Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187754 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 939(@200wpm)___ 751(@250wpm)___ 626(@300wpm)
I stop next to a broken tree. The top half sweeps the ground that’s free of snow now that it’s spring. The last frost ended a week ago, and the flowers are already in bloom. The area looks familiar, but I’m too tired to care why. My curls are plastered to my forehead, and sweat stings my eyes as I catch my breath. Why hadn’t I gone for one of the snowmobiles?
You know why.
Maybe…just maybe…I want them to catch me.
I’m a masochist like that.
A sound nearby catches my ear, and my head snaps in that direction.
Gotta move.
I groan miserably and push away from the tree I’m leaning against, but then the sleeve of my costume dress that I just mended a few days ago snags on a branch of the broken tree. I impatiently try to wrestle it free and feel the threads tear open once more.
“Damn it,” I whisper.
Once I’m free, I take one step away from the tree, but a twig snaps underneath my foot, and I freeze.
“Did you hear that?” I hear Seth ask.
“I think she went this way.”
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
They’re closer than I thought.
I stumble forward in the opposite direction, picking up speed until I’m running again, woefully aware that each clumsy step only gives away my position. They’re not trying to be quiet either, and why should they? They’re faster than me, and there are three of them.
The knowledge forces me to slow down again until I’m sneaking between the trees. I spot a deer about a hundred feet away, watching me as it chews grass.
An idea forms.
Khalil, Seth, and Thorin are closing in fast, and I know it’s only a matter of time before they find me.
Picking up a sizable rock, I sneak closer until I’m within throwing distance, and then I chuck the rock at the deer. It takes off when the stone hits the ground, so I tiptoe in the opposite direction.
“She’s over here!”
Thinking it’s me, I hear my guys giving chase after the deer. I even spot Seth leading the pack about thirty feet away.
I use the cover of their footfalls to sprint the other way, but they realize they’ve been played much too soon. I can hear them gaining on me again until one of them stumbles and groans like they’re in pain. Against my better judgment, I pause.
That sounded like Khalil.
“Will you stop fucking around?” Thorin gripes. “We need to find her.”
“Fuck you, Thayer. I stubbed my goddamn toe.” I roll my eyes at that drama queen while Seth laughs like a maniac. “It’s not fucking funny,” Khalil snaps. “That shit hurts.”
Seth laughs even harder, and then I hear a fist connecting with flesh, followed by the sound of them fighting. Instead of using the distraction of their own testosterone to put a little more distance between us, I let a laugh slip, and I don’t have to wonder if they heard me.
“You better run fast, little wolf, because we’re coming for you!” Thorin roars.
Shit.
I really am too stupid to live.
The bushes next to me began rustling, making a fuck ton of noise before two rabbits burst free and run for cover in another.
And now I know why this area seems so familiar.
The meadow.
I actually made it all the way to Thorin’s furthest hunting ground.
Thorin must succeed in breaking up the fight because I hear the three of them running again. I spot the same rabbits darting from the bushes again, and I know where they’re heading. For some fucking reason, I think it’s a good idea to follow them like I’m a rabbit being hunted.
As I suspected, my furry friends make a mad dash for the meadow, where they disappear in the surprisingly tall grass. I slow just inside the edge of the meadow and gawk, my hands brushing the wild grass and occasional flower as I venture deeper.
Thorin hadn’t exaggerated the beauty of the meadow. It’s a sea of white, pink, and purple flowers, while the blue, orange, and yellow butterflies flitting over them only add to the variegated display.
“Aurelia!”
The pissed-off sound of my name ends with a terrified gasp from me.
No more than thirty feet away, Thorin emerges from the forest line to my right, and I drop onto my belly and start crawling before he can spot me.
“I fucking saw you, you piece of shit!”
Fuck. I belly crawl faster. I can still lose him in the grass. I can—
“There you are.”
Gasping, I peer up and scream when I see Khalil standing over me. I hadn’t even seen or heard him enter the meadow. They must have split up at some point.
Divide and conquer.
“No!” I spring to my feet so I can run, but I don’t get more than a step before I feel his hand wrap around my hair. A second later, I’m being yanked back so fiercely it’s a wonder my neck doesn’t break.