All Hallows Eve, Vol. 3

Chapter 2

Two

The rules went in one ear and out the other as I focused on my breathing. Now, Wade steps in front of me, his violet eyes halting any progress I made with the air in my lungs. They sparkle at me beneath his mask, the curl of his lips barely visible beneath the beak covering his nose.

He inserts the key into the cuffs; the click of the lock echoes loudly between us. Then he leans forward, the feathers from his mask brushing against my cheek as the cuffs drop to the ground.

He inhales deeply, pulling my perfume into his lungs. Memorizing it. “Run.”

The whispered word is like a shotgun going off, and I jerk away from him before sprinting into the maze. At least fifty of us signed up to be hunted, and there are just as many hunters. Our head start sounds like a lot—five minutes—but with the way my heart’s beating, I may just have a heart attack exactly like a scared bunny before then.

Dried, fallen stalks crunch beneath my feet as I track deeper into the maze. We win if we make it out the other side. Find my way in the dark? I can do this. And the ten thousand will be nice for some new furniture and to catch up on some bills.

Pivoting left with no idea if it's the right direction to run, I commit to the decision, keeping my left hand out, following the wall of dried corn stalks. I can't hear a thing over my breaths, and time has no meaning.

The caw of a crow echoes above me, kicking my heart rate into overdrive. Too human to be real.

Wade. Too close.

Husky laughter slips between the dried blades of the wall, sending a shiver down my spine. It sounds like it's coming from all sides. A squeal alerts me to the fact someone has been caught, and I hurry my pace while attempting to quiet my breathing.

A wolf howls, and it feels like it's close enough to be breathing down my neck. Ozwald.

Musk reaches me—warm, earthy, and full of the sweetness of honey. Amber wood. Shit .

Stumbling over my feet, I fall through the stalks, getting turned around in the process. Foot falls sound to my right, and I freeze as a girl dressed like a mouse scurries past the dead-end opening. A hunter hot on her heels.

Another startled scream cuts though the darkness, and I scramble upright.

“I can smell you, little bunny,” a voice taunts. With wide eyes, I search the blackness of the path I fell from. A large shadowy form pauses on the other side, inhaling deeply. “You can run, but you can't hide.”

The words have my stomach quaking with something more than fear. Apricots and freesia carry on the breeze, mixing with the syrupy sweet scent of a maple tree being cut. Wade’s right there. Holding my breath, I wait for him to move.

“Have you found a burrow?” He tilts his head to the side, staring straight at me. At least I can feel his dark eyes run over my face. He can't miss me. But he doesn't break though the row of corn; he chuckles. “How did you get over there?”

It's obvious he isn't looking for a response as he loops away. The rest of his words carry back to me.

“Run fast, Bunny, I enjoy the chase.”

Slick dampens my thong and bunny suit as the idea of being caught by him races through me. I force my legs to move and rush to the exit of my dead end. I head the same direction the girl had been caught earlier, hopeful the threat of being next is gone.

Moans echo through the thick blades. Rising up like a symphony around me. Then the animalistic slapping of bodies coming together follows.

My pheromones spike with need, and I'm sure they saturate the nearest stalks. Anyone hunting me will have a clear path to follow.

The further I go, the more screams of pleasure fill the night. More alphas forcing submission on the betas and omegas they trap.

All part of the hunt, I assume.

If Dee knew what this was and didn't give me a heads up, I'll kill her.

Still, I can't deny the thrill. Or the way my body has been alive since Oz tugged my hood off. It calls to that hidden, dark place inside me. The part that wants to run from danger and ultimately be caught.

This is just a safe way to live that fantasy. I just hadn't realized it included sex. Very animalistic, public sex.

Two girls run past, giggling and looking behind them. I glance over my shoulder to see a hunter close on their heels. He grazes by, ignoring me in favor of one of the fleeing omegas. I slow to a stop.

I'm completely lost. My strategy of keeping a hand on a wall failed the second I tumbled into the new path.

Propping my hands on my hips, I gaze up at the night sky. If I can find a constellation I recognize at least I'll have a point of reference.

Nibbling on my lip, I find Orion peeking over the horizon. He's to my left, so that's east. Right? I was facing west when they pulled my hood off. Not that any of that gives me an idea of which way to go.

A cracking blade beneath a booted foot alerts me to a presence. Beckett in all his bare-chested, mountain man glory stands twenty feet away. His eyes seem to shine in the dark, reflecting the moon as he waits for me to move.

A slow, panty-melting smile tugs at his lips as he flashes his straight, white teeth at me. “You didn't run fast enough, little bunny, and now I'm going to show you what that means.”