Blood Red (14 page)

Vivi Anna

They haunted his dreams.

She had chopped off her hair. But it was still the same vibrant red. She had sprouted, too. She was taller than most women, and some men. She had developed into a vibrant woman. He gazed down at her body. Her shirt was still damp. He could clearly see her nipples through the white fabric. They were erect from the chill in the cabin.

He tore his gaze away and back on his supper. It would do no good to think about her like that. But he could still not quiet the lust for her. His cock had twitched the moment he set eyes on her outside the boarding house. She was a stunning creature. A sensual mixture of beauty and strength, like a tiger. A caged tiger.

* * *

Red finished the stew, licking the bowl clean. She needed all the energy she could get. She had no intentions on remaining a prisoner for long.

She looked up from her bowl and stared at Wolf.

He was spooning his food in, keeping his eyes trained on her. She wondered about him. Why was he keeping her prisoner? Surely, it would be wiser to just kill her. She was a liability while alive. He obviously had some sort of game planned for her. A deadly game of cat and mouse, possibly. She would be no mouse.

* * *

26

Blood Red

“Why are you keeping me?”

Wolf finished his stew and took the bowl to the sink. He came back to the sofa and sat back down on the edge. “I’ll tell you when you are willing to listen.”

“I am listening.”

He smiled. It was slow and easy and softened his hard face.

“No, you’re not. You will only hear what you want. I can see it in your eyes. Your hatred blinds and deafens you. Your only thought is of escape and…revenge.”

“You presume to know me so well.”

“I do know you. I’ve been watching you. Studying you. I know everything about you.”

Red smiled and cocked her head flirtatiously. “You don’t know everything.”

Wolf swallowed hard. He knew what she was doing. Knew her methods, but still it was difficult to resist her. She could charm the fur off a bear.

He stood. “Give me your bowl.”

She picked it up and stretched her hand out toward him. He reached toward her, careful not to get too close. He gripped the bowl’s edge.

Red tugged roughly. He was pulled forward. Red swung her leg out and struck him in the side. Wolf dropped the bowl and stumbled sideways. Red quickly reached over and untied the knot binding her hand to the headboard. She pulled her hand free.

She jumped off the bed and sprinted for the door.

Wolf recovered and reached for her. He grabbed her leg and pulled. Red fell forward onto the floor. Wolf came up behind her. She flipped over and kicked him 27