Chapter 20 The Hunt
INDIE
The second trial began early the next morning. They'd stripped away the heavy Flamekeeper robes. Instead, the attendants had dressed me in something far more vulnerable. A loose, gossamer slip of pale gold silk that skimmed my body. The fabric was so thin it clung where it touched, the neckline plunging low between my breasts, the hem barely reaching mid-thigh. There was no sash or embroidery. My hair had been left down, the wild waves spilling over my shoulders and back.
I felt naked and exposed in a way that had me squirming.
They made me drink a bitter liquid, claiming it would give me the energy I needed. I didn’t trust them. Not at all. So, when they weren’t looking, I poured it out.
Elder Mara waited on the dais, the same ebony box in her hands. Her silver eyes swept over me once, lingering on the way the silk shifted with every breath that I took.
"Flamekeeper," she said softly. "Choose."
My fingers shook as I reached inside. The papers felt warmer than before, almost pulsing. I pulled one out, unfolded it, and read the black ink aloud because I had no choice.
"Hunt of the Claimed."
A low, hungry murmur rolled through the remaining men. Eight of them now.
Mara's lips curved. It was the first real smile I'd seen from her. The mere sight of it sent shivers down my spine. I had a bad feeling about this.
"The trial is simple," she announced, loud enough for every ear in the clearing. "The Flamekeeper will be given a head start. The worthy eight will hunt her through the sacred grove. The first to catch her... and claim her... wins the true bond."
My stomach dropped.
"Claimed as in...?" My voice cracked.
Mara's smile widened, slow and cruel. "I believe the men understand."
I turned instinctively, searching for Zade among the eight.
He stood at the far edge, his arms crossed, his face utterly blank. There was no fire in his eyes or the slightest hint of his infamous possessive smirk. He was just still and silent, his expression unreadable. My heart raced in my chest.
Was the fever still burning him from the inside? Was he strong enough after last night?
The other seven stared at me like starving wolves. Their eyes raked over the silk, my bare legs, and my exposed throat. There was just so much naked hunger. I could feel it thickening the air.
Mara raised one hand.
"You have until sunset," she said. "Run, Flamekeeper."
The drums were struck, and I bolted, my mind reeling.
Sunset? I was supposed to run for that long? What sort of barbaric treatment was this? Wasn’t I supposed to be their long-awaited saviour? Why was I being subjected to such a dogfight? Angry tears stung my eyes, the cool breeze whipping against my face.
The sacred grove swallowed me whole. Ancient trees loomed ahead, their branches woven so thick overhead that sunlight came in thin golden spears. The ground was soft with moss and fallen needles, muffling my bare feet, but every snap of a twig behind me felt like a freaking gunshot.
I ran.
My chest heaved, my breasts bobbing freely. I hated that more than anything. The silk dress caught on thorns, tore at the hem, and rode up my thighs. I didn't care. I only cared about staying ahead.
They were coming.
I heard them crashing through the underbrush. I could hear their low growls and heavy footfalls. Multiple sets of them. They weren't even trying to be quiet. They were spreading out and herding me like a deer.
Bile rose up the back of my throat as panic hit.
I veered left, ducking under a low branch, then right around a massive trunk. My lungs strained for air and my legs ached. Still, I risked a glance back.
Shadows moved between the trees. They were too close.
A branch whipped my cheek, drawing blood. I stifled a cry and pushed harder. I couldn’t afford to stop. Not even for a minute.
Footsteps thundered nearer. One set was faster than the others. I zigzagged, my heart slamming against my ribs.
Suddenly, a hand grazed my arm.
I screamed, twisting away and shoving hard against a broad chest. The man grunted and stumbled, but his fingers snagged the strap of my dress, yanking it down. Cool air hit my exposed shoulder, my breast nearly spilling out completely.
I spun, elbow slamming into his jaw. Bone crunched. He swore and released me.
But another was there, lunging from the side, his arms wrapping around my waist. He lifted me off the ground, my feet kicking uselessly in the air. His hot breath rasped against my ear. "Got you, flamekeeper."
Dread washed over me as he squeezed my boob, groaning thickly.
I thrashed, headbutting backwards. My skull connected with his nose in a wet crack, blood spraying. He howled, his grip loosening around me. So, I dropped, rolled, and scrambled back up. Then I took off again.
Thorns tore at my legs, drawing thin lines of blood. The silk was in shreds now, clinging damply to my sweat-soaked skin. My hair tangled in branches, yanking painfully.
Where was Zade?
I hadn't seen him or caught a glimpse of his violet eyes or that predatory grace. The fever—gods, the fever must have weakened him. What if he'd collapsed somewhere far behind?
Fear slid into my veins, slowly paralyzing my determination to flee. What if there was no point in running?
I heard the heavy pounding of three sets of feet now. They were coordinating, driving me towards a denser thicket where escape would be impossible.
I burst through a wall of vines into a small clearing. The place was an open ground. Shit.
They were on me in an instant.
One of them grabbed my wrist, spinning me around. Another caught my other arm. The third stepped in front, his hand gliding up my thigh, pushing the silk higher and kissing my exposed breast.
"Such soft skin," he murmured, his fingers digging in. "I'll make you scream when I claim you."
Nausea hit me like a punch to the stomach. I kneed him hard, between the legs and he doubled over, gasping. I wrenched one arm free and clawed the face of the man on my left, my nails raking eyes. He yelled and released me.
The third yanked me back by my hair, forcing my head to tilt. His mouth hovered over my throat, his teeth bared. "Feisty. I like that."
I stomped his foot, elbowing his gut. Air whooshed out of him. I broke free again, stumbling forward with my dress hanging off one shoulder.
I couldn't keep this up. There were too many and they were equally too strong. And Zade—where was Zade?
I pushed deeper into the grove, my vision swimming with exhaustion.
A root caught my foot. I fell hard, and pain shot through my knee.
Before I could rise, a weight slammed into my back.
The silver-haired man again. He pinned me face-down, with his knees on my thighs, one hand pressing my cheek into the dirt. His other hand roamed my body, gliding down my spine and over my hip. Then he slipped a hand under the torn silk to cup my ass possessively.
"Finally," he breathed, leaning down. His nose dragged along my neck, scenting me like a wolf marking his territory. "You're mine now."
I thrashed, terror biting at my insides. His fingers inched lower, between my legs—
No.
No no no—
Just when I thought it was over, his body went limp, turning into dead weight.
He slumped sideways, boneless.
Then I scrambled up, gasping, my heart hammering so hard I thought it would explode.
Zade stood over the fallen man, relaxed and almost bored. One of his boots was pressed lightly on the hunter's back, pinning him down. His black shirt was torn at the shoulder, sweat glistening at his temples, but his violet eyes were clear, calm, and lethal.
He stared at me for a moment. Then he reached down, took my wrist, and pulled me to my feet in one quick motion.
"We're leaving," he said. "Now. No matter what."
I gulped.
"The trial—" I whispered. "If you don't claim me here, in front of them...Mara said—"
He stepped into me, backing me against the nearest tree. The rough bark bit into my spine through the torn silk.
His hands framed my face, his thumbs brushing my cheekbones.
"Then I’ll claim you," he growled.
Before I could speak, his mouth crashed down on mine.
The kiss was brutal, starving, and claiming. His tongue swept in, tasting me desperately. I moaned into his mouth, my hands fisting in his shirt, pulling him closer until every inch of us pressed together.
He growled low in his throat, one hand sliding down to grip my thigh, hitching my leg around his hip. The silk bunched, exposing more skin. His erection ground against me through his pants, and I arched into him mindlessly.
A familiar fire had been set off in my core, my body suddenly burning up.
His mouth left mine, trailing kisses down my throat until his teeth grazed my pulse point.
"Zade—"
He rubbed against me, and sparks detonated behind my eyes.
Goddess, I was already dripping.
Suddenly, I heard the rustling of bushes. Zade stiffened. My mouth went dry when I saw the silhouettes of dozens of men. No, not dozens. Hundreds. Right then, I was hit by the sudden realization that my heat had returned in full force.
Oh, shit.