She’d been sniffing for most of the ride home, though her tears had dried up. Not that I particularly cared. My motives for tenderness were purely selfish.
“Don’t touch me.” Her blazing aqua eyes locked on mine. They held so much rage and hatred. I fucking loved it.
“It’s okay, Little Bird. Come here.” I held my arms out, motioning her to snuggle in. “I’ll make it all better.”
Then I got what I wanted. That spark in Marnie’s eyes flared as she threw the door open and rushed out of the car. A smile spread across my face as she broke for the tree line.
I bent over, opened the glove compartment, and grabbed a small bottle of lube.
Let the games begin.
My heart raced, beating hard off my ribs with each resounding pound of my feet on the ground. I had to get away and escape the taunting at the back of my mind, a tiny little voice urging me to accept the devil’s embrace.
Preston was a monster who kidnapped and violated me. My body’s reaction to him was basic biology. But when he held his arms open…I knew I had to run before it was too late. Because when I looked at him in the car, I didn’t see a monster anymore.
I saw a man.
And that thought I could not abide. I refused to be that girl. The one who saw something in their captor beyond the evil acts he committed.
I burst through the tree line bordering Preston’s property and veered left. There was no logic or thought about which direction I’d run because my panic-button had been pushed. All I felt was the adrenaline and frenzy surging through my system. Not even the leaves or branches whipping my body could suppress my need to escape, but I wasn’t running to save my life.
It was my soul that was at stake.
The devil had come to claim me, and a part of me wanted to give in.
So I ran.
When my lungs started to hurt, I ran harder until I couldn’t move my legs one more step. Hunching over next to a thick oak tree, I leaned up against it.
While I fought to catch my breath, I tried to figure out my next move. But there were too many variables. Did I escaped? How much distance did I gained, and was it far enough to classify me as free? How long had I been running? It felt like forever.
Bracing my forearm on the tree trunk, I peeked around the rough bark. Every breath I sucked back burned coldly in my lungs. Air scratched down my throat as I scoured the foliage. I didn’t see Preston, but he was out there. The devil was hidden somewhere in those thick green leaves.
I could feel him stalking me.
My ears perked at a crack echoing in the distance. Then again, when a soft breeze rustled through the trees, the hairs on the back of my neck rose as the world began to close in around me.
What was I thinking? This was not a safe place. But was anywhere safe?
‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’
Except Preston wasn’t fleeing from me. He was hunting me down, and every fiber of my being knew that. Doom was crackling across the deadfall littering the forest floor.
Wait, that wasn’t doom.
I held my breath and listened.
It was footsteps coming from the right. The causal strides were hard to pick up, but there was no mistaking that sound.
My first instinct was to rush away in the opposite direction. Then I got to thinking. Why should I be the hunted when I could be the hunter?
A quick scan of the ground gave me what I needed.
I picked up a large branch and swung it through the air to test it.
It was sturdy and strong with a nice sharp tip, perfect for stabbing. Preston couldn’t hurt anyone if he were dead. As for the rest of the kings…I had more than enough information to take them down.
No one was getting close to my sister.
