Chapter Thirty-Three
Isla
I ran without direction or purpose, my sneakers pounding against the grass, my lungs burning as I sprinted toward the tree line.
All that mattered was putting distance between myself and the bloody scene behind me, between myself and what I'd witnessed Adrian become.
The wind whipped my hair back from my face, cool against my fevered skin as I pushed myself faster than I'd ever run before.
All I knew was the exhilarating sensation of freedom.
Noah's restraining hands were gone, the immediate danger left behind, nothing but open forest ahead.
My white sundress fluttered around my thighs, the fabric catching on branches as I plunged into the wooded area beyond the clearing.
Behind me, I heard Adrian's voice, low, taunting, and utterly calm.
"Running, angel? Where do you think you're going?"
I didn't look back. I couldn't. Something deep had awakened inside me, recognizing the apex predator at my heels and knowing only to flee.
Yet beneath the terror bubbled something else, something dark and forbidden that made my heart race for reasons beyond mere fear.
A thrill that whispered through my veins with each pounding footstep.
The trees enveloped me, dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves as I ducked beneath branches and leapt over fallen logs.
For a girl who rarely worked out beyond casual walks, I moved with surprising speed, fueled by adrenaline and that strange anticipation pulsing through my veins.
"I can smell your fear, angel," Adrian called, his voice closer than I expected but still not directly behind me.
He wasn't running; he was pacing himself, stalking me through the woods like a wolf tracking prey, bloodied knife still clutched in his hand.
"But we both know you're not really afraid of me."
His words sent another surge of adrenaline through my system, pushing me deeper into the woods.
I darted between two massive oaks, my breathing ragged, my legs beginning to burn with exertion.
My cardigan caught on a branch, and I yanked it free without stopping, leaving pale blue threads behind like breadcrumbs marking my flight to freedom.
"You can run all you want," Adrian's voice echoed through the trees, somehow both menacing and seductive as it wrapped around me. "But we both know how this ends. I always catch what's mine."
A clearing appeared ahead, a small grassy area bathed in afternoon sunlight. I burst into it, the sudden brightness momentarily blinding me after the filtered shade of the forest.
My pace slowed as I scanned for an escape route, the trees continuing on the other side of the open space.
I knew I wasn't really trying to escape.
Some dark, hidden part of me, one I'd never acknowledged before meeting Adrian, wanted to be caught. Wanted to feel his strength, his power, his absolute possession.
The thought was exhilarating, sending a flush of heat through my body that had nothing to do with running.
"Why are you running, pretty girl?”
Adrian's voice came from directly behind me now, close enough that I could feel the low vibration of his taunts.
"Is it because you saw what I'm capable of? What I'll do to anyone who tries to take you from me?"
I spun around, my chest heaving with exertion, to find him standing barely five feet away. He'd moved with impossible silence, covering the distance between us without me noticing.
The knife was gone, tucked away somewhere, but Noah’s blood remained, dark and accusing against his skin and clothes.
His green eyes burned into mine, wild and hungry and utterly focused on me.
"Or maybe," he continued, taking a slow step forward as I instinctively stepped back, "You're running because you liked seeing it. Because it scared you how much you enjoyed watching me hurt him for you."
Another step forward, another step back. We moved across the clearing in this deadly dance, my retreat perfectly measured by his advance.
My heart hammered against my ribs, but the fear had transformed into something hot and dangerous that pooled in my core.
"Tell me, angel," Adrian's voice dropped to a growl that seemed to resonate in my bones. "Did it make you wet, watching me claim what's mine?"
The crude question sent a forbidden ache racing through my body, a rush of heat that answered his question more honestly than my words ever could.
I'd never thought of myself as someone who would be aroused by this kind of violence, by the dark promise in Adrian's eyes .
But here, in this clearing, with the memory of him destroying the man who’d tried to hurt me, I couldn't deny the truth.
My back hit solid bark.
A tree at the edge of the clearing. I was trapped, cornered like prey at the end of a hunt.
Adrian closed the distance between us in two long strides, his looming frame caging me against the rough trunk.
One tattooed hand shot out, wrapping around my throat just above the ribbon that marked me as his.
His grip was firm but controlled, exerting just enough pressure to remind me of his strength.
“Caught you," he whispered, bending low until his lips brushed against my ear. "Did you really think you could escape me?"
His other hand tangled in my hair, tugging my head back to expose the column of my throat.
His teeth grazed the sensitive skin there, making me gasp despite myself.
The mix of fear and desire was intoxicating, leaving me dizzy and clinging to his shoulders for support.
"You're mine, Isla," he growled against my pulse, where my blood raced beneath his lips. "Every inch of you belongs to me. And I'll destroy anyone who tries to take what's mine."
In one motion, he spun us both, pulling me down with him as he dropped to the grassy floor. I landed with my belly across his lap, the position leaving me vulnerable and exposed.
His hand remained firm on my throat while the other maintained its grip in my hair, keeping my head pulled back at an angle that forced me to meet his wild gaze above me.
"Do you know what I wanted to do to him?" Adrian whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. "For putting his hands on you? For trying to take you from me?"
His fingers tightened on my throat, just enough to make my breath hitch.
"I wanted to cut him into pieces. I wanted to make him scream until his vocal cords shredded. I wanted to carve my name into his flesh so everyone would know what happens when they touch what's mine."
A shudder ran through me at his words. Not disgust, but a dark arousal. This was a side of Adrian I'd glimpsed but never fully witnessed, the predator beneath the playful exterior laid bare.
"You should be terrified right now," he continued, his voice a dangerous rumble against my skin.
"You should be fighting, screaming, running from the monster you just saw. But you're not, are you, angel? Because you liked it. You wanted to know what I would do for you."
His hand slid from my throat to cup my jaw, thumb brushing over my lower lip.
"Tell me the truth, Isla. Were you afraid of me, or afraid of how much you liked what you saw?"
The question was heavy with meaning. I swallowed hard, finding my voice at last.
"Both," I whispered, the admission feeling like surrender. "I was afraid of what you were capable of... and afraid of how much I liked seeing it."
Adrian's smile was dangerous, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "That's my good girl. So honest." His grip in my hair tightened, tilting my head back further.
"Do you want to run from me again? I'll give you a head start."
I shook my head as much as his grip would allow. "No," I breathed. "I don't want to run anymore."
"Smart choice," he murmured, lips ghosting over my hair. "Because I would chase you to the ends of the earth. There's nowhere you could hide that I wouldn't find you and make you mine.”
His hand returned to my throat, fingers wrapping around it with possessive certainty, tapping against my skin.
"This is where you belong. Right here, with my hand on your throat, and my name on your lips. "
His thumb stroked the sensitive skin beneath my jaw, feeling my pulse race under his touch. "Tell me who you belong to."
"You," I whispered, the word falling from my lips like a confession. "I belong to you, Adrian."
The predator had caught his prey, and I knew that there would be no escape.
Not from Adrian, not from the darkness we shared, not from this twisted, beautiful connection that bound us together.