TESS ran, her ankle throbbing. Her feet ached and were now bleeding despite her attempt to wrap them with what once were the sleeves of her blouse. She had no idea where she was headed. The sky had clouded up again, bulging gray and ready to burst. Twice she had come to a ledge overlooking water. If only she had learned to swim, she wouldn’t have cared how far away the other side appeared to be. Why couldn’t she escape this prison of trees and steep ridges?

She had spent the morning eating wild strawberries. Then she drank from the muddy bank of the river, not caring what algae she also sipped. Her reflection had frightened her at first. The tangled hair, the shredded clothes, the scratches and cuts made her look like a madwoman. But wasn’t that exactly what she had been reduced to?

She couldn’t be sure how much time had gone by while she cringed in the hole. She had cried and rocked, hugging herself with her forehead pressed against the wall of dirt. Then she had felt a presence, something rustling above at the ledge of the hole. She had expected to look up and see him, perched and ready to jump down on her. She hadn’t cared. She’d wanted it to end. But it hadn’t been the madman, or a predator. Instead, it had been a deer curiously staring down at her. And Tess had wondered how something so lovely and innocent could exist on this devil’s island.

That was when she’d pulled herself together, when she’d decided that she would not die, not here. She had covered her temporary companion as best she could with branches from a pine tree, the soft needles like a blanket on the battered gray skin. And then she’d crawled out into the open. However, there had been no relief in leaving. Now, after running and walking for miles, she felt farther away from safety than she had felt inside that musty grave.

Suddenly she saw something white up on the ridge. She climbed with new energy, pulling herself up with roots, ignoring the cuts in her palms that she hadn’t noticed before. Finally on level ground again, she was gasping for air, but she had a better view. Hidden by pine trees was a huge white, wooden-frame house.

Tess’s pulse quickened. An incredible wave of relief swept over her as she noticed a wisp of smoke coming from the chimney. She could even smell the wood from the fire. Along the house, daffodils and tulips were in full bloom. She felt like Little Red Riding Hood finding her way through the woods to her grandmother’s warm and inviting house. Then she realized the analogy might prove more real than fantasy. An alarm seemed to go off in her head. Panic raced through her veins. She turned to run and slammed right into him. He gripped her wrists and smiled down at her, looking exactly like a wolf.

“I was looking for you, Tess,” he said calmly while she twisted against his strength. “I’m so glad you found your way.”