My whole body flushed with excitement, and I felt my prick leaking in my smallclothes. If I wasn’t careful, Richard wouldn’t get a chance to have a turn before I reached completion. It was just so exciting finally touching a man like this. And the way he spoke?—
Suddenly, the hand that had been gently cupping the back of my head fisted my hair instead, gripping to the point of pain. Tears stung my eyes at the painful touch, but before I could release Richard’s cock to complain, he shoved me against him, forcing the entirety of his cock into my mouth. The smell was overwhelming with my nose pressed to his groin and he forced himself so abruptly deep, it hurt. The combination triggered my gag reflex, and I tried to pull away, but Richard wouldn’t allow it. He thrust his hips, groaning and telling me how good it felt.I’d enjoy the commentary more if it didn’t hurt so much. I finally yanked myself free, gasping for air, and I flinched when I looked up at Richard and he reached completion all over my face.
“R-Richard!” I protested, my throat hoarse. I still had to get home, and it wasn’t safe for either of us if I looked debauched.
His chuckle was familiar and cruel, and when I mopped my face with my handkerchief and looked up at him again, he looked triumphant.
“Richard?”
Tucking himself away, he gave me a vicious smile. “I always knew. I think most of the town knew. But the mayor is a stickler, and we never had any proof. We do now.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
His head tipped, and his smile widened as his friends came around the hedge, leering at me.
“You see, I have all these witnesses now. I’ll be able to tell the mayor that you got me drunk and took advantage. Forced yourself on me. Then we’ll finally be able to rid this town of your filth. You’ll be hanged for this, you know. You should come to terms with it now, Patrick. You brought this on yourself.”
Horror and terror warred in my gut, freezing me where I knelt. On the ground at their feet, like I had been my entire life. I was a fool to have trusted him. So starved for love and affection that I willfully believed the man who tormented me my whole life wanted me. I should have questioned things more when he refused to kiss me.
“Here.” One of Richard’s friends offered him a glass of wine. “Spill this on your shirt. It will make things more realistic. And don’t forget to slur and stumble.” He tousled Richard’s hair to make him look mussed and ripped open his shirt for good measure. They had it all planned out. They were so desperate to get rid of me. Why? What did I ever do to them?
My gaze flicked back toward the house. I couldn’t run in there. No one would believe me. I wasn’t even sure I got all the seed off my face. But I couldn’t stay here either. Not without facing the noose. My gaze shifted again, this time over my shoulder. We were on the edge of the mayor’s property. A few dozen meters away stood the forest. I had no other choice. It was the only possible chance I had to survive.
So while they were distracted getting Richard ready for his big acting debut, I ran. And I didn’t look back.
Two
“It’s my turn,” I murmured low, nudging Rath with a mock scowl.
His smug smirk was irritating, but being my best friend and the best hunter in the entire clan, he’d technically earned it. I’d lost track of the number of times I’d missed a shot and he’d taken down the beast I’d been aiming for. Not this time, though. I was going to get the biggest kill, and he would finally acknowledge my prowess. Or at least stop teasing me so often.
Drawing back the string of my bow, I aimed for the sorvik that stood grazing a short distance away. I had the shot lined up perfectly, and excitement filled my gut at the possibility of taking it down. But when I released my arrow, the beast chose that exact moment to move to another patch of grass. Causing me to miss entirely.
The animal startled and took off, and I wasn’t fast enough to pull out another arrow before a much larger one shot through the trees and hit the sorvik dead on. I dropped my head forward in defeat. Of course, Rath took it down so effortlessly. Everything was easy for him.
He patted my shoulder affectionately. “Be at ease, Verus. Your luck will improve.”
I made a face, pushing to my feet so I could follow him toward where the animal had fallen. He was such a noble opponent. It made it hard to be cross with him.
“I think I dislike you a little more each day. It was my kill.”
He grunted, picking up the animal and tossing it over my shoulder. “Then you can take it back to the village. I will find another before returning.”
I shook my head, offering it back to him. “No. You have a bondmate waiting for you. You got your kill. Go back to him and let me hunt more. I’ll at least find some zorvash before I head back.”
He nodded, taking any excuse he could to get back to his bondmate. They had their bonding ceremony several months ago, just before the first snows fell, but they were still smitten and wrapped around each other at every free moment. It made me smile to see it, knowing how lonely Rath had been before he met Finn. They belonged together, and I was happy for my brother for finding his bondmate. Their love made me consider looking for a bondmate myself soon. Maybe the next batch of tributes would bring another male.
After sending Rath off with his prize, I headed deeper into the forest. It was vast, and someone could easily get lost inside it if they weren’t careful, but I knew it like the back of my hand. Every winter, our clan settled against the forest for better hunting during the colder months. We would be moving on soon enough, now that spring was finally upon us, and I loved our way of life on the move, but I would miss the forest until we returned. It was always so calm inside.
As if to prove the notion false, I heard a terrified scream ring through the air. My instincts had my feet moving before I even made the full decision to do so. I raced toward the sound, leaping over fallen trees and roots. I quickly saw what had made such a horrific noise. Someone was running through the trees. Not aclan brother, nor anyone I recognized, but I couldn’t get a decent look at them before they tripped over something and fell down a small ditch, their body disappearing behind a bush. I hurried forward, and my breath caught in my throat when I saw what they were running from.
Shadowstalker.
They didn’t come near our hunting grounds often, but they were tenacious. It was what made them dangerous. They were not the largest, nor the most threatening, with only small claws and larger teeth to assist them in a hunt. It was their refusal to give up that gave them their name. Once they decided to hunt something, they would not stop until death; theirs or their prey’s. Brothers had been dragged off in their sleep because of these creatures. And there was only one way to deal with them.
Unsheathing my sword, I pushed my muscles harder to reach the shadowstalker in time. They were fast, but not impossible to catch. It leapt into the air, and the person it was stalking screamed again, but I caught it in time, tackling the animal to the ground with a shout.
Being so much smaller than me, the creature managed to wriggle free, putting more space between us. Its gaze flicked constantly over my shoulder to its prey, splitting its focus. I bared my teeth at it, keeping my stance low. It would not be deterred so easily, but it was more cautious now, knowing I stood between it and its next meal.
