Page 74 of Daddy’s Hunted Bride

I glance over my shoulder just in time to see Daddy step out onto the front deck. There’s something over his face, making him appear even more like the monster he pretends to be as he slowly makes his way down the stairs.

Heading straight for me.

Digging deep, I sprint for the woods. But my nearly month-long confinement to the house has left me weaker than usual, and my legs are already tiring as I hit the edge of the forest. I don’t slow down, though, not until I find a tree large enough to hide me from my pursuer.

I duck behind the large trunk, slapping a hand over my mouth so I’m forced to breathe through my nose as I rest and rebuild my strength for the next sprint. A branch cracks, the sound echoing through the woods, and I watch a squirrel scurry up a neighboring tree.

Even the wildlife recognizes the predator inside the man I call Daddy, and they want nothing to do with him.

He’s walking louder than usual, his slow, measured footsteps crunching over the leaves with every step. “Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he calls in a sing-song voice that sends a delightful shiver of terror racing up my spine. “Daddy just wants to talk to you, little fox. Where are you hiding?”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I gather my courage and shove away from the tree, once more taking flight through the woods. Branches tear at my dress as I run, hindering my progress, but I don’t care. It only adds to the authenticity of my flight, to the terror clawing at my lungs despite the logical side of my brain insisting we’re perfectly safe.

Again I take refuge behind a large tree, but this time when I stop I can tell his footsteps are even closer than before, despite how slowly he’s moving. Exactly like the horror movie baddie he’s portraying, he hasn’t sped up once as he’s chased me and yet, somehow, he’s right on my tail.

With my heart thundering in my ears, I look left and right, searching desperately for some form of escape.

The longer I wait, the closer those footsteps get, and the faster my heart races. I can hear him behind me, closer and closer and closer.

Left without options, I wait until he’s right behind the tree. Shoving off from the trunk, using the force to propel me forward, I go running straight for Daddy, shoving him to the side as I race past. To my shock, it works, and he stumbles backward, losing his footing and slipping on the leaves beneath his feet.

But the distraction only buys me a few seconds before he recovers. I can see the mask now, reminiscent of my favorite franchise. I’d heard once the mask was meant to be of a president or something, but it looks nothing like any human I’ve ever seen.

It looks… perfectly monstrous.

Giddy now, I try to run. But I've wasted too much time taking in the details of his costume and the next thing I know the air is being knocked from my lungs as he slams into me, tackling me to the ground. He rolls, taking my weight on him when we hit the ground, and something warm blooms beneath the manufactured terror at the knowledge that even when he’s playing the part of a serial killer, he still has my safety at heart.

That doesn’t stop me from kicking and fighting for all I’m worth, however. “Let me go, you bastard!”

“Naughty little fox,” he growls in my ear, but I can hear the laughter in his voice. “Daddy’s going to have to punish you for that.”

“Fuck you! You’re not my Daddy!”

Laughter rumbles low in his chest. “We’ll see about that.”

Hauling me up over his shoulder, he carries me, kicking and flailing and cursing the entire way over to a different tree. When he sets me down, I try to run, but he shoves me up against the rough bark, hard enough I’m sure I’ll have bruises in the morning.

Fucking finally.

Grasping both my wrists in one hand, he hauls my hands up over my head and pins me to the tree. One knee shoves between my thighs, pressing up against my diaper, and I freeze.

I’m trapped. Helpless.

And more turned on than I’ve ever been in my life.

My masked man hovers over me, his breaths harsh in my ear as he leans in. “Are you going to be a good girl for me now, little one? Or do I need to get mean?”

Looking straight into the eyeholes of his mask, I grin.

“Do your worst.”

I swear I can see him smile even beneath the mask as he reaches for something on his hip. Terror flashes through me, stoking the arousal burning between my thighs as sunlight glints off the steel in his hand. He brings the knife to my throat and I instinctively hold my breath as he runs the tip down the side of my neck, hovering over my pulse as a soft whimper escapes my lips.

“Oh, I do love those little sounds, naughty girl. I wonder how many more you’ll make before we’re done here, hmm? Will you scream for me while I hurt you? Will you beg me for mercy before we’re through?”

I have no doubt I’ll do both, but I refuse to give him the satisfaction of admitting it. Pressing my lips together, I glare silently as he continues dragging the knife down over my collarbone to the front of my already ruined dress.

There’s a soft tearing sound, but I don’t quite comprehend what’s happened until the cool spring air brushes over my exposed skin.