Chapter 31
The Prey
T he first thing I notice as I come to is that my head is throbbing, each beat of my heart sending a jolt of pain through my skull. The surrounding air is stale, dust tickling my throat with every breath I take. I try to sit up, but my body feels heavy, sluggish, like I’m underwater.
The second thing I notice is that I’m blindfolded, and my wrists are tied behind my back. What the hell happened?
I was with… yeah, I was with Valentine in his bed. But that’s definitely not where I am now. This place smells different, and it’s eerily quiet.
“Valentine?” My tongue feels thick in my mouth as I call out for him. Did Michael come for me? “Where are you? Are you okay?”
My heart beats faster as my mind conjures up images of Valentine being hurt, of me being back in Michael’s grasp.
Shit, shit, shit!
A sob breaks free as I call for him over and over.
“Where am I?” I mutter, my voice raspy and weak from calling for a man that can’t hear me. The question goes unanswered as I try to focus on sounds. But there aren’t any.
Suddenly, there’s a sharp whizzing sound, and something flies past my hea d. I scream, instinct taking over as I roll off whatever I was laid on, and onto the floor. My body aches, but I can’t afford to hesitate. I need to get out of here. Now.
The sound comes again, setting my nerves on edge, the danger closing in on me all too real. “Who’s there?!” I cry out, scrambling to stand up.
“Run away, little girl. Run away,” a menacing voice taunts from somewhere close, making my blood run cold. “Don’t let me catch you. If I do, you’re mine.”
I don’t recognize the voice, but the threat is clear.
My heart hammers in my chest as I begin running in the opposite direction of where I thought I heard the voice coming from.
As I feel coldness wrap around me, I realize I’m running toward an exit. I try to pick up speed, but it’s hard when I can’t use my arms to balance myself, or see where I’m going.
My breathing is ragged, each breath tearing like ice through my lungs. Panic courses through me, driving me into an unsure sprint.
“Please!” I cry out, my voice breaking with fear. “Why are you doing this?”
Shit!
I need to stay quiet instead of giving away my location. I realize my stupidity the second the last word passes my sore throat. Then again, I’m sure he isn’t fucking blindfolded. So if he can see me, what’s the point of staying quiet?
The only response is the eerie quiet of the outside, punctuated by the sound of snow crunching beneath my feet and the occasional snap of branches as I step on them. The darkness is suffocating, disorienting me further. I don’t know where I’m going or what’s waiting for me.
Are Michael and John playing some kind of twisted game with me?
“I’m coming for you,” the chilling, unknown voice sneers, sending shivers down my spine. A whimper escapes me just as something whistles past my ear, so close that I feel the air shift as it goes by.
I race straight ahead, but quickly realize that’s dangerous as well when I’ve been smacked by a few frozen branches and run into at least one tree trunk. But I can’t slow down, can’t stop.
A s cream is torn from me as there’s a thud like something hit the tree next to me, and I’m showered with what feels like debris. The threat is real, and I know I have to keep moving if I want to survive.
“Leave me alone!” I scream.
My desperation grows with each passing second, and whizzing sounds keep coming, each one closer than the last, the unknown voice continuing to torment me.
“Keep running. See how far you get.”
My legs burn with exhaustion, and my breath comes in ragged gasps, but I can’t stop. I won’t let this unseen assailant hurt myself or Valentine. I’ll fight until my last breath if that’s what it takes to save the both of us.
“Please,” I gasp, stumbling.
It dawns on me that I’ll never outrun him, but the fight within me refuses to surrender. With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I force my tired legs to move again, pushing myself beyond my limits as fear propels me forward.
“Running won’t save you,” he growls menacingly, his voice unfamiliar and cold as ice. “You can’t escape me. Mhmm, I look forward to catching you. The things I’m going to do to you. Fuck.” The last part morphs into a lustful groan.
The sound of his footsteps crunching on snow grows louder as he closes the distance between us. Despite my best efforts, I know I won’t be able to keep this up much longer. My body trembles from the exertion and the biting cold, and my lungs burn from the frigid air I desperately suck in.
Suddenly, I feel a strong arm wrap around my waist, yanking me off my feet. “Caught you.”
I scream as I’m thrown down onto the frozen ground with brutal force, pinned beneath whoever is chasing me. His aggressive dominance sends shivers of terror down my spine, and I struggle beneath him, bucking and kicking in an attempt to free myself.
“Get off me.” My voice cracks with fear and desperation. But he doesn’t relent, holding me down with relentless determination. “What do you want from me?” I grit out. My teeth chatter, both from the cold and the all consuming fear holding my heart in its cold grip.
“ Everything,” he growls, leaning closer so that his breath warms my ear. “You’re mine now.”
I barely hear his words over the whooshing of my blood as I continue to struggle against him, I notice a familiar scent that seems out of place in this terrifying situation—something warm and earthy, with a hint of spice. It’s both comforting and unsettling.
“Why are you doing this?” I demand, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to sound brave.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he whispers darkly.
I gasp as his hand closes around my breast, squeezing roughly. My body reacts involuntarily with a shudder of embarrassment and arousal that I can’t control. “Please,” I whisper, trying to squirm away from him. “Don’t do this.”
Ignoring me, his free hand grips my other breast, pinching my nipple through my clothes, and there’s no stopping the moan that escapes my lips. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes as I struggle to comprehend how my body can betray me like this.
“Look at you,” he taunts, his voice low and cruel. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Please,” I beg again, desperately trying to push him away, but he easily overpowers me.
“Your feeble attempts at resistance only make this more enjoyable for me,” he says, before suddenly releasing my breasts and grabbing the hem of my shirt. With one swift motion, he tears it off my body, leaving me exposed to the freezing cold.
“Stop!” I scream, my voice shrill with fear, but he ignores my pleas, continuing to strip me of my clothing until I’m completely naked in the snow. The cold bites at my skin, but it does nothing to quell the heat pooling in my core.
“Such a pretty little thing,” he murmurs, his eyes roaming over my naked form.
The cold metal of something is pressed against my throat, sending a shudder down my spine as the man slowly moves it down my body, circling my areolas until I whimper. Whether it’s from fear or want, I don’t know.
“ Such delicate skin,” he murmurs, adding pressure. I let out a whimper as the skin breaks, and I feel the warmth of my blood pebbling from where he pushes the metal further in.
Much to my own surprise, and disgust with myself, I moan loudly.
He continues to slowly trace the sharp tip of the weapon along the soft skin of my stomach, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. I let out another moan, softer this time. My body betrays me with its involuntary response to the mix of pleasure and pain.
There’s a nagging at the back of my mind, like my subconsciousness is trying to tell me something. But I can’t focus on that right now.
“Don’t. N-no. Please…” I whimper, my voice barely audible as I try to muster some semblance of courage.
“Are you begging for more?” he taunts, his deep voice echoing through the silent forest. He moves the metal lower, grazing the sensitive flesh of my mound, causing me to gasp and arch my back involuntarily. “Or are you begging to be fucked?” His words send a jolt of both fear and intrigue through me, but the desire that flickers within me is quickly overshadowed by a surge of determination.
“Never,” I grit out. “I won’t be your plaything.”
“Is that so?” he drawls, his tone dripping with mockery. I feel him moving, hearing the soft ruffles of fabric. “We’ll see about that.”
My stomach twists with a mixture of dread and curiosity as I realize he must be undressing. I gather every ounce of strength left in my battered body, and attempt to kick him.
But my efforts are futile; he easily catches my legs, pinning them down. The sensation of being held down by him, combined with the cold snow beneath me, only heightens my fear and vulnerability.
“Such a feisty little thing,” he murmurs, clearly amused by my resistance. “I can’t wait to make you scream my name.”
And as he positions himself between my trembling legs, rubbing the tip of his erection against my opening, I know that no matter how much I fight, my fate is sealed with this dangerous, possessive man who has ensnared me in his dark web.
Even though I’m wet, a searing pain shoots through me as the stranger penetrates me, my body tensing in shock as he forces himself inside . I let out a gasp, a mix of agony and unexpected pleasure coursing through me at the intensity of it all.
My legs are thrown over his shoulders, leaving me exposed to him in every way possible. As he begins to thrust into me, he removes the blindfold from my eyes. I blink frantically, and it takes me a few moments to gather my bearings. But when I do…
“Valentine?” I choke out, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. My mind races with confusing thoughts and emotions.
Why? I don’t understand.
Wait… is this because… oh God, I told him, didn’t I? Told him that I want to be hunted.
“Surprised, Pet?” Valentine taunts. His voice still sounds off, nothing like what I’m used to.
“Why do you sound like that?” I ask like that’s the most important thing right now.
With a chuckle he reaches into the pocket of his pants and pulls his phone out. Holding it toward me, he shows me the ‘Any Voice’ app, while simultaneously removing an earbud from his ear. Of course. So brilliantly simple, yet so terrifying for those on the other end.
“You were worried about me,” he says, his eyes flashing with something akin to pride.
“Y-yes,” I stammer.
When I woke up, concern for him was my first thought. And even though I now know there was nothing to be worried about, I don’t regret it. Valentine is my… lifeline. Without him, I’m nothing. So yes, I’ll hurt anyone if they try to take him away from me, and I’ll protect him from anyone who wishes to harm him.
I don’t know where those thoughts come from, only that they’re true. That’s a lie, I know exactly why I’m having those thoughts. I… love him. I shouldn’t, and I’m pretty sure nothing good can come from it. But that doesn’t change the truth of my feelings for him.
Oblivious to my revelation, Valentine continues to thrust into me. His groans fill my ears, mingling with my own moans as he takes me, claiming my body as his own. “Tell me how it feels to live your fantasy, Pet,” he demands, his gaze locked onto mine as if daring me to defy him. “Tell m e how good it feels to have me inside you.”
There’s no way mere words can give justice to any descriptor of what it feels like to have Valentine inside me. It feels… it’s as though he’s mending a part of me that’s been broken for so long I never could have done it myself.
Yet, with each glorious thrust of his cock, with every delectable groan falling from his lips, the pieces I thought I’d lost—or rather, never knew I had—glue themselves together.
“It feels… perfect,” I whisper.
Valentine continues to fuck me, and with each piston of his hips, I moan out loud.
Both from pleasure, but also from happiness and pride that he wants me enough to fulfill my fantasy. It’s not as though I doubt that he has feelings for me, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t nice to have it confirmed.
The thought is powerful, almost as strong as the relentless intensity in each thrust. His groans, heavy and guttural, contrast sharply with the refined demeanor he usually displays.
“Did you like my little game, Pet?” he groans, his voice dripping with lust. “Was the hunt everything you wanted?”
I want to laugh at the absurdity of it all. Of him, the Hunter, fulfilling a fantasy that only exists because I know his real identity. A part of me, the one that isn’t focused on the delicious way his cock hits the magic spot inside me, latches on to his words and the double meaning behind them.
Maybe I should tell him that I know who he is, but I don’t want to. It’s a secret I’ll take to the grave, possibly even keep from him.
“I know you did,” he growls, answering his own question.
His words ignite a strange mix of emotions within me as the forceful way he takes me awakens something deep inside. As he moves my legs so they’re around his waist, changing the angle of his entry, I’m unable to stifle my moan at the intensity of the sensation.
“Tell me you want this,” he demands, his breath hot against my ear as he fucks me harder.
I try to answer him, I really do. But as his cock continues to fill me, I’m unable to form words. So I lift my hips, meeting him every time he drives into me.
“Say it,” he growls, his grip tightening on my hips as he forces himself deeper into me.
“I-I want this,” I cry, exhilarated by the admission.
Valentine smirks, pleased with my admittance. “Good Pet,” he rasps. Then he closes his mouth around my breast, the one he stabbed. He sucks and licks, and when he removes his mouth and looks at me, I see my blood on his lips.
I’m barely able to process what I’m seeing before he grabs my shoulders and pulls my upper body up. Wrapping one arm around me, he supports my weight while he uses the other to reach for… an arrow. Oh! So that’s what I was hearing, arrows flying through the air.
Of course the Hunter has a bow and arrows.
He uses the metal tip to file through the rope around my wrists. As soon as my arms are free, I feel pins and needles shoot up the entire length, and I absentmindedly rub my hands together. But while I’m trying to make sure my feeling is back, he flips me over onto my hands and knees, taking me from behind with a savage ferocity that leaves me gasping.
“You’re mine now,” he growls, his hand running possessively over my back.
“Valentine, please,” I pant, my vision blurring with the intensity of our coupling. “I need more.”
“Then beg for it,” he commands, his voice dark and dangerous.
“Please, fuck me harder.”
Slamming into me with renewed vigor, he drives me closer to the edge of ecstasy. The storm of emotions within me builds to a fever pitch, threatening to consume me entirely. He moves behind me, and just as I get close to the edge, I feel his hot breath on my shoulder only seconds before his teeth close around my flesh.
“Yes!” I undulate my hips faster while doing my best not to sag or lose my balance.
The orgasm that washes over me puts every other orgasm to shame. My vision distorts, and I’m vaguely aware I’m screaming his name.
Valentine continues to fill me, chasing his own release with snarls as though he’s angry about it. “Fucking love this cunt.”
I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of seeing this side of him; the one where I’m reducing him to primal words rather than the refined and controlled ones he usually uses.
“You’re mine, and no one else’s,” Valentine growls, his grip on my hips tightening. “My. Pet.”
With a roar, he sheaths himself completely inside me, and I feel his hot cum spurting across my inner walls.
A moan that’s one hundred percent feminine pride bursts out of my mouth. “That’s so sexy,” I pant. I yelp as he bites me again, but despite the pain, my clit throbs.
Before I register the sound, I freeze. Then it’s there again, the distant sound of footsteps, and a branch crunching. “Valentine?” I whisper frantically, my eyes wide with panic.