The Prey: A Dark Enemies to Lovers Romance (Oakmount Elite Book 3)

I settle into the trunk and try my best to ignore the tools, or whatever the hell it is that’s back here digging into my hip with every bounce.

We drive around for a bit—not long, I don’t think—but it’s hard to tell time when you are imagining all the ways a situation could go wrong. Eventually, the car rolls to a stop, the engine turning off. Anticipation roars in my veins, my heartbeat picking up again.

The trunk opens, and I blink up at the light, Drew’s hulking frame cutting through it. His face is emotionless, a mask. He reaches in and pulls me up and over his shoulder again. It hurts just as bad as the last time, and I know I’ll have a bruise.

“You want to tell me what’s happening?”At the very least, it’s an attempt to distract him while I wiggle my wrists to loosen the ties. They don’t budge. Of fucking course.

“Did a little ride in the trunk cool you off?” That’s all he says. He doesn’t tell me where he’s taking me or what’s going on.

I slump as he carries me. And I watch the grass under his feet turn to leaves, rocks, branches, and brush. He’s taking me into the woods. Oh God. This is starting to look like an episode of a true crime documentary.

“You aren’t planning to murder me, are you? I don’t see how that would help things with Sebastian, but I’m a little worried right now so I thought it would be a good time to ask.”

“Not today.” That’s the only response I get, and I won’t lie, I’m pretty fucking annoyed at this point. While fear still lingers at the back of my mind, I have to wonder what the hell he plans to do with me out in the woods if he isn’t going to hurt me or assault me.

I don’t know how long we walk, but my chest aches from the pressure and gravity of being carried over his shoulder. After a few more minutes, his stride becomes smaller, and he slows his pace. We must be getting close to wherever he intends to take me.

Eventually, he shifts and slings me to the ground, and my body lands in a heap. I groan as circulation comes back to my stomach, ribs, and shoulders. “I’d rather you let me walk. Now I’m going to have a bruise the size of Texas on my stomach,” I grumble.

Crouching down in front of me, he grabs the rope at my ankles. I thrust my hands toward him, hoping he’s going to release me, but he tightens the knots instead and gives me a wink. I narrow my gaze, wishing I could get daggers to fly out of my eyes.

“Whatever game you’re playing, I’m done. I don’t want your help anymore.”

“Too bad, you already agreed to it.” He smirks and then turns, giving me his back.

“I didn’t agree to anything,” I snarl.

“She’s all yours now,” Drew announces, and my heart shoots back up into my throat as fear drives through me like a spike.

Did he sell me? Oh God. I can’t go through this again.

Some of my fear ebbs when another one of Sebastian and Drew’s friends pops up from behind a tree. Lee. His shoulder brushes over the bark of the tree as he turns in a circle, his sneakers turning up leaves from the forest floor. Backlit by the setting sun, he looks every inch the golden god the school believes him to be.

“Don’t hurt her, and don’t do anything stupid. If anything happens to her, Bel and Sebastian will have your head on a spike. Got it?”

Lee salutes him with a knowing grin. “Got it, Dad. You act like I’m a monster.”

“Wait…don’t. Please don’t leave me here.”

“Monster? No. Manic and completely unhinged at times? Yes.”

While I don’t know Drew that well, I’ve had enough interaction with him to know better. Lee, on the other hand, I know nothing about him. I’ve only ever seen him in passing and at functions where we both happened to be in attendance.

A whimper escapes me.

Drew shakes his head and turns to start walking away. “Don’t be a baby. You’ll be fine.”

I watch his back until he disappears into the darkness. Fuck.

Then I shift my focus back to Lee. Rumor has it he is a party boy with a reputation for danger, but he seems the most…normal of the group as far as I’ve been able to tell. Okay, so I realize I’m trying to rationalize the situation so I don’t have a panic attack, but it’s not really working. My heart hammers against my ribs, and while I’ve learned to hide my fear over the years, it’s difficult when I’m in the middle of nowhere with a man I don’t know that well.

“Lee, can you untie me, please? It’s almost dark, and I’m cold and tired.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that.” The leaves crunch beneath his feet as he walks over to me, pulling out some black object from his pocket. “Releasing you would ruin the surprise, so while I know you’re uncomfortable, you’re going to be okay.”

How can he possibly know that?

“Says the one who wasn’t kidnapped under the false pretense of being ‘helped.’” I shiver. “Just let me go.”

“Not an option.” He gives me a boyish smirk, and then my world goes dark as he ties something around my face. I feel pressure at the back of my head, like he’s placing a blindfold on me, but then he puts something else on top of my head, similar to a headband.

“Lee, please? I’m begging you. Just let me go.”

A humming sound emits from deep in his throat. “Oh, Elyse, don’t beg me. I might not be able to resist. Actually, no, I take it back. Beg me to let you go, and maybe I will. I’m a sucker for a girl who begs. I’ll almost always give her what she wants.”

My throat constricts. There has been a lot of begging in my life.

Begging for my father to stop hitting me.

For Yanov to stop touching me.

For some God or whoever to help me.

It didn’t once do me any good, so what’s the point now? Exactly; there is none. I won’t beg anyone ever again. Pressing my lips into a firm line, I glare at him, knowing he can’t see my expression.

“Ah, there’s your backbone. I knew you had one,” he taunts. “Don’t worry, Sebastian will take care of that soon enough, and maybe when it’s over, you’ll be made of steel this time instead of straw.”

What the hell is he talking about?

“Stop talking in riddles,” I snap. “If you won’t let me go, can you at least tell me what is going on?”

He lifts me by the elbows, and the movement is so fast, I stumble into his chest, catching a whiff of alcohol on his breath. That only intensifies the worrying in my gut. I’ve dealt with alcoholics my entire life. Any time my father had a drink, it never ended well for me.

“I don’t want to ruin the surprise, silly,” he jokes. “We should make sure you’re properly dressed, though, right? A bunny can’t run unless she’s all dressed up.”

I’m still processing his words when I feel the fabric of the dress part down the middle. Cold air hits my skin, and I recoil, trying to pull away. “Stop. What are you doing? Why are you cutting my clothes?”

“I’m not going to hurt you, Elyse. And I promise I won’t look, Scout’s honor.” His tone is matter-of-fact. Like he’s picking out clothes for a party. He spins me around and then cuts the fabric at my wrists.

I’m wearing basic department store white underwear, and I’m almost embarrassed to have him see me in them. Even more so when I’m bound and blindfolded.

His fingers toy with the strap of my bra. “An upgrade, I think.”

He cuts the tights off, ripping them off at the ankle. Next is my underwear, and I shiver at the cold edge of the knife on my skin. It’s not the same way Sebastian’s knife feels against my skin. No, Lee’s blade makes me shiver with fear.

I want to believe he won’t hurt me, but I’ve been told that so many times in my life that I’ve come to expect the lie. It never ends the way I hope for it to end.

He maneuvers my legs, pulling them apart. I struggle in his grasp, pushing him with my hands. “Stop fighting me. I’m trying to get you dressed.” I feel something soft, a fabric of some sort sliding against my flesh.

I settle but only for a moment, and that’s when I realize he’s not lying. I feel the fabric resting against my hips. It’s silky and cold against my flesh. A pair of silk boy shorts, edged in lace, maybe?

“Hmm…” He makes a noise like he’s thinking, and I pull my bound wrists up to cover my chest as best I can.

Humiliated isn’t even the word I would use to describe this moment. More like assaulted and violated. Tears burn at the back of my eyes, and I don’t bother stopping them. He can’t see them, anyway, so there’s no shame in letting them fall.

I feel the same silky material pull around my hips, not boy shorts, a bodysuit maybe. Its lace tickles my ribs, and he settles a clasp around the back of my neck. I’m covered now at least, and I admonish myself in my head for feeling grateful for that.

A loud cracking sound rings through the woods, and I freeze, my heart in my throat. What was that? What’s going on? I start to think the worst. Is someone after us? Are they going to kill me? Was that a gunshot I heard?

Lee curses under his breath. “Aw, well, at least you’re dressed. Drew wanted me to tell you the rules, but we don’t have time for that since I need to get going.”

“Get going?” I start to panic. “What do you mean?” My breaths become frantic. “Don’t leave me out here alone!”

“Don’t worry, the fun is about to start. And just a little heads-up, you should probably run, little one. The fox is a sly predator known for getting what he wants, and if he catches you, he gets to keep you.”

“What…? What does that mean?” I’m so confused right now.

I hear something hit the ground by my feet, and then nothing but the sound of the woods around me.

I pause, my heavy breathing making it difficult to hear anything else. “Lee?”

He left me. No. Please. No.

“Lee!?” I scream for him, but I already know he’s gone.

I move my hands up and jerk the blindfold down to my neck. Twilight blinks through the towering trees. Everywhere I look is wilderness. I’m surrounded, swallowed up whole by it. I need to find a way out, but as I look around, there’s nothing to signify which direction I should move in.

I take a calming breath and look down the length of my body. What the hell did he dress me in? It’s some kind of bodysuit. It’s the color gray, and dare I say, pretty if I was into strange men dressing me and leaving me stranded in the woods. Okay, think Elyse.

The wind howls through the trees, carrying with it a chilly breeze. I shiver, my heartbeat hammering against my ribs.

What if I get lost out here? What if someone finds me and hurts me? What if Yanov gets me? The more I think about the possibilities of what could go wrong, the more I struggle to stay present. My gaze catches on a knife that sticks in the dirt by my feet. Okay. At least I have a weapon, something to protect myself with.

It’s okay. You can do it. Save yourself this time.

A crack that sounds more like a gunshot and eerily similar to the noise I heard earlier ripples through me, echoing off the trees. Is that what Lee meant? Is that why I’m dressed like a rabbit? Are they going to hunt me down and shoot me?

I slump into the pile of ripped clothing as sharp pain spears through my skull. A memory sweeps through me, threatening to drag me under.

The sharp report of the gun, cold tile under my back. The hot wash of blood beneath me.

Gripping my temples with both hands, I rock back and forth in the leaves, and I remember. I was alone, cold, and left for dead, but he was there. He found me, and nursed me back to health. He was there the day I woke up in that bedroom, watching me. He’s the reason I’m alive today. He saved me, even if he doesn’t know it.

Tears pour down my cheeks, and I lower my hands and huddle into my knees. It’s all I can do until it passes. Then I’ll pick myself up and do what Lee said.

I’ll run. I’ll run away from this place and whoever is hunting me.

I’ll return to Sebastian, to the only person I’ve ever felt safe with.