Page 71 of Solivagant

Then came the sound of grass and leaves crunching under very fast steps as he sped right past me in a panic.

I laughed.

His ears turned toward me a moment before his head followed, and he pulled to a sudden stop. He pouted.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

The pout faded. His body turned toward me and something altogether predatory replaced any lingering panic in his expression.

My heart beat faster as I watched those large, dangerous hands touch the ground. His head lowered. Body coiled ready to pounce. Ready to hunt, like the predator he was.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

My pulse beat like a war drum through my skull, adrenaline already spiking, because that meant I was the prey.

36

JOSIAH

One step backward. Another. Then I turned, and fucking ran.

I couldn’t hear him following me. I chanced a brief look backward to see he was still in place, still watching me with predatory eyes and his body coiled and ready to launch.

He was giving me a head start. He knew I’d need it.

I ran faster, darting off the path and into the dense forest to escape his line of sight. I knew I had no hope of outrunning him, but if I could get far enough away, maybe I could hide.

A howl rang out through the woods. It chilled me down to the bone.

The Hollow Creek Howler.

I’d suspected it was him, howling loud enough we could hear it from the town. It were nothing compared to hearing him now. So loud the whole forest around me seemed to shiver in anticipation.

It signaled the start of his chase.

I ran faster. I ran blind. Completely uncertain of where I was going or what I was even trying to accomplish by running.

What would he do when he caught me?

He wouldn’t hurt me, I knew that, but I was going to run with everything I had anyway.

I barely heard the rapid thumping of heavy footfalls before he was almost on me. I changed direction just in time to dodge a huge, fast body. He growled.

I didn’t care about the twigs and branches that snagged my shirt, my skin. Could hardly feel anything but my own heart beating as adrenaline continued to pump through my veins.

Running in a straight line gave him the best chance of catching up to me, so I weaved, dashing between trees, ducking under low branches.

I wasn’t thinking. Wasn’t planning. Just running and hoping the unpredictable path might slow him down.

It didn’t.

The sound of him snapping through branches at least gave me an indication of how close he was without turning around.

Close.

I kept going, until he was no longer directly behind me, then I ducked behind the first tree large enough to conceal me. My hand pressed over my mouth in an attempt to quiet my breathing.

I waited. I listened.