Page 77 of The Prey
“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.”