Chapter 15

Nicholas

She was adorable. I couldn't help but watch her as she trained with my brothers that morning.

The way her skin glistened with sweat, stray hairs sticking to her face. The way she struggled with the increased weight Aiden kept adding to her bar, her arms shaking. The way her face lit up when Keir told her they were using practice swords today, her swagger immediately changing, morphing into confidence. The way she looked at Keir when he revealed how he hid his weapons in his shadows, speechless during his show-and-tell.

She had me so worked up by the time she finished her morning trainings, I suggested we do something different for endurance training after lunch.

"How about we take a run in the woods today?"

"Wait, really?" she asked in disbelief.

I chuckled at her. "Why not? We can get some fresh air and practice on different terrain. I think it would be good for you. I already cleared it with Keir and Aiden."

She nodded and finished her food faster.

As we left, she asked if anyone was coming with us.

I shook my head. "No. Keir left to do some things at the office since he's taking tomorrow off, and I told Aiden to sit this one out. I want some alone time with our girl." I pinned her against the side of the elevator with a passionate kiss, stealing her breath for a few moments before the doors opened and we went out back to the waiting car.

By the time we got to the edge of the woods, she was buzzing, unable to sit still. She was practically bouncing on her feet when we got out.

"Can we race?" There was so much excitement in her voice.

I hadn't anticipated the amount of joy being outside would bring her.

A devious idea sprouted in my mind, and I shot her a devilish grin, making her giggle nervously.

"I don't think I like that look."

I bit down on my bottom lip and could feel my eyes darken as I took her in. "I'll give you a head start, baby. When I say run, you better run faster than you've ever run before. Don't look behind you. Don't slow down. Don't. Stop." I paused, standing tall over her. "And don't let me catch you."

She sucked in a breath and put her hand to her chest, as though she was trying to steady her heart. "What happens if you catch me?"

I gave her the most serious look I could manage, letting a moment pass, and her nerves set in even more before I answered, " When I catch you, I'm going to punish you. I'll make you scream and cry and beg. You'll be shown no mercy, and I'll use every hole of yours until you pass out from all the pain and pleasure." She licked her lips, and I nearly snapped there. "Run," I said before I ripped her apart right here and fucked her on the side of the road.

For a split second, I thought she didn't hear me as she stood frozen, but then she ran into the trees. She only turned around to look at me once before disappearing into the tree line.

I let out a boisterous laugh. "Run fast, baby. I'm coming for you!"

I counted another sixty seconds before taking off after her, my heart beating out of my chest. I was going to hunt down our little offering now and enjoy the fear in her eyes when I caught her and brought her to her fucking knees.

She'd taken off to the left, clearly not caring to avoid any of the plants, as there were leaves and broken limbs littering her path. Silly, girl . This was going to be too easy.

I know I should have given her pointers before she started, told her to at least try to hide herself, but the thrill of being able to hunt her down like prey made me impatient. We could work on that skill later. Now? It was time to get her heart racing and her blood pumping—for endurance purposes, of course.

I tried to picture what she looked like right now, running around, wondering if I was close by. Was she scared? Excited? Aroused? The thought of her hair whipping around, branches catching on her skin, her wide eyes, made me so fucking hard. For a brief moment, I contemplated stopping and jacking off right there just to alleviate some of the pressure in my cock, but I wanted to save it all for her.

The trail she'd taken turned muddy, and I could tell our poor girl had a rough time running through the thick floor. Based on the muddy handprints on the tree in front of me, I'd say she fell. I laughed, knowing our girl was now, literally , a filthy slut running from me.

"I'm going to rip the clothes from your body when I catch you," I hollered into the dense forest. "I don't care how muddy or sweaty that tight, perfect body is; I'm going to fuck it until you can't take it anymore. I don't care if I have to throw you to the ground or up against a tree; you'll be thoroughly used and unable to walk out of here on your own, baby." I continued yelling my promises to her, knowing she would hear me.

I heard a twig snap to my left and took a sharp turn in that direction. A smile spread on my face. Gotcha .

I carefully pushed the bushes out of my way, moving quickly and quietly to catch her off-guard. When I got to the source of the sound, I froze.

I made eye contact with a young male Satyr. He looked terrified to see me, a demon, so close to him. Most of the creatures in Hell were hunted for sport, including his kind. He took a tiny step back from me, breathing heavily, eyes full of terror.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I assured him, putting my arms up to display peace and the fact that I was unarmed.

He visibly gulped and tilted his head to the side. "You're not with the other one?"

I stood at attention. "The other wh—"

A familiar shriek interrupted me.

Lilly.