Page 2 of Chased & Bred by the BRATVA
I run.
Branches slap at my skin, and mud clings to my legs as I sprint blindly into the trees. I hear a shout behind me, then the squeal of tires. But I don’t stop to look. I don’t stop for anything.
Eventually, the sound of the car fades. I don’t know if they’re gone or just regrouping. I keep running until I crash through a break in the woods and find myself standing in a clearing. A tall iron gate looms in front of me, half open. Beyond it, a driveway stretches into darkness, framed by twisted trees and dim security lights.
I stumble inside.
The air feels different here. Heavier.
Something about this place tells me it isn’t safer here than where I was before.
It’s just a different kind of danger.
I bend forward, bracing my hands on my thighs, trying to catch my breath. Ava’s dress is torn at the hem, dirt streaks up the side of my calf, and my knees are bleeding. I laugh, high and breathless as adrenalin continues to pump through me.
“Happy fucking birthday,” I mutter.
A branch cracks behind me.
I freeze.
Another step. Deliberate. Slow. The hairs on my neck rise one by one. I turn, heart hammering against my ribs.
And I see him.
Tall. Broad. All shadows and sharpness. A man in black, emerging from the trees like he’s part of them. His eyes catch the light. They’re dark, glittering, and locked onto me. His tongue wets his lips and my thighsfucking quiver.
He tilts his head slightly, like I’m something curious. A puzzle. A challenge.
“Who are you?” I ask, my voice shaking.
He doesn't answer.
He inhales, slow, deep, like he’s scenting me. And then he smiles.
Not kind. Not safe.
Predatory.
“Run,” he says softly. “If I catch you, you’re mine to keep.”
I don’t move.
“Last chance, little rabbit.”
And then my feet are moving, carrying me through brush and scrub and trees, but it’s not fear I feel. There’s something else pumping through my veins now.
Because this time, I know I won’t escape.
But God help me, I want him to catch me.
Nikolai
The woods are quiet tonight.
Even the wind knows better than to stir when I’m on the perimeter. There’s no moon, just the occasional glint of starlight off wet leaves, and the distant hum of nightlife beyond the trees. It’s peaceful. Predictable.
And I’m so fucking bored.
