Red Thorns: A Dark New Adult Romance (Thorns Duet Book 1)

My blood roars in my ears as I stare at the dark forest and its trees that take the shape of the devil’s horns.

Sebastian remains unperturbed behind the steering wheel, the sharp edges of his face shadowed by the lack of light.

The darkness makes everything sinister and haunting, clawing shivers from my skin.

“What do you mean by get out?” I hate the way my voice cracks, lowering to a trembling edge.

Instead of answering me, he steps out of the vehicle and rounds it to my side, then yanks the door open.

My heart jolts at the same time as he grabs my elbow, his warmth like a knife about to stab me.

Bleed me.

Leave me for dead.

My nails dig into the seatbelt and I shake my head. There’s no way in hell I’m stepping one foot outside.

Oblivious to my reaction, Sebastian’s head peeks inside and I cease to breathe as the side of his body flattens against my chest while he undoes my seatbelt.

The razor-sharp edge of his touch slashes through me, figuratively cutting my clothes and sitting threateningly against my sensitive skin.

As soon as he releases me from the seatbelt, he pulls me out of the car. I stumble to my unsteady feet, hissing in a sharp breath as if I’ve been through a physical workout. He drags me toward the trees, even when I try to wiggle free from his hold.

The car is no longer visible, but its distant headlights cast a shadow on his face and the taut muscles of his body. That’s when he finally stops.

“What is this?” I regain some strength in my voice and use it as armor.

The unfamiliarity of the situation is a disadvantage, though, and I feel like grasping for solutions I already missed.

Sebastian tips his chin at the forest surrounding us from every side, at the tall, gruesome trees and the pitch-darkness that’s broken by the sliver of white light shining from the moon. But even that is interrupted by the height of the trees.

There’s still the car’s lights that cast a gruesome sheen on his face. Or maybe I’m only imagining that due to the way my pulse keeps skyrocketing.

This place is wrong. Utterly so.

He chose to stop in a deserted place I wouldn’t recognize even in daylight. The road isn’t visible from here, and only the distinctive sounds of owls and some hissing of night animals reverberate around us.

“Have you heard about Blackwood’s forest, Naomi?”

I cross my arms over my chest and suck in a sharp intake of air. I’m pretending to be all composed when I’m, in fact, on the verge of freaking out. This looks like an episode of my true crime podcasts.

Maybe Sebastian is a serial killer.

Serial rapist.

Serial creep.

Maybe he uses his looks and charm to lure girls, do all sort of fuckery to them, then kill and bury them in the forest where no one will find them.

Or maybe you watch too much true crime.

Clearing my throat, I choose to hold on to my fake calm. “Of course, I have. I’ve lived in this town for four years.”

“Then you must’ve heard about the numerous burial sites scattered around. They say our town doesn’t have a high crime rate, but maybe that’s because they were all hidden by influential people a long time ago. Maybe some of the disappearances reported to the police weren’t runaway cases after all.”

Okay. Now, I’m scared.

Scratch that. My survival mode kicks into full gear like when I was being followed by that van last night.

No one would talk about murder and crime in the middle of a dark forest unless violence is on their mind.

My knees knock against each other and my throat closes before I choke out, “Why are you bringing all of that up?”

“To put you in the mood.”

“In the mood for what?”

He uses his grip on my elbow to draw me close. So close that I’m drowned by the sheer presence of him and how easily he could squash me.

Did I find the mass of body difference attractive at my house? How could I, knowing he could’ve used it to erase me?

The hot tenor of his voice vibrates with his breath on the shell of my ear. “To run, Tsundere.”

“R-run?”

“Yes.” He releases me. “I won the bet and I want you to run.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think?” Despite the darkness taking refuge all around us, I can perceive the gleaming light in his tropical eyes.

They seem like a hunted island now, about to lure me to its shores and allow me no way out.

“So I can chase you.”

A craggy sound catches at the back of my throat and something strange sparkles in my chest.

Something I don’t want to know the name of.

I stare up at Sebastian and pause at how close he is, almost like he’s intending on tasting my words and breathing in my air. That is, if he already isn’t.

“I’m not playing.” My voice is weak, barely audible in the deafening aftermath of his declaration.

“Who said you have a choice? Either you play or I leave you here. The road is about a twenty-minute walk, so you’ll find your way…eventually.”

I bang a fist against his chest. “You can’t do that.”

“Why not, when you’re the one who’s bowing out of a bet you lost?”

“But why? Why would you do this?”

“Because it’s fun, and considering the way your breath hitched at the thought of being chased, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, too, baby.”

God. Is he that attuned to my body language? Well, I guess I’m focused on his as well, but at the moment, his face is a blank slate. I can’t get anything past the shadows scattered across it.

“Why didn’t you choose someone else who’s willing to play your sick games?”

Silence greets me and I can almost see the twist in his lips. “It has to be you.”

“We don’t know each other.”

“I proved that I know you, Tsundere, and it even pissed you off.”

“But…” I trail off when he raises a hand, indirectly shushing me.

“Time to run through the forest. If I catch you, I win another bet. If you manage to get back to the car first, you win. I’m going to give you a head start…ten, nine, eight…”

I step backward, my heart hammering at the intensifying gleam in his eyes. I have no doubt that he’ll leave me in the middle of this godforsaken forest if I don’t play along.

“Seven…six…”

I consider dashing past him and trying to find my way back to the car, but he’s standing there like the Grim Reaper, the low light casting an ominous, terrifying shadow on his face.

My foot catches on a small rock as I turn around and do as he says.

I run.

The deep tenor of his voice echoes after me, “Five…four…”

If it’s possible, my heart pounds faster as I disappear between the trees. I have no clue where the hell I’m going or if maybe he has some goons hiding up here, waiting to gang-rape me.

Wrong thought, Naomi. Super wrong.

I’m already terrified out of my mind. Adding those ominous scenarios doesn’t help one bit.

Sebastian’s voice fades, then disappears, which should mean I’m far enough away.

I hide behind a tree to catch my ragged breathing. If I return to the car, I’ll be able to end this whole thing.

Problem is, I’ve gone too deep into the forest and took several turns so that I have no idea how to find my way back.

A hissing sound comes from behind me and I don’t think as I break into another sprint. My hoodie sticks to my skin with sweat and my legs tremble, and I wish it was only due to exhaustion or fear. I really wish there wasn’t this morbid feeling wrapping its tight knuckles around my shivering heart.

A feeling so close to…excitement.

I should be thinking about the possibility of other predators lurking in the forest—whether in human or beast form. I should be disgusted with how, deep down, something inside me seems to be unchained.

But none of those emotions rise to the surface. None of them is as potent as the bubbling in my veins.

I widen my stride but try to keep my steps as hushed as possible against the crunching leaves and pebbles.

It’s as if a part of me has lost its shackles and I’m letting everything loose. A blinding wave of adrenaline tightens my muscles and I run so fast, the branches start to blur in my vision. Or maybe that’s because of the sweat trickling down my forehead.

The feeling of being chased in a pitch-black place with no hope of finding an escape is…strange.

On one hand, it’s exhilarating to have the power of running away.

On the other, the thought of being caught is completely terrifying but…takes my breath away, too.

Or maybe it’s more than breathtaking, depending on what happens afterward.

I take a detour and pause when I see a white light. The car’s headlights.

My pace picks up and I push through the branches with tightened fists. The light gets closer with each step until I’m smiling with triumph.

I can do this.

Only a short distance separates me from the Tesla. I can’t wait to stand there with a huge grin while I wait for that loser, Sebastian.

I’ll make him regret playing with me in the first place—

A shadow catches in my peripheral vision and I shriek as it charges toward me.

Sebastian.

I recognize his jacket, but I don’t wait to look at him as I dart away from him and continue my run.

My lungs scream due to the lack of oxygen and my heart rate picks up to an alarming level with every thud of his footsteps behind me.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The fact that he could catch me at any second, that he’s getting closer, douses me with equal parts fear and bubbling energy.

I think I’m going to throw up from the force of it.

The trees clear in front of me and I’m finally in direct view of the car. I’m near the point of collapsing, but I carry on, pushing my burning muscles to their limit.

Then a strong hand wraps around my hoodie and I squeal as I’m wrenched back. I lose my footing and fall down, my back hitting the solid ground.

I wince as my head bounces off the dirt, but my reaction soon freezes like the rest of me.

A dark shadow looms closer until Sebastian’s body hovers over mine. A sinister smirk curves the corners of his sinful lips. “Got you.”

I don’t think as I thrash and wiggle against his wall-like chest. The physique I’ve admired for years could easily be my demise right now. The remnants of my adrenaline-induced energy roar to the surface with a final wave.

Slamming my hands against his chest, I claw, then try to kick him, but he grabs my wrists, easily overpowering me.

If anything, he seems to find it amusing that I’m even fighting, judging by the growing smile on his lips.

There’s nothing fake about this one.

Nothing star-like.

Nothing for show.

Because right now? He’s not even attempting to hide his true self behind it.

He let it loose, allowing me to see what type of deviant he actually is.

One who gets off on chasing.

On catching me.

On making me helpless and at his mercy.

My harsh breathing echoes in the air as I squirm and hit, as I wiggle and arch my back.

“That’s it, Tsundere…keep fighting and clawing. It’s such a fucking turn-on.” As if to prove a point, he lowers himself so that a hard bulge presses against the soft flesh of my belly that’s exposed due to the struggle.

My eyes widen, but it’s not only from his reaction to the chase. It’s also due to the knot that slowly formed at the base of my stomach when I was being chased and has continued to grow while I’ve fought him.

Am I defective?

How could I…be this attuned to this sickness?

Just when I’m contemplating whether I should keep fighting and feed off Sebastian’s depraved side, he releases my wrists and eases off me.

For a second, I remain sprawled on the ground, bemused and shooing the remnants of disappointment scattered deep in my gut.

“Is it over?” My voice is choked, wrong.

“Nah. I won, remember?”

“So?”

“So you have to give me what I want.”

“And what do you want?” At this point, I only wish for this to be done so I can go home, curl up in bed, and have a conversation with my screwed-up head.

Sebastian reaches for the fly of his jeans and slowly undoes the button. “Your mouth on my dick.”