Page 78 of The Prey
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.