Is it a warning or a taunt?I don’t know for sure, but I press my back against a wide trunk, controlling my breathing until it’s imperceptible. My eyes scan the forest, seeking movement among the shadows.
Nothing.
He’s playing with me, letting me think I’ve lost him when he’s actually—
A rush of air behind me. I drop and roll as his hand grazes my shoulder, missing me by inches.
I’m on my feet instantly, sprinting in another direction, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I caught a glimpse of his face as I escaped him. He’s enjoying this as much as I am.
I reach a clearing where sunlight barely hangs onto the sky. Stopping here would make me visible. I go around its perimeter, keeping the shadows and watching for movement on the opposite side.
I keep running over fallen logs and dense underbrush. Each step proves to him I can.
I vault over a moss-covered boulder, rolling to absorb the impact on the other side, and then press myself flat against the soil, listening for any signs.
Fuck, that hurt.
His footsteps are loud, not even trying to mask his approach. He’s driving me like a hunter flushes game. And I fucking love it.
Let him think he will win this.
I crawl beneath the low-hanging branches of a young pine, from where I watch him emerge into the small clearing I just left.
He doesn’t bother hiding his presence, just stands perfectly still, his head slightly tilted as he scans the forest, and rays of sun catch in his hair, framing his warrior braids. And I’m already wet for him, the place between my thighs, burns with need.
He turns slowly, patiently surveying the surroundings. I hold my breath as his gaze passes over my hiding place, praying that my heart will stop the thunderous pounding.
His eyes narrow, his head tilting slightly again, like he’s got something.
Could he hear the beating of my heart?
I tense,ready to bolt. But then he moves on, continuing in the wrong direction.
I wait until he’s disappeared among the trees before emerging from my hiding spot.
Instead of running, I climb. The pine’s lower branches provide easy access, so I scale it with ease, ascending until I’m twenty feet above the forest floor.From this vantage point, I can see Ares realizing his error and beginning to double back. He walksmore carefully now, recognizing he’s been outmaneuvered, but refusing to rush and make any other mistakes.
When he passes directly beneath my tree, I make my move.
I drop silently, the distance between us closing in an instant. My legs lock around his neck as I land on his shoulders. He doesn’t even flinch, but my hands grip his head, and my thumbs are positioned where a twist would snap a normal man’s neck.
“If you weren’t a god, you’d be dead by now,” I declare, the triumph in my voice, all too obvious.
For a second, he remains frozen, then a laugh vibrates through his body and straight into mine, where we connect. “Really, really good, little curse.” His hands wrap around my thighs, not to take me down, but to steady my position on his shoulders. “You’ve earned yourself a prize for your victory.”
“What kind of prize?” I ask, curious and excited about what this victory brought me.
This was a game we used to play during training. If I won, I got my prize, and if he won, he gothis. The problem is, I’ve never won before.
“What would you like?” he asks with thatI already knowin his voice. We are alone in the forest, miles from McAllister‘s cameras, surrounded by nothing but trees. The adrenaline of the chase is still buzzing in my system, transforming into a different kind of heat as his hands move up on my inner thighs.
“Hmmmm,” I laugh, reminding myself of something the girls showed me earlier this morning. “I saw something on Booktok earlier today,” I say without shame.
“What is it?” he asks, and I can still feel a smirk on his face.
“A command you must follow.”
“Really? Let’s hear it.”
