Page 43 of If You Dare

Before I can scream, a rough hand claps over my mouth from behind. “Don’t make a fucking sound.” Trey’s threat churns the acid in my gut. “Or you’ll regret it.”

He holds me in place while Wes saunters toward us, every thud of his combat boots chilling me to the bone.

Behind him, the rest of the Devils emerge from the darkness.

I’m completely alone, surrounded by twenty-five men in identical masks. Each of them following their captain’s orders.

Trey keeps his hand on my mouth until Wes reaches me. He trails the back of a finger down my cheek while his other hand clamps down on my shoulder, keeping me firmly in place. Tears already burn my eyes, yet his touch ignites a fire low in my belly.

I want to puke. Scream. Run. Throw myself at him. Kiss him. All at once.

“What is this, Wes?” I whisper.

“We’re going to have some fun, little flower.”

Trey chuckles behind me.

My blood runs cold. That’s exactly what I was afraid of.

“Ever play manhunt?” Wes asks, low rumble distorted by the mask.

“No.” I squirm beneath his hand, but his grip on me is hard as steel.

“This is how we play,” he purrs. “We give you a ten-second head start. Then we hunt you. And you better hope we don’t catch you.”

Ice slices through my spine. “What happens if you do?” I whisper.

His wolfish smile spreads. “You don’t want to find out.”

My stomach twists. No, I don’t.

“Ten. Nine. Eight—”

“Please don’t do this, Wes.” The ragged cry makes the Devils surrounding us snicker.

His eyes are flat, unaffected by my plea. “Seven, six—”

“Can we just talk?Please!”

“Five, four—”

“Wes—”

“Better run, bitch.” Trey’s sinister warning in my ear and his slimy hand on my hip make me lurch out of their grip.

They don’t chase me. Yet.

“Three. Two—”

There is no reasoning with Wes. No talking him or any of them out of this.

So I spin on my heel and sprint off the concrete and through the parking lot as fast as I can, heart pounding and fear pumping through my veins.

“One.”

Howls echo from behind me like the hockey team has shape-shifted under the full moon. A stampede of heavy footsteps follows and terror like I’ve never felt before rockets through me.

Even with a head start, I don’t stand a chance against the best athletes on campus. I can’t outrun them. I can’t fight them off.

---