Torment (Primal Progeny Book 1) Read Online Free

his sense of caution. Roughly he used one hand to push it onto the other and began moving his hands towards his face to get a better look at his prize. However the insect had other ideas. Flexing its belly it arched and drove its stinger into the tender flesh beneath its feet, causing Hunter to yowl in pain and flap his hands wildly. 
     
    The sudden motion very nearly dislodged the struggling striped body, but its stinger was firmly lodged beneath his skin and would not allow it freedom.
     
    Squealing loudly Hunter stepped backwards in an attempt to escape the tiny creature that was causing him pain; catching one foot on a creeping bramble tendril which edged out from under the bush behind him. Opening his mouth widely the little toddler issued a shrill scream as he fell backwards, his eyes screwed tight shut and tears tracking down his grubby cheeks. His rump made contact with the ground hard, landing square on the thorny vines of the bramble that had tripped him. Luckily his landing was padded slightly by the thick denim dungarees that his mother had dressed him in, though the spines of the plant still snagged deeply enough into his clothing to heighten the little boys fear. Though he did not make the connection at the time, he was lucky he had not thrown his hands back to steady his fall. He would not only have shredded his tender palms upon the thorns, but undoubtedly would also have driven the bumblebee’s sting deeper.  Luck did not cross the young boys mind however, a thick film of tears clouded his vision and no amount of hand flapping would dislodge his attacker. That was what was foremost in his mind.
     
    With a heavy, hitched intake of breath he did what came naturally… He cried. His high pitched, ear piercing baby screams rang through the trees loud and clear, cutting through the silence like a knife. Somewhere to his right the sound of footsteps was steadily growing louder and heavier. What had started as a calm approach rapidly becoming a panicked run. Distantly behind him he vaguely heard the frantic sound of his mothers voice calling his name, but Hunter had been firmly trapped in his sticky situation.  He could not tear his tear filled eyes away from the feebly struggling body of the bee upon his palm. He did not know its life was ebbing away, and was too scared to touch it with his other hand in case more pain resulted.
     
    Feeling utterly helpless his wails became steadily louder and more meaningful. He was stuck out there all by himself; he had been naughty and disobeyed his mother’s rules, he had a bee –
     
    His train of thought was cut abruptly short when a large pair of rough, calloused hands grabbed him beneath the arms and lifted him into the air. His crying ceased altogether, a small sound of shock replacing it for a moment before blind panic set in. Hunter screamed at the top of his lungs, throwing his arms and legs about wildly. Somebody had got him! He had gone into the woods like his mummy had told him not to and somebody was stealing him away. His chubby little face contorted and his cheeks grew more and more ruddy as his screams intensified. Not only did he have a bee stuck in his hand, but somebody was trying to snatch him up in the woods…!
     
    All of a sudden the hands shifted and spun him about in their steely grip; and through he sound of his own wailing he became aware of his name being spoken.
    Opening his eyes he struggled to focus on what was ahead of him, and blearily realized he was face to face with his father. His screaming stopped instantaneously, replaced by thick sobs and hitched breathing. His bottom lip quivered violently as he reached his good hand towards his daddy’s face.
     
    ‘Da – da – daddy?’  He tearfully pleaded with sad infant eyes for his father not to be angry with him for disobeying the rules.
     
    Bruce looked at his son closely, his deep brown eyes taking in his torn clothes and grubby cheeks; and last of all the still living bee stuck