Chapter 6
I’m back on my feet again, wrapped in Conquest’s cloak. My limbs ache, and I’m struggling to remain upright while War laces up my boots. This is a twisted game. A dark and cruel turn of fate. But I can’t ignore that nagging feeling in my gut that maybe… this is freedom.
If not for the sacrifice or the Wild Hunt, my destiny would’ve led me to a man of my father’s choosing. I’d bear him children, tend to his house, and maybe enjoy a few minutes of chatter with the other women in the village while we gather berries for supper.
It sounds pleasant. Safe. Predictable. But in some ways, it is another form of death. Marriage, as we know it, can murder a woman’s soul. It stifles our bodies, forcing us into countless nights of sexual servitude—satisfying our husbands whilst never receiving any pleasure in return.
At least that was what Lady Jezebel, the village healer, used to whisper to us once we became of age. Until the others found out. They called her a witch and burned her alive. We were told she was evil. Demented. But what if she was right?
As I watch the way War’s fingers move over me, the softness with which he buttons my coat, gently tucking my hair inside the hood, the way just one graze of his knuckles across my cheek sends delightful shivers up my spine… Maybe this is the mercy of the gods. And not a punishment after all.
But the night is still young. They could still kill me after they’ve had their fun. I cannot trust any of this or them. The Four Horsemen are not known for their kindness. They are death bringers, monsters who kill without remorse.
My stomach knots as I weigh my fate. Even if I survive the night, I can’t ever return to my village. For Lucy’s sake, the village council must believe that I’m dead.
War pinches my chin. “You disappear into your mind too much. Forget the past, little doe. Your life is here with us now.”
“I know.” I stare at his full lips. They are soft despite his rough disposition. I shudder as I remember the silky feel of them puckering around my nub.
His eyes darken. “If you know, then stop trying to make sense of it. There is nothing to figure out. You’re ours because we decided it so. That’s all.”
A fury rises from deep within. I shove him back, catching him off guard. He stumbles slightly but regains his footing with flared nostrils. But before he can retaliate, I stomp toward him with the rage of a thousand men.
I shove him again. “You yanked me from my life like I’m nothing but a piece of property or livestock. But I am not an animal. I will never see my family again. So forgive me if I am not a well-behaved prisoner. The past was yesterday for me.”
He snarls as he grabs my shoulders, spinning me around until my back’s against the wall.
We glare at each other, locked in a battle of wills.
He tips his mouth to my ear. “When Famine and Death are finished with you, I’m going to bend you over my knee and give you a spanking that will knock the breath from your lungs. ”
My juices trickle out of my pussy. My own mouth betrays me with a whimper I don’t want him to hear. The more power he holds over me, the more I actually have in common with the livestock.
He chuckles, his breath tickling my neck. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He tucks another strand of my hair in before nipping at my neck with his razor-sharp teeth.
I lean back against the wall and close my eyes. “Your touch sickens me,” I lie.
He palms my breast over the coat and squeezes as he continues to scrape his teeth up my jaw. “Mmm, yes. You seem terribly ill right now. Maybe you should lie down.”
The heat in my chest rises to my cheeks. I try to swallow, but my mouth is bone dry. “Get away from me before I vomit all over you.” Another lie. I am more afraid that I will cum again.
He starts for my throat when the sound of horses galloping in the distance snaps his attention to the barred window. “They are growing impatient. It’s time to run, little doe. Run as fast as your tired feet will let you.”
My stomach drops. Not again. Each encounter is more brutal than the last. What will the next monster do to me? “No,” I growl back.
He grunts as he drags me across the room and shoves me down the rickety stairs. I twist out of his grip when we reach the first floor. “Oh, a fire!” I run to the hearth, relishing the heat from the blazing flames.
He allows me to warm my hands for a moment before pinching the back of my neck. “Delaying the inevitable isn’t going to save you. It only makes us hungrier for that decadent feast between your thighs.”
I shudder. Despite the warmth from the fire, his fingers are cold on my nape.
I’m beginning to understand the thrill of this chase.
This Wild Hunt. For them, it’s the delight in stalking their prey.
It makes catching me that much sweeter. I’d be lying to myself if it didn’t provoke my own curiosities.
Not to mention the growing sensation of shame for being secretly aroused by the rush it provides.
I let him pull me away from the hearth as if I even have a choice.
He is not gentle this time when he yanks the front door open and shoves me out into the snow.
I stumble onto my knees, landing at the hooves of his horse.
The beast rears back and lets out a screech that I’ve never heard a horse make.
“Dear gods…” I whisper as I shut my eyes and prepare to be trampled. But instead, War yanks me to my feet and stands between me and my impending death. That split second it takes makes me realize I want to live.
He gives my cheek a light slap. “Enough. Go. Run.”
My breath hitches as I spin around. The path before me is treacherous.
The open terrain leading back to the woods is dark, icy, and laden with spiny brush.
If I don’t run fast enough, I’ll sink into the slush.
If I run too fast, my stamina will give out before I even get to the edge of the tree line.
War grabs a fistful of my blonde hair, tugging my head back. “If you don’t run right fucking now, I will tie you to the back of my horse and let him drag you there.”
I wince from the pain shooting through my scalp. “Okay, let me go.”
He shoves me again, and this time I break out into a full sprint across the clearing.
The smell of sulfur intensifies as I crisscross through the trees.
The branches snag on my coat, threatening to ensnare me like a fly caught in a spider’s web.
It’s as if the forest itself is in on the Wild Hunt, creating more and more obstacles for me to get through.
With only the moon to guide me, I pray to the gods.
Please don’t let me trip and break both my legs.
Yet every noise makes me jump, increasing my chances of taking a nasty fall. Hooves pound like drums in the distance, louder still, no matter how fast I run. But it’s the howling of wolves that sends my adrenaline into overdrive.
With every jagged breath I take, my resolve crumbles. What if there is a way out of this forest? Maybe I could find the edge and disappear. I could find another village and start over. My sister would be safe, and I would be free.
Foolish thinking, silly girl.
The horsemen will find me no matter where I go. They’ve marked me with their scent. Claimed me as their property. The only chance I have of surviving is to play their game. If I behave, perhaps they’ll take pity on me and show me mercy. Or maybe they’ll grow bored and let me go.
Maniacal laughter echoes through the trees. He’s getting closer. This is impossible. I am not a slow runner, and I have taken ample care in choosing a chaotic path. But he is faster, smarter, and unrelenting.
I leap over a fallen log and dive between two bushes that nearly trap me. I tear through, fighting the thick brambles off but take some thorns with me. They stick into my coat, poking through the fabric. It slows me down, but I keep going. I don’t look back.
Even as the pounding of hooves grows louder, I charge ahead, desperate to win just this once. My pulse throbs in my ears, my stomach knotting when I hear him right behind me. But I know it’s over. I’m caught. His laughter fills my ears, taunting me as he closes in.
When I spot three figures on horses up ahead, I come to a skidding halt. They block my path, cornering me, herding me as they have done from the start. So I am always right where they want me. This entire forest is their chessboard, and I’m nothing but their fragile human pawn.
I let out a deep sigh and hang my head in defeat.
He trots his horse in circles around me. “Look at me.” His voice is as smooth as churned butter—melodic, yet smoky and dangerous.
I lift my head to meet his gaze, and my knees wobble.
His eyes are bright blue and his long hair is as white as the snow.
He wears it in a low ponytail at the base of his neck.
Like the other two, his build is enormous with broad shoulders, thick muscular thighs and arms, and a jawline that could cut through stone.
In any other circumstances, I would swoon.
He’s beautiful. All three of them are. I have to assume the fourth one is as well.
I guess I should be grateful that they don’t repulse me.
“Innocent little Imogen. Not so innocent for much longer…” His eyes fill with amusement. He slides off his horse but continues to stalk in circles around me.
My teeth chatter as an icy breeze brushes past us. My whole body trembles under his gaze. “Please, sir. I’m nothing special. Please let me go.”
The grin on his face widens. He towers over me, taunting me with his superior position. “Would you like to know a secret?”
I manage a nod even though I can’t stop shivering. War was brutal, but this one exudes pure chaos. He’s unpredictable. That terrifies me the most.
He presses a cold finger to my lips. “My name, Famine, wasn’t given to me because of my ability to spread plagues that kill crops. Although, I do. No, sweet little doe. It was bestowed upon me because of my ravenous appetite for pretty things.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as he walks behind me. He brushes my hair to the side and whispers in my ear, “And right now… I’m starving.”
My eyelids flutter as his warm breath tickles my ear. “Dear gods,” I whimper out.
He wraps his hands around my wrists and pulls me toward his horse. “The gods have abandoned you. You will pray to me now.”
I yelp as he wraps a rope around my neck and pulls it tight. He hangs onto the other end of it while mounting his horse. “Be a good pet and keep up. I wouldn’t want you to choke to death before I get the chance to rip you apart. I prefer you to be alive for every second of that.”
Oh, no. He’s unhinged.
“W-where are you taking me?” I stammer.
He clicks his tongue, and we’re on the move.
I clasp my neck, wedging a finger between the rope and my flesh.
As if that will save me if the horse decides to break into a gallop.
I can run fast, but I’ve already been at it most of the night.
My fingers and toes are numb, and my eyelids are weighted from lack of sleep.
“You’ll see when we get there, little doe. Now keep quiet or else you’ll spook Nightmare.” Famine grins from ear to ear, enjoying every second of my torture. There is something so menacing about him that I can’t help but shudder every time he glances at me.
“What a stupid name for a horse,” I say under my breath.
“I heard that.” He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth again, and the horse shifts into a light trot. I have to jog to keep up, being mindful of the uneven ground so that I don’t trip on a fallen branch.
Bastard.
My bare thighs burn as they rub together under the thick winter cloak.
I haven’t had food or water since Conquest first found me this morning, and now my muscles are starting to atrophy.
I don’t know how much longer I can do this.
The idea of surrendering to darkness is tempting me to fall.
To let the rope cut off the air in my lungs, so I can be done with this wretched existence.
After a few minutes, he slows the horse back to a walk, all while laughing to himself. “That was just a taste, little doe. Insult me or Nightmare again, and we’ll have to find out just how fast those tired legs can move.”
I bite my tongue this time. Being dragged through the woods on a leash is degrading enough. Plus, I need to save my strength for whatever vile things this beast has planned for me.
And just when I think I can’t take any more of his incessant taunting, we arrive at a clearing, a small patch of flat ground, untouched by snow, lit by torches and a bonfire. Next to it lies a fresh grave and a headstone… with my name on it.
“Oh gods,” I whisper. My breath dusts the air like smoke.
He dismounts his horse and tugs on my rope, hand over hand, until I’m up against his hard chest. “This is where I’m going to murder your innocence, little doe. Every precious inch of it.”
My lip quivers as I look up at him and force myself to meet his sadistic gaze. “Good luck with that. I lost it the second those men left me out here to die.”
Famine’s grin widens. “Don’t be so sure about that.” His eyes darken as he rips my coat open. The buttons go flying in every direction. I yelp as he yanks it off me and throws it into the fire. “Get on your hands and knees, pet.”