and through the columns of the folly. The forest loomed dark and foreboding around us, the moon at its weakest on this night, and casting no light. This was Persephone’s final dark trial, her lowest point, but I knew that Paige would rise to meet the challenge. I turned to the Reapers, all silently awaiting my command.
“Bring her back alive and unharmed,” I commanded. “Go.”
The Deadmen’s Club split into groups, stalking in different directions. I felt a quiet satisfaction at their disciplined formation and tactics. Nate had trained them well. They were predators, swift and lethal. They vanished into the trees, seeking her like wraiths, silent and deadly. The Hunt was on. Tonight, Paige was mine to claim.
As the Reapers disappeared into the cloak of night, I turned to Tristan and Nate. Their masks reflected the moonlight, leaving their eyes hidden within the dark hollows of the skulls. We exchanged nods before dispersing ourselves, each of us choosing a different direction. Tristan decided to cut through the centre of the forest, while Nate opted to sweep around to the lake, using his knowledge of the terrain to corral her towards us. I stalked quietly in the opposite direction, circling around towards the crumbling ruins near the edge of our territory.
The forest was alive with sounds–the rustle of leaves underfoot, soft curses whispered through the trees as some of the more inebriated Reapers stumbled clumsily in their search.
The thrill of the hunt pulsed through my veins like a live wire sparking my senses awake. Every crunch of leaves or snap of twigs had me poised and ready to react. In these moments I was not Bastian Blake, head of Hades fraternity or heir to an international empire. I was simply a hunter tracking his prey.
The familiar silhouette of the derelict ruins came into view – twisted metal and crumbling stones blanketed by climbing ivy. My heart pounded in my chest as I skirted around its perimeter, eyes scanning for any signs of disturbance, but there was nothing. I moved further afield, scanning the trees for any pale flicker that might reveal her presence, but I found nothing.
After an hour, I stopped and called Nate.
“Anything?”
“Nothing. Tris hasn’t seen her either, and I haven’t heard from any of the Reapers.”
“She couldn’t have gone this far out, surely. Someone should have found her by now,” I said, worry starting to creep into my mind.
“Give it another ten minutes,”said Nate. “She might be cleverer than we’re giving her credit for.”
I hung up and carried on walking. Nate was right. Paige was full of surprises. I just had the strongest feeling something was very wrong. Where the hell was she?