Chasing Her Back Novels & Stories

"Not at all. It's nice to meet you." With those words, she backed away from me and I stood there, wondering why she had stopped me in the first place. Realizing that she was probably being nice and all, I shrugged before going in search of Sekani. I found her on the terrace, walking from one column to the other, her phone in her ears as she smiled. I stopped behind one of the pillars metres away from her but close enough to hear whatever she was saying.

“When Roland comes back, we’re going to leave right away, okay? So stay close. Don’t wander. Not even a little.” She nodded, her big brown eyes wide with trust. “Okay.” Her fingers slipped into mine, warm, grounding, but not enough to settle the churning storm inside me. I straightened slowly, casting one last glance toward the hallway. The shadows seemed to pull at me, threatening to drag me backward in time. I turned my back on them. Every step I took away from that hallway felt like stepping through glass. My spine ached. My skin buzzed. I didn’t trust myself to look calm, but I kept my movements steady. Measured. Just another mother taking her daughter to the checkout line.

Why didn't I see that? Our conversation was interupted by her dealing with the staff. After all was done, she gave them her last smile and they wished for her health and healthy pregnancy, we walked hand in hand towards the main entrance where our driver was waiting for us. "It's okay, Wyatt. It's all in the past." She reassured me with her words. Which did not really help. The guilty was eating me already. "Still, I'm sorry." I had nothing else to say aside of a lot of sorry. Only if I persisted to find her.

I wanted her to run. There was something sacred about this chase. I didn't just want to catch her. I needed her to try and escape, to give me a reason to hunt her down and remind her who she belonged to. And when she ran, I followed. I let her sprint through two hallways, past the server rooms and past the marble foyer. She was fast. I wouldn't have expected any less. But I was faster. I caught her just as she reached the glass exit, yanking her backwards and slamming her into the wall. Not hard enough to hurt her. Just hard enough to make her feel it.

“But she can’t run from what she helped build.” Chase reached up. Took her hand. “We’ll find her. Or we’ll outlast whatever she’s carrying.”

“Catch me!” She yells, giggling as she makes a run for it. Her feet dig into the wet beach sand, leaving prints behind her. She looks back. He's close, gaining on her, his arm stretched out for her. She laughs harder and pushes harder Mirth fills the air as she tries to avoid being caught. She runs for a while, then stops to look behind again. He's not following. She furrows her brows. Why is he not chasing her?

I was pretty sure she did want to be found; she hadn’t hesitated to rub up against him in the house. The running had to be some part of her mating game. And since her part of the mating process was called The Chase, it didn’t seem like a stretch to imagine that she wanted him to physically chase her. Though, I wasn’t sure how he would do that if she could wipe her smell out with the snow.

(Chase’s POV) “Dammit!” I looked up and down the street, but she had already disappeared. I could try to chase after her, but I didn’t even see what direction she went in. I headed back inside and took the stairs two at a time. I needed to find out where she lived and I needed to get to her.

I just kept praying that she would turn around, and tell me this was all a prank. The moment she opened the door, I called her name. She spun around, kind of hesitated before looking at me. I swallowed the morsel in my throat, and kept my hands into my pocket. "I affirm that this journey has ended, so yes, the Chase is over." She nodded, and said nothing. She just turned around, and left.

My texts have all gone unanswered and my calls have been rejected, and I'm slowly beginning to wonder if the plan I have to get her back is even worth trying. Who am I kidding? The chase is half the fun. It wouldn't be fun if it wasn't a challenge, and I'm always up for a fucking challenge. Tomorrow is the day where I deceive her once again, but all in the hopes to get her back with me where she belongs. Twirling my knife around in my hands, I'm transported into another vivid flashback with my little bird—the one where I marked her with my fucking blade. With my legs still dangling off the edge of the roof, I lean back and rest my head on the concrete, shutting my eyes with a shit-eating gri