Chapter 3

It didn’t take long before we heard the screams.

I clamped my mouth shut as we watched the hunter in red emerge from the cave, blood covering most of his face. He dragged the girl out by her arm while she cried and begged him to let her go. The man she’d been with was nowhere to be seen, and judging by how hysterical she was, I could only assume he was dead.

The hunter in red was a horrible sight. His dark hair hung messily over his forehead, and blood streaked his cheeks, chin, and the front of his clothes. There was something terribly wrong with the way he moved. He looked relaxed, almost bored, as though dragging a terrified girl out of a cave after killing her companion was just another ordinary part of his day.

His red eyes moved over the forest, searching for something—or someone. Then he looked down at the girl and sighed.

“Oh, would you shut the fuck up already!” he snapped, clearly annoyed.

The girl tried to stop crying, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. She scratched at his hands, desperately trying to free herself.

He grabbed her hair and yanked her head back, forcing her to look at him.

“I was going to keep you, but you know what…” He tilted his head, studying her face with a twisted smile. “I’ve changed my mind.”

His lips slowly parted, revealing a pair of long, sharp fangs.

“Let me go! Please! Please, stop!” the girl screamed.

He didn’t even hesitate.

His fangs sank into her neck, and her scream turned into a horrible choking sound. I watched, frozen, as he tore into her flesh. Blood ran down her neck, soaking her clothes as her hands weakly pushed against his chest.

Tears slipped down my cheeks. I clamped my hand over my mouth tighter, terrified that even the smallest sound might draw his attention to our hiding place.

The hunter didn’t stop until her body went limp.

When he finally released her, she collapsed onto the ground. The damage to her neck was so severe that her head was barely attached. Her blonde hair, which had been so easy to recognize when she ran into the cave, was now soaked in blood.

I felt sick.

The hunter wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, glanced at the body, and let out a satisfied sigh. Then, as casually as someone finishing a meal, he turned and walked away, disappearing between the trees.

I looked at Debby in horror. She wore the same expression I probably had, her face pale and her eyes wide.

I knew the hunt was brutal. I knew people lost their lives. But I’d never imagined it would be like this.

We waited until the hunter disappeared completely. Even then, neither of us moved. We stayed on the branch for several more minutes, listening for any sign that he might return.

Finally, Debby turned to me.

“Are you okay?”

She probably already knew the answer.

I shifted on the large branch, gripping it tightly to steady myself.

“This was a mistake. I don’t think I can do this,” I whispered, panic rising in my chest.

Debby moved closer and took my hand.

“Hey, hey. Breathe, okay? Breathe in and out.”

She looked directly into my eyes, breathing slowly to help me follow her rhythm. I tried to do as she did. It helped a little, but my hands were still shaking.

This was the worst fucking decision I’d ever made.

What had I been thinking?

I was being hunted by the Demon Prince himself. If the other hunters were capable of doing something like that, what would he do to me? He was royalty, and I had no doubt he was far more dangerous than any ordinary hunter.

“Hey, Veronica.” Debby squeezed my hand. “You’re not going to die here tonight. We’re going to make it out of here, and your sister is going to see you again very soon.”

She smiled as though she genuinely believed every word.

I wiped my tears.

She was right. I couldn’t afford to give up. Emma was waiting for me, and I couldn’t let her lose the only family she had left.

“We should probably get some rest. Two hours each?” I suggested.

Debby nodded.

“That’s the spirit. You can sleep first while I keep watch. I’ll wake you up in two hours.”

I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep after what we’d just witnessed, but I knew I needed the rest. My body was exhausted, and we couldn’t afford to make careless mistakes.

I leaned against the tree trunk, found a comfortable position, and closed my eyes.

I woke with a gasp, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t tell where I was. All I could see was the hunter in red, his blood-covered face hovering over me as he ripped my head from my body.

I jerked backward.

“Whoa, whoa! It’s okay!”

Debby grabbed my arm before I could lose my balance. I was so close to falling off the branch that my stomach dropped.

“It was just a nightmare,” she said, holding on to me until I calmed down. “You’re going to fall if you keep moving around like that.”

I took several shaky breaths. Once she was sure I was steady, she slowly released my arm.

I looked up at the sky. The sun was already rising.

I’d slept through the entire night.

“Why didn’t you wake me up, Debby? You need to rest, too.”

She smiled. She didn’t even look tired.

“Trust me, you needed the sleep more. Besides, I wasn’t going to fall asleep anyway.”

I felt bad that she hadn’t rested, but I understood what she meant. After what we’d witnessed, I doubted either of us would forget it anytime soon.

“Are you sure you don’t need at least an hour? Or even thirty minutes?”

“Hundred percent. Besides, we need to get moving. I heard at least three screams while you were sleeping. They’re getting closer, and we need to put as much distance between us and those hunters as possible.”

She picked up her little bag and began climbing down.

I followed right behind her, whispering a quick prayer that we’d make it through the day.

When we reached the ground, I spotted another small puddle of mud nearby.

“We need to cover our scent again. By now, we probably smell like ourselves.”

Debby nodded, and we hurried over to the puddle. Neither of us complained as we rubbed the cold mud over our skin and clothes.

Once we were done, we started running.

We took turns covering our tracks, with one of us moving ahead while the other did her best to hide our footprints. It was exhausting, but we couldn’t afford to make it easy for the hunters to follow us.

After several hours, we slowed to a walk.

My feet were hot and sore, and every step reminded me that I’d been running for most of the morning. I was sure I already had bruises from climbing over roots and stumbling across uneven ground.

Debby reached into her bag and pulled out two large biscuits.

“Eat. You need your strength,” she said, handing me one before taking a big bite of hers.

I didn’t argue. I was starving.

We continued walking as I took out my map and studied it carefully. I’d marked the route we needed to follow, and if we kept moving at our current pace, we had a chance of reaching the winning point before the other contestants.

“If we keep this up, we could be the winners in sixteen hours,” I said, allowing myself a small smile.

Debby passed me a bottle of water.

“We’ve got this.”

“Is that so?”The deep British accent came from directly in front of us.

The bottle slipped from my fingers and hit the ground.

I froze.

Standing a few feet away was the Demon Prince.

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

His black clothes were spotless despite the forest around him, and he stood with the kind of confidence that made the space around him feel smaller. His dark hair fell neatly across his forehead, and his face was calm, almost amused.

Then he lifted his eyes.

Golden.

His gaze settled on me, and every muscle in my body went rigid. There was something unnerving about those eyes. They weren’t simply beautiful; they were the eyes of a creature who had never needed to fear anything in his life.

He didn’t have to bare his fangs or raise his voice to intimidate me. His presence alone was enough to make my instincts scream at me to run.

Beside me, Debby grabbed my hand.

“We need to run,” she whispered.

I glanced at the forest behind us.

We could try, but I knew he’d catch us. He was a vampire , and we were two exhausted humans who’d spent hours running through the woods.

The prince seemed to read my thoughts. A slow smirk spread across his face as he leaned against the tree beside him, looking entirely too comfortable.

“You have two options,”

His gaze shifted briefly to Debby before returning to me.

“I’ll let your friend run if you come to me willingly.”

My stomach twisted.

“Or you can both try to run,” he continued, his golden eyes never leaving mine, “but I’ll catch you, and I’ll enjoy killing your little friend right in front of you.”

Debby’s grip tightened around my hand.

I stared at him, unable to find a single word to say.

He tilted his head, waiting for my answer.

“It’s your choice, Princess.”