She ran until the desert erased everything behind her.

The road.

The chapel.

Her name.

But it wasn’t enough.

Because whatever Boone had done…

Came with her.

By the time she reached the barn, she could barely stand.

Her body burned.

Her breath tore.

And something under her skin pulsed like it didn’t belong there.

Then she collapsed.

When she woke—

A man was above her.

Holding her down.

Knife inches from her ribs.

She didn’t scream.

Didn’t beg.

She just closed her eyes—

Waiting for it to be over.

Instead, he spoke.

Low. Controlled.

Focused.

“You’re going to hate me for this,” he said.

Then—

Pain.

Blinding.

Explosive.

And then—

Relief.

Something left her body.

She gasped.

The man stepped back.

And for the first time, she saw it.

A tiny metal object.

Bloody.

Numbered.

Not natural.

Not an accident.

Not a wound.

A marker.

She looked at him, shaking.

“What… did he do to me?”

The man didn’t hesitate.

“He didn’t marry you,” he said.

“He marked you.”

And suddenly—

The desert didn’t feel empty anymore.

It felt like a hunting ground.