Page 53 of Lucky 14

There’s no way I can ever show my face to Poppy again. She wouldn’t want me. And why would she? No one would want me. I wouldn’t want me either.

That crushing realization slows my footsteps. It feels like a solid weight is sitting on my chest.

Jeremy could tell. He knew you were a bad person, and he let you down easy.

I trip on another root, tears burning in my eyes as my head thrums. I’m not even sure where I’m going.

Maybe I should just…stay out here forever.

I entertain that thought for longer than I should. Then I trip over a root and fall, hands crashing into the ground. Immediately, I taste ash.

I push myself back up, coughing, and rubbing my palms on my thighs. Glancing up, I see the burned remains of trees illuminated by moonlight, some only partially eaten away and others fully skeletonized.

The fire. With a sinking feeling, I realize I’ve made it much closer to the villa than I intended. And still haven’t found Holland.

A heavy feeling of helplessness falls over me. How am I supposed to find her? I’m so out of my league in all of this, it isn’t even funny.

Bowing my head, I stare at my jeans. My dirty jeans, covered in sweat and now streaks of ash.

That’s when the back of my neck starts to prickle.

Whirling, I glance around. It’s brighter here without as much overhead shade to block out the moon. Scanning the shadows, I search for anything that could be a threat.

Nothing moves. I barely breathe.

“Daaamn. That’s quite the shiner.”

Whirling, I search for the smooth baritone that came from my right. A tree trunk moves. Only, it’s not a tree. The man rolls his big shoulders as he steps closer. “Still just as hot, mousey.”

I suck in a breath and stumble back a step. My first instinct is to put on my mask; I’m not supposed to be out here.

It’s Kyan. The man who pinned me against the wall and kissed me as if I held his last breath. The man who dropped to his knees and…

My face burns.

The moonlight falls over Kyan’s loose, dark hair, shadowing his eyes in dark pits.

A mixture of emotions fills me: fear, anger, outrage, but also an odd one: lust. And that one scares me more than anything else. Kyan drugged me, and I’m back wanting more?

“Who did that to you?” Kyan prowls around me, trying to get behind me. I keep my front to him.

“You…” I sputter, trying to come up with the right words. Kissed me? Assaulted me? Drugged me?

Kyan laughs. “It wasn’t me, mousey. I’d put my dick in that pretty little mouth. Whoever did that to you tried to put it through your eye.” He stops walking for a second. “Do you think fucking an eye would feel good?”

I tremble. All this talk of fucking is making me hot, and I just want to run.

Kyan’s white teeth flash in the moonlight. “Awful late for a mousey to be out here alone.”

Irritation prickles up in my chest. I’m not a goddamn mouse. But I don’t say anything. Just watch every move Kyan makes. I feel like I should run, but if I run, I know without any doubt he’ll chase. And I think he’ll catch me, too.

Kyan is unnaturally still, then his right hand twitches ever so briefly. I’m stuck watching that, and I don’t see him launch off his back foot.

Yelping, I jump back, then turn to run. Digging my toes into the dirt, I’m filled with a drop of adrenaline.

So I barely feel it when my foot catches on a stump. Suddenly, I’m sailing through the air, my pack falling off one arm, then hitting the dirt with a thump. Then a huge body crushes mine. All the air is punched from my lungs as my face digs into the ash.

“Caught you.”