Chapter 24
Violet
As I sprinted through the woods, my foot caught on a rock and I went sprawling, hands slamming into the cold earth. Pain shot through my palms, but I scrambled back up, adrenaline overriding everything else.
Keep moving. Don't stop. Don't look back.
I could hear Julian. Still behind me. Still coming for me.
The forest was a maze of shadows and obstacles, with tree branches that clawed at my face and arms and roots that coiled across my path like traps.
The auburn wig finally gave up and snagged on something, tearing free, and I didn't stop to retrieve it.
Just kept running with my own hair streaming behind me.
My breath came in ragged gasps, each one burning in my lungs. God, how long had I been running? Five minutes? Ten? It couldn’t have been too long, but it already felt like hours.
The ground began to slope downward, and I half-ran, half-slid down the incline, grabbing at branches to keep myself from falling. At the bottom, I found myself in a small ravine with a creek cutting through it.
I splashed through the shallow water, the cold biting through my boots, and scrambled up the opposite bank. Maybe the water would throw off my trail. Maybe—
A branch suddenly snapped behind me. Close. Way too close.
I pushed harder, legs shaking with exhaustion. The oversized sweater Jeremiah had picked for me caught on a branch, and I heard it rip, but I yanked it free and kept going.
Ahead, I spotted a cluster of massive boulders, dark shapes hulking in the night. I ducked behind the largest one, pressing my back against the cold stone, and clamped a hand over my mouth to muffle my gasping breaths.
Silence reigned around me then. Nothing but my own heartbeat thundering in my ears and the distant sound of the creek.
Had I finally lost him?
I waited, every muscle tensed, straining to hear any sign of movement. Thirty seconds passed. A minute. Two minutes.
“You can't hide from me, Violet.”
Julian's voice suddenly rang out from somewhere to my left, calm and conversational, as if we were discussing the weather. He didn’t sound even remotely winded from the chase.
“I have to admit,” he continued, his voice echoing slightly in the darkness, “you're faster than I expected. And it was smart to use the creek like that. But it won't be enough.”
I pressed harder against the boulder, wishing I could become one with the stone. Don't move. Don't breathe. Don't make a sound.
“Your friends are probably worried about you right now,” he went on.
I couldn't pinpoint exactly where his voice was coming from; it seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.
“Cherry's definitely blaming herself for her acting skills not being up to par tonight. Jeremiah and Dylan are probably already planning your rescue. And Ginny...” He paused.
“Well, Ginny's probably just relieved her sister gets another chance at life.”
Footsteps. Closer now. Crunching through dead leaves.
“I'm not angry about what you did, you know,” Julian said.
“Sneaking into our ceremony. Investigating us. Trying to find out what happened to your sister.” Another pause.
“In fact, I'm pretty fucking impressed. Most people would have given up after they heard all the rumors about the Club. But not you. You kept digging. Kept pushing. Even when you thought it was dangerous.”
The footsteps stopped.
“You're probably wondering why I haven't just dragged you out already,” Julian continued. “Why I'm letting you hide behind that boulder when I know exactly where you are.”
My heart stopped.
He knew.
“Because I want you to understand something, Violet. This hunt isn’t just about catching you. It's about claiming you and making you submit yourself to me.”
I heard him move, and suddenly his voice was directly on the other side of the boulder. Less than three feet away.
“I know you probably don’t trust a word I say, but there’s something you should know,” he went on. “I don’t know what happened to Calista during last year’s hunt. But I can help you find out. All you have to do is stop fighting. Give in.”
Rage flared through my terror. He had absolutely no right to talk about Cal.
When I didn’t budge, Julian spoke up again. “Come out, Violet,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “Or I might have to let the Club know who aided you during the hunt. You wouldn’t want them to face any consequences, would you?”
My hands clenched into fists. That sick bastard.
“You have ten seconds to decide,” he said. “Ten. Nine. Eight...”
I couldn't let him hurt my friends. Not after everything they'd done for me. Not after they'd risked so much.
“Seven. Six. Five...”
I closed my eyes, tears of frustration stinging behind my lids.
“Four. Three...”
I couldn't win this. I was never going to win this.
“Two...”
I rose to my feet and stepped out from behind the boulder.
Julian stood about ten feet away, his mask still in place, his posture relaxed, like he'd never doubted that I'd come out.
“Good girl,” he said softly.
With the moonlight filtering through the trees, I could see him better now. Tall, broad-shouldered, completely calm. He looked like he'd just gone for an evening stroll, not chased someone through the forest.
“What now?” I asked, my voice hoarse.
“Now?” Julian tilted his head slightly. “Now you come with me. Back to the estate. Your friends go home safe.”
“And if I refuse?”
“You won't.”
It wasn't a threat. Just a statement of fact.
Suddenly, a shout echoed through the forest. Distant but clear. “Violet! Keep going! You can make it! Don’t worry about us!”
Jeremiah.
Julian's head snapped toward the sound, and in that split second of distraction, I ran again, instantly filled with another burst of resolve.
Behind me, I heard Julian laugh, and then he was after me again.
Unfortunately, I didn't make it far. My exhausted legs betrayed me after mere moments, and I stumbled, catching myself against a massive tree trunk. I tried to push off and keep running, but my muscles simply had nothing left.
Before I could take another step, Julian was there. His hand slammed against the trunk beside my head, his body blocking any escape route.
Shit.
I was trapped, pinned between him and the tree, both of us breathing hard. I tried to duck under his arm, but his other hand came up, caging me completely. My back pressed against the rough bark as he leaned in closer.
“Finally got you,” he murmured, and there was something in his voice—something dark and possessive—that made my breath catch.
The way he said it… it seemed like he wasn't just talking about tonight.
Not just about catching me in this particular hunt.
There was something deeper to those words, like he'd been chasing me for far longer than a few hours.
As if this moment was the culmination of something that had been building for weeks.
I was sure I already knew what that ‘something’ was.
The Dionysus Club had obviously sent him to monitor me and make sure I didn’t get too close to them in my investigation, and now that I had, he’d been commanded to get rid of me.
Putting me in this hunt was just a way to turn my demise into a twisted game for him.
To make me submit first; make me beg for mercy only for him to coldly reject it.
I refused to give him that satisfaction. Refused to beg him for mercy.
His hand came up, fingers curling around my throat as he pushed my chin upward with his thumb, forcing me to meet his eyes. Even through the mask, I could feel the intensity of his gaze.
I drew in a choked breath as his fingers tightened around my throat. His breath was hot against my cheek, the scent of his cologne washing over me.
Oh, god.
This was it. This was the moment he'd kill me, just like he killed Kane. Just like his brother had killed Cal.
But instead…
He kissed me.