Page 146 of Stalker

Wilder

Honor.

The fucking monster had no clue what honor was.

In some worlds, there was a thought that love trumped evil.

Whether or not that was true was being put to the test.

As I rushed through the woods, I felt the near panic settling in. I’d never felt that way during a hunt. Not a single time. But this was different.

Minutes ticked off and I had a bad feeling he’d buried Cassandra alive. He’d had time to dig a goddamn hole.

My mind was a blur, the anger and rage from what I could lose pushing horrific thoughts and desires into my mind. Roaring, I tossed over fallen limbs and thick logs, desperate to try and find her.

I couldn’t stand the building pain, but nothing was going to stop me from finding her. “Cassandra! Where are you?”

Even my voice echoed.

I powered on, lunging over debris, throwing the beam back and forth.

Until I heard a noise.

A single cry.

One so pitiful my heart turned to stone.

“Wil-der…” Her voice was weak, but I heard it. I rushed toward the sound, gasping for air as I stumbled to the ground after noticing a depression.

There she was, my Lady Butterfly clawing her way up from the depths of hell. I dug at the earth just as she was doing. When her arms gripped mine, I noticed she had a Swiss Army knife in her hand.

“Wilder. Wilder. Oh, God.”

I wrapped my arms around her, dragging her free, the momentum tossing her body on top of mine.

“I thought I’d lost you.”

She pressed her face against mine, taking several ragged and deep breaths. “You found me.”

“Baby, I promised I would.” I pulled her to a sitting position, tossing the flashlight aside. As I cupped both sides of her face, I studied her wild eyes.

She clawed at me, lifting her head. When I crushed my lips over hers, she moaned and I captured the sound.

There was nothing like the feel of having her in my arms, but I knew that I’d need to let her go. I’d need to allow her to return to her life. A safe one.

She thrust her tongue inside and together we reveled in being in each other’s arms. When she finally pushed me away, she laughed softly. “Did you kill him?”

“No, baby. I came to save you.”

“Why? You need to kill him.”

“Why? Because you were right. I love you. God help me, but I do.”

Cassandra fought to get to her feet, pushing me hard. “No! No. You can’t allow him to escape. We need to get him. We must do this.”

“No. I’m taking you home.”

“No. We’re going to hunt that bastard. We must. Let’s do it.”

---