Page 55 of The Hunted

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Raven

“Wake up, whore.”

Words drift through my mind in a feathery haze. Lifting my eyelids ever so slowly, light filters in beneath my fluttering lashes. I swallow through the metallic tang in my mouth.

Blood? What the fuck is going...

“I said, wake up, whore!”

His words hit me almost as hard as his hand.

Vaughn.

Vaughn Bane.

Memories return as my too heavy eyes fly open to steal a glimpse of my surroundings. My tongue darts out and touches my split lip. Blood coats the tip of my tongue as I raise myself to a seated position on the cold grass.

“Ah, there she is. Time to run, whore.”

Glancing down my body, I find a sea of white fabric encasing me, my feet bare.

Oh, my God. He has dressed me for a Hunt.

“W-what is this? What are you doing?”

My words are sluggish to my own ears as they roll off my tongue, and my muscles feel leaden, heavy.

“It’s time for my son’s final lesson. You will help him become the man he should be. This is an honor for a whore such as you.”

His voice echoes distant through my mind, as the bare tree limbs sway over head, brushing against one another with an ominous rattle. The chill of the night wind kisses my cheeks, and tears burn my eyes but I refuse to let them fall.

Fuck this man. He will not have my fear.

“You will run, whore. You will be Hunted. You have a part to play here, and I expect you to play it to perfection, or else,” he moves to stand in front of me, “the consequences will be dire.”

“I’m not doing this! You are fucking insane!” My scream fills the night, only to fall on deaf ears and be carried off by the wind. I look at him then, really look at him, and know there’s no way to reason with insanity.

“You will do this. If you don’t, I will kill you and Knox. I have your sister and will hunt down your parents, and I will slaughter you all. I will obliterate anything, anyone that has ever mattered to you.”

Scarlett. Wherever she may be now, I hope she’s safe from this man and his lunacy.

Mom and Dad. They’ve been reeling from the loss of one daughter. I can’t imagine how they will cope with the loss of two.

Knox. The strong man who’s still the broken boy inside. My poor Knox. The look in his father’s eyes tells me he means every fucked-up word.

I push myself up from the ground and stagger a few steps but remain upright.

I look at Vaughn Bane and then I run.

Remembering how the long skirt of the dress tangled about my legs last time, I gather it up and I keep running. I can hear Vaughn’s maniacal laughter grow fainter behind me as I wait for his bullet to pierce my skull. I try to put as much distance between us as fast as I can, but my body is heavy, still trying to come out from under whatever he used on me. I don’t stop. I don’t trust him not to kill me and everyone I love. I have no doubt he will do exactly that even if I carry out every order he instructs. My feet once again transport me through the grounds, but unlike last time, the prize is my life. I round a corner past one of the cottages and am immediately grabbed from behind. A hand slams over my mouth, I drop my dress, and a scream starts to erupt from me. I’m fighting with everything I have, my arms swinging wildly and my legs begin to kick as I am lifted from the ground by my waist. I tear and scratch violently at the arm gripping me.

“Hush, Raven. I’m here to help you.”

I still my violent fight.

Lazz?

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