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The collar has been lingering at the edge of my mind since I left it here. I’m still unsettled by it, uncertain of how to react. On one hand, the more I thought about it, the more creeped out I got. On the other…
It started to turn me on a little.
“Skye!” I shout again, trying to drown out the thoughts bouncing around in my head that I’m unwilling to acknowledge. “Where is she?”
A caw breaks through the air, and I move toward it, spotting Skye flitting from branch to branch. I chuckle under my breath as I approach her, lifting my hand up to give her some seeds.
She pecks them out of my hand, clicking her beak excitedly, and I shake my head at the pet I’ve managed to acquire. “What are you doing over…here?” My heart drops as I take a step back, my eyes finally catching on the arrow stuck in the trunk of the tree.
And the jeweled black collar hanging from it.
I spin around, looking for evidence of someone else, even though I know I won’t find any. My skin crawls like I’m being watched, though, especially since I know that this is not where the collar was left before.
He’s trying to push it on me.
As I turn back around to face the collar, my stomach twists. Fear spreads through me at the implications…and so does excitement.
I gulp back the emotion, forcing myself to turn away from it. It’s an inappropriate gift, that much I am sure of. Taking it would only send the wrong message.
Shaking my head, I walk away from it, muttering beneath my breath, “What have I gotten myself into?”
My thoughts keep drifting back to the collar, and then all the other gifts, as I collect the herbs and root vegetables I need and stuff my bag full. Scavenging and hunting haven’t been going too poorly so we have almost enough food for our people – which is rare.
When I finally have a sackful, I stand, glancing back at the arrow I can see glinting in the distance. My body is thrumming with adrenaline as I weigh my options. Should I take it to appease whoever is leaving these gifts? Or will this push things too far?
Deciding that I need to take a stand against whoever is clearly following me, I turn away from the gift and start back toward my home.
The first sound of movement behind me, I try to ignore. The second snapping of a tree branch has me looking back. But when I hear what I swear is a solid footstep, I don’t have time to turn around before my body is slammed into the tree in front of me, full force.
I drop everything in my hands as they fly up to grip whatever is pressed against my throat. I pull hard at the thin, sleek surface, and it takes me a moment too long to realize that it’s a bow crushing my windpipe.
Oh, fuck. He must be a hunter.
Which means I am truly never escaping him. Not if he can track as well as I’ve been suspecting he can.
“What’s the matter, brave one?” a deep voice rumbles in my ear, turning my legs to liquid against my will. “You don’t like my gifts anymore?”
Something tugs at my hand, and I realize that he’s dragging my hand up by the bracelet I’m wearing, pinning that wrist up above my head where I can no longer see it.
“An odd gift, don’t you think?” I rasp against the pressure of his bow. He only chuckles and digs it in harder against my throat.
“I think it’s relatively tame compared to what I want to do to you right now.”
A shiver wracks my body, and I know I’m playing with fire. I just can’t help it as I lick my lips. “And what is that?”
He presses harder into me, his entire frame towering over me as he pins me in place with his body. His nose skims my ear, and I should hate the way that it stirs up arousal in me.
But considering how wet I’ve been since he pressed this bow to my throat, I know I have bigger things to worry about.
“If I had all the time I wanted,” he purrs, the deep vibrations of his voice echoing through my body. “I would strip you bare right here. I’d mark your skin and lay claim to you, prove that you are mine no matter how much you try to deny me.”
I bite down on my bottom lip to keep my whimper inside. It should be from fear, but I think we both know it’s not.
“Instead,” he growls, and the pressure loosens on my throat as he shifts one hand to hold both the bow and my wrist. The other comes around to my front, reaching for my pants, and my body is screaming at me to fight or run or do something.
All I do is lean back against him, too trapped in this spell as I wonder what this man could do for me. His voice bleeds pleasure, and I’m all too eager to have him focused on bringing that to me.
Maybe it’s wrong, but I like having his attention. Even if it’s dangerous or stupid, I’m his sole focus, and that has been rare in my life.
