Page 95 of Beautiful Venom
“One.”
A yelp rips out of me as I lift my dress, kick off my heels, and do what he commanded.
I run.
18
DAHLIA
My breath comes in short gasps.
The cold earth shocks my feet.
The air asphyxiates my burning lungs.
But I don’t stop.
Ican’t.
The wet grass slicks beneath my feet, and every time my skin brushes against the damp ground, a shiver ignites in my bones. But I pick up speed, my heart hammering against my ribs. The maze looms over me, its towering walls of hedges swallowing me whole as I plunge deeper into the darkness.
The thick night air wraps around me in a suffocating noose. My shallow inhales scrape my throat as some of the branches claw at my arms, snagging on the fabric of my dress.
I hear the rustle of leaves behind me. My spine tingles with a sharp chill.
He’s close.
I can feel him along with the beat in my chest.
Hear him amidst the buzz in my ears.
That quiet, steady presence hunts me through the dark. Sometimes clear, sometimes faint, as if he’s playing with me.
Actually. Heisplaying with me.
He clearly said I’m histoy.
Now, if my insides wouldn’t liquefy at the prospect of being chased, that would be great.
I try to focus on the path ahead, but the sound of his calm, controlled footsteps keep pulling me back. The thrill of knowing he’s there, always just a step behind, twists with the fear in my chest. My mind tells me to run, but there’s something else, too.
Something darker.
A part of me that wants to slow down.
That sick, twisted part wants him to catch me.
The ground beneath me shifts, wet grass slipping under my bare feet. I stumble, my body pitching forward, and my knees hit the hard earth.
A sting of pain shoots through my legs. I’m pretty sure I scraped my knees, but that’s the least of my worries.
Thundering footsteps echo in the air and I push myself up and take off again. Despite my blurring vision. Despite the sharp metallic taste on my tongue.
It’s survival.
I’ve always been good at survival.
Then I see a sliver of light in the hedge, barely wide enough to fit through. In a snap decision, I dart toward it, then break a branch and throw it in the opposite direction as far as I can aim.
