Page 6 of The Invite
He exhales in irritation and shakes his head. “Crawl it is.”
“No.” I grab his leg. “I-I’ll walk.”
Silently, he lets me up, stands behind, and shoves me in the direction of his friend with a hand on my back.
“What are you going to do to me?”
“You gave us quite a few delightful options,” he drawls. “Obey us and they might just befunfor you.”
A lone tear falls from my eyelid and I bite my lip to stifle the panic attack brewing like lava inside my chest. I stop before his friend. Shuffling closer, he catches my tear on his thumb before it drips off my chin.
The starlight strikes at the right moment and I notice the ocean blue color of his eyes. So beautiful that it makes me wonder what they both look like beneath their masks. An inkling in my core whispers their faces won’t be as ugly and heinous as their vicious deeds.
“Crying already?” he whispers, leaning into my face.
I stagger back in disgust but forget I have nowhere to run when I hit a muscular wall. I hate how my traitorous body notices how finely built he is, lulling my brain into a false sense of safety. My five-foot-three frame barely reaches the middle of their chest.
Lips hidden beneath a thin cloth brush my cheek, sending pinpricks of fear all over my limbs. “Save your tears, prey.”
Taking my elbows in each hand on either side of my body, they drag me deeper into the forest, away from freedom. They seem to know exactly where to turn, their destination fixed and giving away the fact I’m not their first victim.
Or they know these woods too well.
It’s a second home for them.
I can’t keep up with the turns and lose track of where we are, in case I decide to run. My only bet, if I get a chance, is to hide in a spot until they eventually give up and leave.
“You think too loud, I can hear your useless thoughts.”
“You’re still kidnapping me.”
“Since when did making a girl feel good become a crime?” he retorts.
His friend snickers.
I’m shoved against a tree. An oomph escapes my lips at the sudden impact. I twist away but he grasps my upper arms to hold me immobile while his friend circles back. Unbinding my wrists, he ties the chain just below my breasts, fastening me to the immovable tree.
No. No. No.
“D-don’t tie m-me.”
My predicament dawns on me in shock waves.
Leaning back, my monster admires his partner’s handiwork. Though I can’t see his face, there’s a pleased smile in his pupils that doesn’t bode well for me.
“What are you going to do?”
“We play,” teases the shirtless friend, joining in the front.
However, my gaze is locked on the one calling the shots. Heart in my throat, I gulp when his hand reaches out to take the knife from his partner.
Oh no! Is he going to stab me?
The sight of it makes my knees give out, but the chains hold me up. I fight against the binds, the cold metal cutting into my arms painfully.
“Unchain me!!”
He flips the knife in the air before catching it in his open palm while staring right at me. I swallow nervously when he edges closer and uses the pointy tip under my chin. There’s no hiding the tremble, despite my attempts to stay frozen.
