Page 298 of Primal

“What?”

“Get the fuck away from me.” I stalk past her.

“Kade, wait.” She hurries to keep pace. “Listen, Derek’s got Kristy locked up, and I think he’s the—”

“Save it.” No more distractions. No more pretty lies. I need to think. Need to—

She tugs my arm. “Are you listening? We’ve got to—”

I catch a handful of hair. Yank her in.

Teeth snap for my wrist.

Shards in. Shards out. Every breath through this goddamn mask slices me up from the inside.

“Kade …?”

I blink. Her face is ashen, those green eyes wide and brimming.

She takes a step back.

I take two forward.

“Kade, what—”

I lunge.

She spins. Takes off.

“Run, piggy.” The sound that comes out of me is all teeth and hunger. “Daddy’s coming!”

Branch to the face. I don’t slow.

Her rhythm’s all fucked. Tripping on roots. Rasping like a dying animal.

I’m maybe twenty feet behind her now. Close enough to hear her sobbing.

“Please, Kade, please—”

“Keep squealing. I’ll carve the noise right out of you. I’ll skin you—”

She bolts.

I tear through the woods after her, mask hot, lungs raw, the knife thrumming in my grip. Trees blur past. Pulsing like veins.

She breaks left toward the old trail. Mistake. I cut through the clearing. Vault the fallen log. Slam into her from the side.

We go down hard.

She crawls—gets maybe a foot before I grab her ankle.

She flips over, kicks at me.

“Wriggly little fucker. Still got bite, huh?”

Her sneaker smashes into my mask. Goddamn bitch’s up in an instant—scurrying off like a fucking pig.

Up ahead—