Then a branch snapped, and I was left in complete darkness.
The only thing I was sure of when I came to my senses was that at least a few minutes had passed.
Did I faint?Or—Oh shit!I felt the net cutting into my body before I even opened my eyes.Did someone attack and bind me?
I sat up abruptly and stared around. My sight blurred for a few moments as if I’d been hit around the head before the world came back into focus.
I was alone.
No, not true.
There was someone in the clearing with me. They huddled on the ground with their back to a tree. Had whoever attacked me hurt them, too? Were they unconscious or—No, damn it!
I didn’t even dare to think they might be dead.
I struggled with the net until the pain got too much. It should have been easy to free myself from the net, but no matter how much I pulled on the strings, all I achieved was to tangle myself up more. It cut into my chest and arms and hurt, so I stopped.
Okay, calm down. Think.
I drew a deep breath and closed my eyes, then they snapped open and fell on the person slumped againstthe tree. I didn’twant tocalm down. I wanted to rage, to tear the net to shreds and get them to safety.
You took an oath, for fuck’s sake.
I couldn’t just sit by and watch them freeze.
Fuck it.
And what if they were seriously injured? What if they needed help and died out here because I was too weak to free myself? I tried to reach my knife, but then my hands got tangled in the hooks.
“Scheiße!” I cursed.
The person groaned softly. They sat up. I finally got a good look at them.
Are you freaking kidding me?
Chapter Three
Nate
Soft hands ran over my body. They applied pressure in all the right places. One hand rubbed my balls. Oh fuuuck. I groaned and spread my thighs to give the hands better access.
“Are youdead, frat boy?” a voice cut through my dream, and I yelped.
In a heartbeat, I was on my feet and backing away. I stumbled over the gnarly roots that cut through the ground and landed on my ass, slamming my head into the rough bark.
“Ow, fuck!” I huffed, but the impact sobered me up a little.
My eyes landed on the stupid trap I’d put up and I screamed.
The joke of a net under the flimsy branch was no longer empty.
No fucking way.
My eyes had to be playing tricks on me.
Under the net sat a big as fuck creature with both of its feet planted firmly on the ground and elbows resting on their knees. They had theirbeakpropped on their clasped hands and regarded me patiently out of their unusual eyes.
After a few long moments they said something, but my brain finally had enough. It blanked.
