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CHAPTER 5: THE HUNT
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2026-03-05 02:03:50Sera Winters
Fear and desire are closer than anyone wants to admit. Sometimes they're the same thing wearing different masks. Daxen let go. I stumbled back. Caught myself on the bedpost. “What?” Daxen's arms locked around my waist. Pulled me back through the window. My feet hit the floor but my legs wouldn't hold me. He kept his hands on me. Steadying me. His grip was iron. "Let go." I shoved at his chest. Might as well have been shoving a wall. "Not yet." "I said let go." "I heard you." He was smiling. That same hungry smile. "Answer's still no." I twisted. Tried to break his grip. He just held on tighter. His hands spanning my waist like it was nothing. "You were gonna jump," he said. Almost conversational. "Two stories. Would've broken both legs at least. Maybe your neck if you landed wrong." "Better than staying here." "Is it?" He tilted his head. Studying me. "You really think death's better than us?" "Yes." Something flickered in his eyes. Not anger. Something else. Something darker. "Prove it," he said. Then he let go. I stumbled back. Caught myself on the bedpost. "What?" "Prove it." He stepped aside. Gestured to the window. "Jump. I won't stop you." I stared at him. At the window. At the darkness outside. "You're lying." "I'm not." He crossed his arms. Leaned against the wall. "Go ahead. Jump. Die. Escape us forever." My heart was hammering. My legs shook. "Why would you let me?" "Because I don't think you'll do it." His smile widened. "I think you're scared. I think you want to live. Even if it means staying here with us." "You don't know anything about me." "Don't I?" He pushed off the wall. Took a step closer. "You've been starving yourself for three days. Testing limits. Seeing how far you can push before we break. But you haven't actually tried to leave until tonight. You know why?" I didn't answer. "Because part of you knows there's nowhere to go. No one to go to. Your mother sold you. Your family erased you. You jump out that window and run into the forest, you'll die out there alone. And some part of you knows that's worse than staying." "Shut up." "Make me." I lunged at him. Stupid. So stupid. But I was tired and starving and angry and I wasn't thinking. I swung at his face. He caught my wrist. Easy. Like I was moving in slow motion. I swung with my other hand. He caught that too. Then he just held me there. Both my wrists in his hands. Not hurting me. Just stopping me. "There it is," he said softly. "There's the fire." I tried to pull away. He didn't let go. "You want to fight? Fine. Let's fight." He released my wrists. Stepped back. "But not here. Too many breakable things. Caelan would be pissed." "I'm not going anywhere with you." "Then I'll drag you." He said it so casually. Like it was obvious. "Your choice. Walk or get carried." I looked at the window. At the open window with cold air pouring in. He followed my gaze. "You could run. I'd give you a head start. Make it interesting." "What?" "Run." He gestured to the window. "Ten seconds. I won't follow. After that?" He smiled. "I hunt." My stomach dropped. "You're insane." "Maybe." He walked to the window. Looked out at the forest. "But I'm also bored. And you've been locked in this room for three days. Don't you want to see if you can make it?" "Make it where?" "Anywhere." He turned back to me. His gold eyes bright in the dark. "Road's about five miles north. Think you can run five miles?" Five miles. Through forest. In the dark. While being hunted by something not human. "No," I said. "Scared?" "Smart." "Same thing." He stepped aside. Gestured to the window again. "But I'm offering anyway. Ten seconds. After that, I come get you. And trust me, sweetheart, you don't want me to have to come get you." I should have stayed in the room. Should have said no. Should have been smart. But I was so tired of being trapped. So tired of walls and locks and men deciding what I could and couldn't do. I walked to the window. Looked down at the ground. At the darkness. At the trees beyond. "Ten seconds," Daxen said behind me. "Starting when your feet hit the ground." I climbed onto the ledge. This time I didn't hesitate. I jumped. The fall was shorter than I thought. I hit the ground hard. My knees buckled. I rolled. Came up on my feet. My ankle screamed. Pain shot up my leg. Not broken. Just twisted. I looked up. Daxen was leaning out the window. Watching me. Smiling. "One," he called down. I ran. My ankle hurt but I didn't stop. I ran toward the trees. Toward the darkness. Toward anything that wasn't here. "Two." The forest swallowed me. Branches whipped at my face. Roots tried to trip me. I kept running. "Three." My lungs burned. When was the last time I'd eaten? When was the last time I'd done anything but sit in that room? "Four." I looked back. Couldn't see the house anymore. Just trees. Just darkness. "Five." My heart was slamming against my ribs. My legs felt like water. "Six." Keep going. Don't stop. Five miles. I just had to make it five miles. "Seven." Something moved in the trees behind me. Fast. Too fast. "Eight." I pushed harder. Faster. My ankle screaming. My lungs screaming. Everything screaming. "Nine." Almost there. One more second. One more— "Ten." I heard him laugh. Low and dark and thrilled. "Ready or not." I ran faster. The forest was a nightmare. No paths. No lights. Just trees and roots and darkness. I couldn't see where I was going. Just picked a direction and ran. Behind me, something moved through the undergrowth. Not running. Stalking. Taking its time. I risked a glance back. Gold eyes in the darkness. Reflecting what little moonlight made it through the trees. He wasn't even running. Just walking. Keeping pace with me like this was easy. Like I was barely trying. I turned forward. Pushed harder. A branch caught my shirt. Tore it. I didn't stop. Another root. I tripped. Caught myself. Kept going. But I was slowing down. I could feel it. My legs were giving out. My lungs couldn't get enough air. And behind me, Daxen was getting closer. I could hear him now. Footsteps. Steady and unhurried. He was herding me. I realized that suddenly. Pushing me deeper into the forest. Away from any roads. Any help. There was no escape. There never was. But I kept running anyway. Because what else could I do? My foot caught on something. A root or a rock or nothing. I went down hard. Hit the ground face first. Tasted dirt and blood. I tried to get up. My arms wouldn't work. My legs wouldn't work. Everything hurt. Footsteps behind me. Close now. Right behind me. I rolled onto my back. Looked up. Daxen stood over me. Not even breathing hard. He looked down at me with those gold eyes and smiled. "Good run," he said. Then he dropped to his knees. Straddled me. His weight pinning me to the forest floor. I tried to fight. Tried to push him off. Might as well have been pushing a mountain. He caught my wrists. Pinned them above my head. One hand holding both of mine. Easy. "Let go," I said. My voice was shaking. "No." "Please." "No." He leaned closer. His face inches from mine. "You ran. I caught you. That's how this works." I tried to twist away. He pressed down harder. His weight keeping me still. "You're weak," he said. Almost gentle. "Haven't eaten in three days. Can barely stand. Did you really think you could outrun me?" "I had to try." "I know." He smiled. But it wasn't cruel. It was something else. Something almost understanding. "That's the only reason you made it this far. Because I wanted to see if you'd try." My chest was heaving. My whole body shaking. Not just from exhaustion. From fear. From the way he was looking at me. Like I was prey. Like I was food. "What are you?" I whispered. His smile widened. "What do you think I am?" I didn't answer. He leaned down. Inhaled. His nose tracing along my throat. My jaw. My hair. "I can smell you," he said softly. "Your fear. Your anger. Your exhaustion." His hand left my wrists. Trailed down my arm. My side. Rested on my hip. I shuddered. Not from fear. From something worse. "And I can smell this too," he murmured. His hand tightened on my hip. "Your body's responding. Even though you're terrified. Even though you hate me." "No." My voice was barely a whisper. "Yes." He pressed closer. His weight on me. His heat. "Your heart's racing. Your skin's flushed. And you're—" "Stop." "Why?" His mouth was at my ear now. "Because I'm right? Because your body knows what you are even if your mind doesn't?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Liar." He pulled back just enough to look at me. His gold eyes were brighter now. Not human. "You feel it. The pull. The need. It's in your blood. In your bones. Your body knows what it wants." "It wants to get away from you." "Does it?" His hand slid higher. Rested just below my ribs. "Because it's not fighting very hard." He was right. I hated that he was right. My body wasn't fighting. It was trembling. Arching into his touch without permission. Wanting things I didn't want. Couldn't want. "You wanted me to catch you," he said. His voice low and dark and certain. "Part of you wanted this. The chase. The hunt. The surrender." "No." "Yes." His hand moved. Traced my side. My waist. My hip. "You can lie to yourself if you want. But your body tells me the truth." I tried to pull away. He pressed down. Kept me still. "And now I know," he whispered. His mouth against my throat. "You can be broken. Just not the way you thought." My breath caught. His teeth grazed my skin. Not biting. Just threatening. "Not through force," he said softly. "Not through fear. But through this. Through pleasure. Through need." "Please." I didn't know what I was asking for. Let me go. Stop. Don't stop. "You're going to beg," he said. His voice rough now. Hungry. "Not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon. You're going to beg one of us to touch you. And when you do?" His hand tightened on my hip. Pulled me against him. "We'll own you completely." He stood. Pulled me up with him. My legs didn't work. He caught me before I fell. "Come on," he said. His arm around my waist. Supporting my weight. "Let's get you back." "I can walk." "No. You can't." He was right. I couldn't. My legs were shaking too hard. My whole body was shaking. From exhaustion. From fear. From the way his hand felt on my waist. From the heat of his body against mine. From the memory of his weight pinning me down. From wanting. He carried me back through the forest. I didn't fight. Didn't have the strength. Just let him carry me like I was something precious. Something worth keeping. When we got back to the house, Caelan was waiting by the door. His face was blank. But his eyes went to my torn shirt. My dirty face. My shaking hands. "She jumped," Daxen said. Still smiling. "I caught her." Caelan looked at me. "Did you get it out of your system?" I didn't answer. "Good," he said. Like I'd answered anyway. "Kieran left food in your room. Eat it. All of it. Or next time, I won't let Daxen be gentle." He walked inside. Daxen carried me up the stairs. Set me down outside my room. His hands lingered on my waist. "Next time you run," he said softly. "I won't give you a head start." He walked away. I stood there shaking. Staring at my door. At the tray of food sitting outside it. Still warm. Like Kieran knew I'd need it. I picked it up. Went inside. Locked the door. Then I sat on the floor and ate every single thing on that tray. Because I was hungry. Because I was weak. Because my body had betrayed me in the forest and I needed to feel like I had control over something. Even if it was just this. Even if it was just surviving one more day.
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