Page 30 of Enter if you Dare: Part One

I know I have nothing to worry about. Cave is so used to me now that if I were to come here at night, he would just stalk me and fuck me. It’s not a lot rougher than when he seeks me out.

Something crosses Valli’s face, then she turns and pushes into the corn, the stalks closing behind her. Noa looks back at me, his grin wide. I give him a nod, and he runs into the field behind her.

After taking a breath, I move along the outer row in silence. I wore my jacket tonight, one without my trinkets, and I know this field almost as well as Cave.

Valli is ahead, and her footsteps give her away. Behind her is Noa; he is talking, so there is no hiding for him. I am pretty sure he is doing it on purpose. His voice stops, and the cornfield falls silent. I pause and listen.

Cave is always actively hunting when someone or something comes into his cornfield. I stay still, knowing that he hunts using sound.

Noa shouts from somewhere to my left. “Oh no!” he calls out, and it’s clearly sarcasm. “I’m not the one you want—I’m just the sidekick.”

There is a thud, and the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the ground.

“He has my ankle. Valli, run! Save yourself! I’m going willingly. It will be a beautiful death!”

I roll my eyes at his dramatics; proclaiming his imminent demise is a little over the top. He may wake up covered in bruises, but something tells me he will wear them like badges of honor and show them off to everyone.

“I carry no lantern, yet I lead you in circles. I set no trap, yet you walk into me willingly. I am the thing that lives between knowing and not knowing. What am I?”

Noa’s response is muffled. “That is a trick riddle and you know it. Ouch! That’s going to leave a bruise—do it again. Do I get a safe word? Valli has one.”

Valli appears from between the stalks. Pulling up hard, she darts her hand out and catches the front of my jacket. “Cipher,” she pants. “Where is he?”

“Moving.”

She stares at me. “Which direction?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, no one ever does with Cave.”

She makes a small noise and pulls me by my jacket. I fall in step with her, and she keeps a hold of the material the entire way. We make it to the north edge when Cave steps out directly in front of us.

Cave doesn’t run; he doesn’t need to.

He simply appears, or at least it seems so. I swear even the dark fears him. With his corn sword at his side, his amber eyes find Valli first, then me.

She lifts her chin and stares him down.

He steps forward, reaching to wrap his hand around her thin neck, squeezing hard enough that I have no doubt in my mind he could snap it. Cave studies her, his head tilting, and his fingers tighten. Her hands come up to grip his wrist.

“Gift,” he utters as he releases her neck.

Cave picks her up around her middle and strides away. I follow behind, curious as to his purpose and what gift he is talking about. We clear the stalks and come out into the center of the field, and I chuckle. Noa is tied to Cave’s post, which explains the missing rope from my shed. His wrists are looped over the crossbeam, and he is completely naked. His zombie face paint is smudged, and his head whips toward where Cave is standing.

“There you are,” he says. “I thought I was going to miss the fun stuff. My left hand has gone to sleep, so can someone help me with that?” He looks to Valli now that Cave has put her down on her feet. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she says, her eyes running over his body, and let’s just say he is obviously happy to see her. I’m not one to care about the naked form, but even I can appreciate that Noa looks good naked. He may not be huge like Cave, but the guy is definitely sporting a six-pack.

“That’s the best chase I have ever been involved in, and I included the one time Vero ran me in here, and the night Brawley decided I was a training exercise,” Noa continues, while Valli stands there, her eyes widening and her mouth slightly open. “You okay?”

“Yes,” she says.

“Good.” He lifts his chin. “Come over here then.”

Cave steps back and Valli walks toward Noa. When she reaches him, she takes his face between her hands. “You are completely insane, you know that, right?”

“Maybe, but how many people can say they were dragged through a cornfield and stripped naked by a scarecrow?”

I look at the ground and then at the cornstalks. When I look back up, Cave has moved closer. He glances over at me, and when he’s within reaching distance, he holds out his hand and intertwines his fingers in mine.