I leap over a fallen log and dive between two bushes that nearly trap me. I tear through, fighting the thick brambles off but take some thorns with me. They stick into my coat, pokingthrough the fabric. It slows me down, but I keep going. I don’t look back.
Even as the pounding of hooves grows louder, I charge ahead, desperate to win just this once. My pulse throbs in my ears, my stomach knotting when I hear him right behind me. But I know it’s over.I’m caught.His laughter fills my ears, taunting me as he closes in.
When I spot three figures on horses up ahead, I come to a skidding halt. They block my path, cornering me, herding me as they have done from the start. So I am always right where they want me. This entire forest is their chessboard, and I’m nothing but their fragile human pawn.
I let out a deep sigh and hang my head in defeat.
He trots his horse in circles around me. “Look at me.” His voice is as smooth as churned butter—melodic, yet smoky and dangerous.
I lift my head to meet his gaze, and my knees wobble. His eyes are bright blue and his long hair is as white as the snow. He wears it in a low ponytail at the base of his neck. Like the other two, his build is enormous with broad shoulders, thick muscular thighs and arms, and a jawline that could cut through stone. In any other circumstances, I would swoon. He’s beautiful. All three of them are. I have to assume the fourth one is as well. I guess I should be grateful that they don’t repulse me.
“Innocent little Imogen. Not so innocent for much longer…” His eyes fill with amusement. He slides off his horse but continues to stalk in circles around me.
My teeth chatter as an icy breeze brushes past us. My whole body trembles under his gaze. “Please, sir. I’m nothing special. Please let me go.”
The grin on his face widens. He towers over me, taunting me with his superior position. “Would you like to know a secret?”
I manage a nod even though I can’t stop shivering. War was brutal, but this one exudes pure chaos. He’s unpredictable. That terrifies me the most.
He presses a cold finger to my lips. “My name, Famine, wasn’t given to me because of my ability to spread plagues that kill crops. Although, I do. No, sweet little doe. It was bestowed upon me because of my ravenous appetite for pretty things.”
I swallow the lump in my throat as he walks behind me. He brushes my hair to the side and whispers in my ear, “And right now… I’mstarving.”
My eyelids flutter as his warm breath tickles my ear. “Dear gods,” I whimper out.
He wraps his hands around my wrists and pulls me toward his horse. “The gods have abandoned you. You will pray to me now.”
I yelp as he wraps a rope around my neck and pulls it tight. He hangs onto the other end of it while mounting his horse. “Be a good pet and keep up. I wouldn’t want you to choke to death before I get the chance to rip you apart. I prefer you to be alive for every second of that.”
Oh, no.He’s unhinged.
“W-where are you taking me?” I stammer.
He clicks his tongue, and we’re on the move. I clasp my neck, wedging a finger between the rope and my flesh. As if that will save me if the horse decides to break into a gallop. I can run fast, but I’ve already been at it most of the night. My fingers and toes are numb, and my eyelids are weighted from lack of sleep.
“You’ll see when we get there, little doe. Now keep quiet or else you’ll spook Nightmare.” Famine grins from ear to ear, enjoying every second of my torture. There is something so menacing about him that I can’t help but shudder every time he glances at me.
“What a stupid name for a horse,” I say under my breath.
“I heard that.” He clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth again, and the horse shifts into a light trot. I have to jog to keep up, being mindful of the uneven ground so that I don’t trip on a fallen branch.
Bastard.
My bare thighs burn as they rub together under the thick winter cloak. I haven’t had food or water since Conquest first found me this morning, and now my muscles are starting to atrophy. I don’t know how much longer I can do this. The idea of surrendering to darkness is tempting me to fall. To let the rope cut off the air in my lungs, so I can be done with this wretched existence.
After a few minutes, he slows the horse back to a walk, all while laughing to himself. “That was just a taste, little doe. Insult me or Nightmare again, and we’ll have to find out just how fast those tired legs can move.”
I bite my tongue this time. Being dragged through the woods on a leash is degrading enough. Plus, I need to save my strength for whatever vile things this beast has planned for me.
And just when I think I can’t take any more of his incessant taunting, we arrive at a clearing, a small patch of flat ground, untouched by snow, lit by torches and a bonfire. Next to it lies a fresh grave and a headstone…with my name on it.
“Oh gods,” I whisper. My breath dusts the air like smoke.
He dismounts his horse and tugs on my rope, hand over hand, until I’m up against his hard chest. “This is where I’m going to murder your innocence, little doe. Every precious inch of it.”
My lip quivers as I look up at him and force myself to meet his sadistic gaze. “Good luck with that. I lost it the second those men left me out here to die.”
Famine’s grin widens. “Don’t be so sure about that.” His eyes darken as he rips my coat open. The buttons go flying in everydirection. I yelp as he yanks it off me and throws it into the fire. “Get on your hands and knees,pet.”
