Chapter Two

At first the bright light blinded Blythe, but then the sounds of a forest and the vibrant colors filled her senses. The scent of dirt and fresh air met her and she breathed it in. Her eyes took in the dense green shrubbery and the huge trees. The dense foliage would make it easier to hide. She heard a birdcall and her heart started pounding. Then she remembered the eagles weren’t in the Running this year and calmed slightly. If she had been there only to explore, she would’ve taken more time. As it was, she was there to hide and hope a shifter wouldn’t find her.

She looked to her left and right and didn’t see any of the other girls. Where were the weapons? Why hadn’t she asked more questions? She was lost now and had no idea which way to go or where to turn. Should she risk moving around and finding the weapons, or just hide? She took a step forward and then shook her head. She would hide. She kept to the edge of the arena, looking for signs of life. She didn’t know how long until the five minutes would be up, but she knew she had to hurry. She was so worried about finding somewhere to hide that she forgot to look at the number above her door.

She veered into the forest and didn’t slow down until she came to a fallen log. It was hollow and would make the perfect hiding spot. She looked around and listened, hearing nothing but the birds singing in the trees. She got down on her hands and knees and then lay flat on her belly. She started to reconsider her idea when she realized how tight a fit it was. Her saving grace was that it was long and if she got in the middle then there was no way a man could come in after her, or reach her with his arms. She would be safe. She stopped at a notch and a small hole that provided her with a peephole to watch what happened around her.

Her breathing slowed and Blythe found her eyes drooping. She almost screamed when she saw a foot pass by her log. She covered her mouth and slowed her breathing once more. She looked through the hole and saw a woman disappear into the bushes. A loud bang sounded and then she heard several roars. Apparently that meant the shifters were loose. Blythe started nibbling on her fingernails, a nervous habit she couldn’t seem to break.

Was this a good hiding spot? Maybe she should look somewhere else. She shook her head and laid her cheek on her hands. This was a perfect spot. Her brown clothes helped her look like part of the trunk. It would be her hair that gave her away. It was a dark black and glossy. She was proud of her long hair. It went all the way down to the top of her ass. She’d never cut it. She remembered Lorna telling her to cover her scent, but there hadn’t been time. Hopefully the log would mask it.

After laying there for what seemed like an eternity, Blythe heard a twig snap on the other side of the log. She looked out each end of the log and then her peephole, but couldn’t see anything. She closed her eyes and held her breath.

A thump sounded and she realized someone was standing on the log. Her eyes shot open and she tried not to make a sound. Tears pricked her eyes and her heart raced in her chest. Could he hear her heart about to beat out of her chest? Or maybe it was one of the other girls.

Just then she heard a scream off in the distance and then a roar. She felt the log move slightly as the person kicked off of it and sprinted toward the sound. She sighed in relief and realized a second too late that her little noise gave away her position. Apparently, she’d been wrong to assume the person was gone. She looked down at her feet and saw a hand reaching for her. She screamed and folded her legs up as high as they would go.

“Come out of there,” the man growled.

“Go away!” Blythe whimpered. She was afraid to talk louder or scream again. She’d probably just revealed to everyone where she was.

“How the hell did you fit in there?” he tried to ram his shoulders into the log to reach her, but he was just too big. He jerked back with a snarl and then she saw his hands grip either side of the log. Her eyes widened in horror. Surely he couldn’t pull the log apart. How strong were these shifters?

As he strained to pull it apart, Blythe heard harsh breathing and then saw two feet at the other end of the log. The man’s hands disappeared and it grew silent. Then the two feet were moving away. Blythe saw the shifter running after the woman and sighed in relief. This was the best hiding spot in the circumstances. She would be safe here for now. Maybe he was the only shifter close by.

She lay there for quietly for an extended period of time. People passed by, but never looked in the log. How many of the girls were found? How many shifters were killed? What was happening? Despite her anxiety, she was very curious. Her eyes were tired due to her lack of sleep the night before and she was tempted to take a nap.

She knew she couldn’t fall asleep. She had to stay still and pay attention to the world outside of her little log. She breathed softly and looked through her peephole. Something tickled her leg and she moved it. The tickling kept going and she glanced down. Her mouth fell open and she sucked in a breath to scream. Just in time, she remembered that wasn’t a good idea. She swallowed her scream and shrieked inwardly.

Wrapped around her leg, and slowly slithering toward her, was a snake. It was green and long, but was it venomous? She didn’t know. She’d never had a snake this close to her. Blythe’s heart started racing again and her mind went through possibilities of how to handle this situation. Every one of them ended with her getting bitten and dying. She couldn’t leave the log, yet she didn’t have enough room to lean down and grab the snake.

“What do I do?” she whispered, trying to think rationally. All she could see was its eyes as it slowly climbed up her leg. Its head rested on her zipper and she froze. If she moved, it could bite her. If she didn’t move, then it could bite her and possibly kill her. Either way, she was screwed.

She had a choice to make. She could scream and hope one of the men found her and helped her, or she could try to allow the snake to keep going out the other end of the log. She was reluctant to give up her hiding spot, but getting out of the log and getting rid of the snake was still a possibility. She could do it really quickly and go right back in the log. “What if there are more snakes?” she asked herself. She huffed, torn. She really didn’t want to run into any other snakes. Maybe hiding in the trees would be better.

Making a final decision, Blythe started slowly sliding toward one end of the log. She kept her eyes on the snake and tried not to move too suddenly. She swallowed hard and froze as the snake moved higher toward her. Its head was now on her stomach and she stopped breathing. If she breathed, would it bite her? She whimpered and then screamed.

“Help me! Someone help me!” She didn’t care if she got caught right then. She listened, trying to hear if anyone was coming to her need. Were the shifters all dead? Where was everyone? “Please, someone help me.”

Blythe felt tears prick her eyes as the snake climbed higher up. Its tongue darted out and then back in, sensing her. What made the snake enter the log? Was it her body heat? Was she going to be its snack? It wasn’t big enough to eat her whole, but maybe it’d eat her bit by bit.

“Where are you?” a very deep voice called. The tone sent shivers down Blythe’s spine and she clamped her mouth shut. This was a bad idea. She’d rather face the snake than a shifter. What had she been thinking? “I can smell you.”

Blythe’s eyes widened even more, but she didn’t call out. The snake climbed steadily toward her face, its tongue touching her chin. She felt faint and wondered if she’d pass out. The snake disappeared by her neck and she couldn’t see the head. She felt the snake press against the back of her neck, and she lost it.

“I’m in here, please help me,” she called.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. Blythe saw a shadow and then a head appeared. “Are you stuck?”

“No, there’s a snake,” she whimpered.

“Where? What color is it?” he sounded serious and slightly worried. Who was this guy? Why was he worried about her? Was he afraid of losing a potential mate? Well, Blythe was going to give him the slip as soon as he got rid of the snake.

“Its body is on my chest and its head disappeared under my head. I think it might coil around my neck. Please get it off me.”

“What color? This is important.”

“It’s green,” she told him.

What she didn’t expect was him to start laughing. What was his problem? Here she was, in serious danger, and he was laughing. Shifters were monsters. She felt tears in her eyes and a sob left her mouth. He sobered up really quick and reached into the log.

“I’m sorry. That was rude. The snake is harmless. It’s just a garden snake. If it bit you, it would only hurt, not kill you. I’m going to try and reach for it. Don’t move.”

Blythe closed her eyes and remained still. She couldn’t help her accelerated breathing. She was still scared. She felt anger and shame at herself for allowing a harmless garden snake to scare her. She should have paid more attention to her father’s lessons when he took her into the woods. She was sure he’d told her about the poisonous snakes and the harmless ones. She’d been too distracted and bored. It could have cost her freedom. Now what?

She felt fingers graze her cheek and then the body of the snake was lifted off her chest. She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. “Thank you.”

“No problem, now why don’t you make this easy and come out of there?”

“No way, mister,” Blythe shook her head and scooted back down into the middle of the log.

“I’ll send the snake back in the log,” he warned.

“You wouldn’t,” she gasped.

“Come out, I won’t hurt you.”

“No, but you’ll take me back to your Lazarus. I’m quite happy with my life and want to go home to my family. Now go away and leave me alone, please,” she begged. She didn’t want him to come after her. She was back in the middle of the log and knew he couldn’t reach her.

“My name is Milo, if that helps,” he called.

“I’m not coming out.”

“If you don’t come out, I’ll have to break the log in half. I don’t want to hurt you accidentally. Please come out.”

“You can’t split this log in half. You’re not that strong,” Blythe called his bluff. Surely it was the truth. No man was that strong. But then again, this was no man. This was a shifter and he sounded sure he could do it.

“Will you tell me your name?” he asked. Blythe realized his voice sounded more distant and she looked up. He’d disappeared from the entrance and she glanced down at the one toward her feet. What was he up to?

“No,” she snapped. “Where are you?”

“I’m right here,” he whispered.

Blythe screamed, unable to help herself. His eye was visible in her peephole. Soon it was replaced with a finger that wiggled at her. She jerked away, pressing her body firmly to the bottom of the log.

“Go away,” she pleaded. He was playing with her as a predator would its prey. She shivered, not liking the thought of her as his prey.

“I can’t. Three of the women have already been found and taken to Lazarus. That leaves only seven. You are one of the seven. I’m sorry. I need a mate,” he responded.

“I want my family. My mother and father need me,” she whined.

“I need a mate. Seems like we can’t all have our way,” he rolled his eyes.

Blythe waited for him to say more, but he was gone and the forest was eerily quiet. She looked down and up, searching. Where was he?

She heard a groan and saw hands grab the inside of the log. A crack filled the silence and she gasped in horror as the log slowly came apart. Splinters and pieces of the log fell down around her and she coughed before searching for Milo. She saw him coming toward her and reacted. She jumped to her feet and took off running. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she had to get away.

“Come back!” Milo called. There was no way she was stopping. She couldn’t be caught. She looked for a tree strong enough to hold her and easy to climb. That was one thing she was good at and had done plenty of times when her father had taken her to the woods.

Up ahead she saw the perfect tree. She hoped that Milo was a wolf and not as good a climber as a lion or cat shifter would be. She was almost to the tree when she saw a blur out of the corner of her eye. She gasped and then ran into what felt like a brick wall. The breath was knocked out of her lungs and she stared up in shock at Milo.

“Got ya,” he smiled.

“No!” she cried, trying to jerk from his grip. “Please don’t do this.”

Milo didn’t seem to care that tears appeared in her eyes and fell down her cheek. Maybe he saw Blythe as a baby, but she didn’t care. She’d do anything not to be taken away from her family.

“You’ll be happy as my mate,” he promised her. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Blythe tried to make her body feel heavier to hopefully slow his progress. She needed time to come up with a plan. There was one idea that popped into her head, but she thought it might be too risky. There was no other way. She had to do it.

She screamed. Milo stopped and set her on the ground.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m getting out of here,” she smiled, acting braver than she felt. She was hoping if other shifters showed up, then they’d fight Milo and she could use the distraction to run.

“What?” he asked, confused.

Blythe screamed again.

“What the fuck are you doing? Do you want someone to take you away?” Milo spat. “Stupid girl.”

“Come and get me!”

Milo shoved a hand over her mouth just as a roar answered her. Blythe’s eyes widened and then she was looking at two men stalking out of the bushes. They had blood on their bare chests and smiled at her. They glared at Milo as he took a protective stance in front of her.

“She’s mine,” he growled.

“She doesn’t seem to want you, Milo. She was screaming, wanting us to find her. Let me have her instead,” the dark-haired one coaxed. Milo growled and bared his teeth. They were pointed and definitely not human. Blythe shivered and took a few more steps backward. As soon as they started fighting, she’d be running for her life. How long was this going to take?

“No, I want her. I’m the oldest here,” the blonde haired one snapped.

“She’s mine!”

With a roar, Milo attacked the dark-haired male. Blythe didn’t stay to see what happened next. Apparently her plan was working and she could now find another spot to hide. Her precious log was destroyed and the tree was too close to the fighting males. Where else could she hide? She really wished she had a map, though she probably wouldn’t be able to read it.

Not wanting to draw attention to herself, she slowed and tried to calm her breathing. She was breathing really hard and her body shook. She glanced around and spotted another tree that seemed easy enough to climb. Looking back the way she came, Blythe quickly made a decision. She raced over to the tree and stared up at the branches.

“I can do this,” she whispered.

“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” a feminine voice called.

“Hello?” Blythe called back. She didn't see anyone.

“Up here,” the voice called again. Blythe looked up into the trees and saw a woman step into view.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know this tree was taken. Can I join you?” Blythe called back up softly. She was worried about this form of talking and was wondering how much attention it would draw from a nearby shifter.

“No. Get lost. We’re not allowed to help each other. I’d hurry up and hide if I were you because I can see someone coming this way. Hurry,” the girl snapped. Blythe stared longingly back at the tree and then took off running again. She could hear someone following her and a sob left her lips. Was this what her next few hours would consist of? Running away, being caught and then trying to outsmart them? She was tired, thirsty, and felt sick. She needed a bath and a nice warm bed. How had she been dragged into this? She hated the Running and everything it stood for. She wanted to find someone that she loved and that loved her back. Not some shifter that didn’t even know her and only wanted her for sex.

“I give up,” she gasped, her body shaking and her sides throbbing. She had run for so long at a breakneck speed that the adrenaline rush was wearing off. She collapsed to the ground and rolled toward a bush. Maybe she had enough time to take a small break. She looked up at the sky and knew it was still early in the Running. She had hours left and she didn’t think she’d make it. Three of the women already found? That was fast. Seven remained, but had any killed a shifter and been set free?

A shadow blocked her view and she gasped, jumping to her unsteady feet. “Go away,” she pleaded.

“No.”

“Don’t make me…”

“Make you what? Are you going to hurt me, human? I’d like to see you try,” he snapped his teeth, making his point. Blythe knew she was no match, but she didn’t want to go without a fight. She could try her method of screaming for attention again, but this man seemed more dangerous than Milo. She feared his wrath.

“Just go away.”

“Make me,” he smiled savagely. Blythe shivered from the look in his eyes and tried to think of what to do. She couldn’t run anymore. She was too tired. She began to wish that Milo would find her again rather than her having to go with this guy.

“What is your name?” she asked, trying to keep his attention elsewhere, anywhere but on what he was planning.

“What is yours?” he asked, turning it around on her.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she sassed. She covered her mouth, not sure where that had come from. She’d never spoke so bluntly before. Maybe it was because of the stress. That had to be it. She swallowed and waited for his response.

“Time to go to your new home,” he smiled.

“No.” Even knowing she wouldn’t make it far, Blythe turned as her fight-or-flight sense kicked in and ran. She didn’t make it ten feet before a heavy weight plowed into her and sent her to the forest floor. She gasped, losing her breath and seeing stars.

“That was a mistake,” he whispered in her ear before licking along the edge of it. “Don’t you know you’re not supposed to run from a predator, my little prey?”