22. The Predators Threat
The Predator's Threat
Onyx
I stared at the knife in my hand. “No. We won’t kill him today.”
Sighing, I knelt down beside his unconscious form.
We’ll just put him in timeout.
My fingers trembled as I reached into his pocket, searching for the rope I knew he kept there.
Okay. Here it goes.
The coarse material brushed against my fingertips, and I pulled it out, my mind already racing with what I needed to do next.
Hurry up, before he wakes up and you regret not killing him.
I let go of the knife and it clattered to the ground beside me.
Quickly, I grabbed Havoc’s wrists and wound the rope around them, securing his hands tightly behind his back. The thudding of his pulse against my fingertips was a constant reminder that he was still breathing, still capable of harm.
But in this moment, his fate lay solely in my hands, and I relished the power and control over him.
Once I’d made several strong knots and bound his hands good, I gazed around.
That tree will work.
I stood up, gripping the rope with both hands, and began to drag him toward the nearest tree.
Fuck. He’s a big bastard.
It took all of my strength. His body was heavy, dead weight in my hands, but adrenaline fueled my strength. I could feel every muscle in my body straining, but I didn’t stop, not until I had his body against the rough bark of the tree.
Okay. Almost done.
Wiping away sweat from my forehead, I tied the rope around the tree and bound him securely to it.
The knots were as tight as I could get them.
It wasn’t perfect.
It wouldn’t hold him forever.
But, it would buy me some time.
Time to think.
Time to truly check this island and see if there was a way out for us.
And what will he do when he finds out he’s tied to a tree?
I stared at him, bound and vulnerable.
Even in this state, he radiated a dark, menacing energy that kept me on edge.
There were several things I had to consider.
What were the limits to his sense of smell?
Was there a set distance where he couldn’t track my scent?
God, I hope so.
Suddenly, a low groan escaped his lips, pulling me from my thoughts.
Damn it. He’s already regaining consciousness?
I froze, my heart leaping into my throat as his eyes fluttered open. For a moment, he looked disoriented. He just kept blinking those eyes over and over.
Then, Havoc shook his head and locked his gaze on me.
Fuck.
Next, he took in his new situation, gazing over his shoulder at the tree I had bound him too.
“Interesting.” He didn’t struggle against the ropes, didn’t test his restraints. Instead, he simply looked back at me with a dark smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “You didn’t kill me.”
What the fuck?
I placed my hands on my hips. “Would you rather that I did kill you?”
“Oh no. I like being alive.”
“Good.”
“But we still can’t ignore the fact that you didn’t kill me.”
“We could ignore it. In fact I would like that.” I took a step back, putting some distance between us, but his eyes followed me, pinning me in place with their intensity.
“You had the chance.” He slipped his gaze down my body. “But you didn’t take it. Why?”
I clenched my fists. “I think the bigger question you should be asking yourself is how you will get out of those ropes.”
“Oh no. That is not the bigger question at all.”
I shifted uncomfortably.
“My nose was right. . .you’re falling for me.”
“That’s not what’s going on.”
“It is. Your heart knows it. Your body too. As always, the reptile mind tends to be the last to truly understand.”
“Maybe I kept you alive because I wanted to watch you suffer.”
He chuckled. The sound was low, dark, and sent shivers down my spine. “You picked the man over the bear.”
“Fuck you.”
“Don’t worry, wildcat. Eventually I will have my cock in you.”
I picked up the knife from the ground and pointed it at him. “If I were you, I would be silent—”
“Why would I ever do that, when you love to hear my sexy voice—”
“No one loves your voice—”
“You’re even more aroused than before you knocked me out.” He lifted his nose in the air. “Mmmm.”
I took another step back. “Stop smelling me.”
“It is impossible.”
“Make it possible!”
“Are you shaming my disability?”
I frowned and turned around. “Goodbye, Havoc. You stay on your side of the island and I’ll be on mine.”
Right when I rushed off in the opposite direction of our shelter, he raised his voice. “Onyx!”
I stopped but kept my back to him.
“I want you to understand something, my little wildcat.”
Sighing, I turned around. “What, psycho pervert?”
“If you run off, then there will be consequences.”
“Say thank you.”
He tilted his head to the side. “Thank you?”
“Thank you, Onyx for not killing me. Say it.”
“Instead of saying thank you, I will say this.” He cleared his throat and leaned his head against the tree. “Onyx. . .I am glad you are falling in love with me because I am certainly falling in love with you.”
I blinked and inched back.
“And it is not because we have been forced to be together this whole day. . .I think I started falling for you when you were killing the men at the Decadent Resort.”
“That’s an odd moment to fall in love.”
“Yet. . .love can be odd—”
“You don’t love me—”
“I’m falling. . .desperately falling. . .with no hopes to be saved. . .”
I pursed my lips together.
“And you are too. I can smell it.”
I bit my lip, trying to suppress the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me.
“So. . .” Havoc watched me. “If you run off, there will be consequences. I just want you to understand that.”
“What fucking consequences?”
“I will get out of this rope, and I will track your scent because your orange spiced fragrance is so thoroughly embedded within my soul right now that I don’t even know how I smell anymore.”
I took another step back.
“I will hunt you.”
Tension gathered in my shoulders.
“I will chase you.”
My fingers shook.
“And I will catch you.”
My heart pounded.
“And when that happens. . .I will fuck you, wherever we are.”
I froze as the implication of his words sank in.
And to my surprise, shivering fear and erotic thrill wrestled for dominance in my mind.
He was, after all, a predator, and I knew what predators did to their prey.
Until him. . .I had never been prey to anyone.
I was always the predator.
However. . .unfortunately. . .he’d somehow gotten into my head and was. . .slowly showing me how. . .delicious. . .being prey could be.
And I loved and hated it all at the same time.
It was an absolute struggle to reconcile his threat with the fire of arousal his words had ignited within my core.
Havoc studied me and then lifted his nose in the air again. Then, an even darker groan left him. “Aww. You like the idea of that. Don’t you, wildcat?”
I frowned. “Stop smelling me.”
He grinned. “Go ahead, wildcat.”
I quirked my brows. “What?”
“Run. . .as fast as you can.” And then he laughed.
I should have said something smart or insulting.
I could have maybe. . .went over and kicked him back to an unconscious state.
But I didn’t.
Instead. . .
I turned on my heel and bolted, sprinting deeper into the woods.
My heart pounded a brutal staccato in my chest.
I ran over uneven ground.
Every now and then dense foliage slapped against my skin.
And no matter how fast I ran, I still could hear Havoc's laughter from behind me.
Loud and taunting.
Following me like a haunting wolf howl on the hunt.
Each breath came hard, and my muscles screamed for mercy. But fear, as much as sweet exhilaration, compelled me to push harder.
This new problem was simple.
Either I would find us a way off this island or I would get caught and fucked out of my mind.
As my body hummed with desire and my heart pumped in fear. . .the only question now was. . .which outcome did I truly want.