"Craig! That's the only dress I have." I say, unable to hide my displeasure.
"I know. You'll wear my shirt when we go back," he says, and I can already feel my cheeks heating up as I imagine myself wearing his clothes.
I think I've been reading too many novels. Now I feel like I'm in one.
Craig smiled, and then, he captured my lips.
I snake my hands around Craig's neck. Part my lips as I begin to respond to the kiss.
The kiss was slow at first, his tongue intertwining with mine, claiming and exploring every nook and cranny.
His one hand moves to my bare waist, and the other to my breast as the kiss begins taking pace.
He was lying on top of me now, his weight pressing me into the mattress. Then he pinched my nipple.
My back arches from the sensation that jolts through me, traveling down my core. I feel the muscles there clench as my clit pulsates.
"Please… don't stop," I plead softly, my voice trembling with anticipation.
"I don't intend to. Mine." Craig whispers, his raspy voice sending a thrill through me.
He starts trailing feather-light kisses down my jawline, his lips warm and inciting.
When he reaches the delicate curve of my neck, just above my collarbone, he pauses, his breath hot against my skin. Then, he begins to lick the spot, his warm tongue gliding over my sensitive flesh, igniting a flurry of sensations that radiate through my body like electric waves.
I was a mess of sensations.
His fingers slipped into my panties, and he began stroking my pussy up and down, over my closed folds, then up.
But I wanted more.
I want his fingers between my folds to soothe the ache at my core and my throbbing clit.
I was overwhelmed, caught in a whirlwind of pleasure and longing, every touch intensifying the heat pooling within me.
"Please… please." I moan, my body trembling with an electric mix of desire and anticipation. The heat radiates from my skin, and every nerve feels heightened.
"Tell me what you want." Craig's voice cuts through the air like a velvet command, authoritative yet tantalizingly soft.
"I want your fingers inside me while you rub my clit, please…" I beg, my back arched as my hips thrust against Craig's hand repeatedly for more friction.
Then he slips a finger into my clenching core as his thumb begins to sensually rub my clit. My hands spread out, fisting the sheets tightly like a lifetime.
"Ahhh!" I cried from the pain of being penetrated for the first time.
"Please… don't stop!" I whimper when he begins moving his finger inside me as he increases the pace at which he rubs my clit.
"Oh, Craig…!" I moan when his finger inside me starts moving faster and deeper, my walls clenching around his finger each time it withdraws and thrusts back in.
Then he adds another finger just as he sinks his fangs into my neck. I yelp into his mouth, my body thrashing against him as an overwhelming wave of euphoria courses through me, electrifying every nerve ending.
He just marked me? The words echo in my mind, reverberating like distant thunder.
"You're officially ours," he says, his fangs stained with my blood, and he leans in, his warm tongue gliding over the bite mark, sealing his claim.
I should feel elated, because I've yearned for this moment, the moment Craig will stake his claim on me.
Yet the look in his eyes when he spoke those words feels hollow and rehearsed, as if he's reciting lines from a well-worn script.
Suddenly, I'm struck by an unsettling realization: all of Craig's behavior since the beginning has been rigid, devoid of sincerity or depth. His every action seems meticulously calculated.
Why am I noticing this now? Was I lovesick like Dad had said? Did Dad also notice?
"Craig, do you love me?" I ask, my voice trembling. Instantly, I feel him stiffen, his movements halting. He props himself up on his elbows, piercing me with an intense gaze that feels like a spotlight.
"Why that question?" His brow arches, suspicion swirling in those dark, unfathomable depths.
"I just want to hear you say it; it's been three years since the first time you told me," I reply, my heart pounding in my chest like a war drum.
He sits back on his knees, disbelief etched across his features, as he looks at me as if I've just leveled the most shocking accusation.
I also sit up, mirroring his expression, my pulse racing, scared of what his answer might be. But why do I feel this way?
"I can't believe you finally see it. I don't love you, Heidi. I never did." I heard him say something along those lines, but my mind was too paralyzed to comprehend because all my focus had shifted behind him to the fearsome silhouette emerging from the shadows.
His glowing red eyes.
"Craig… there's a…monster." I choke out, my voice barely a whisper, wide-eyed with horror. All the earlier ecstasy and doubts evaporate, replaced by a gut-wrenching terror.
And I know, without a doubt, that the beast approaching us—half human, half werewolf, with its upper body smeared with blood—has chosen me as its prey.
Craig might have noticed my terror as he followed my gaze, looking over his shoulder.
"What the—!" Craig starts to exclaim but is cut off when he's grabbed mid-curse and tossed away.
"Nooo!" I shriek, my voice breaking free from the grip of fear. But it was a grave mistake; the beast, momentarily distracted, redirected its bloodthirsty focus towards me.
"No. No. Stay away… stay away from me…!" I stammer, dragging backward on the mattress as the beast climbs onto the bed, its ferocious, predatory eyes locking onto me with insatiable hunger.
The bed creaks under his weight.
A hot tear rolled down my cheek as the beast stretched out a clawed hand towards my leg; I couldn't help but whimper in despair.
Then, Craig, transformed into Finn, charges at the beast from behind. My survival instincts kicked in, and I made a desperate beeline to escape the bed, but horror paralyzed me when I witnessed the beast slash open Finn's stomach with his claws.
"Finn!"
Thalia takes control; she reaches for the dagger and plunges it into the beast's back, just as he was about to slit Finn's neck with his claws.
The beast howls in pain, but Thalia is relentless; she repeats her actions. Seeing that, Finn kicks the beast away with his hind limbs, throwing him off.
But before I realize it, I'm knocked over along with the beast. Panic surges as I immediately try crawling away, but powerful claws seize me once more.
"No! Please, let me go…!" I cry out, struggling fiercely. Yet, the beast rises back to its feet without a sign of weakness, and I could see that Craig and I stand no chance against the beast in his injured state.
We need help.
But we are far from our border; sending a mind link is impossible. Craig needs to go and bring help. My thoughts raced.
I watch as Craig painfully pushes himself up, his hands gripping his wounded stomach.
In a swift, horrifying motion, the beast tosses me onto the bed like a mere toy, turning its lethal attention toward Craig.
I fought against the dizziness from the rough throw and jumped back to my feet. I jump. Instinctively wrapping my arms around the beast from behind.
"Go, Craig! Get help!" I urge him, my voice ringing with urgency.
"Okay," he immediately agrees, catching me off guard but I guess I could only trust him now.
"Go. Before it's too late for any of us!" I shout, desperate.
After those words left my lips, I bit down hard into the flesh of the beast, who was still moving toward Craig, feeling the warm, metallic taste of blood as I clung to its back.
Finally, his attention snapped to me. In an instant, I found myself hoisted into the air and unceremoniously thrown back onto the bed. Dazed, I blink, looking around, and Craig was nowhere in sight.
'Don't forget me, Craig. I love you.' I mutter inwardly, my heart heavy with dread as I grab the dagger lying nearby.
"I'd rather die than be raped by a savage beast!" I declare, my voice trembling but resolute as I aim the blade at my heart, intent on ending my own torment.
But before I could pierce my skin, the beast's powerful hand shot out, seizing the dagger from my grasp.
Thalia fights against the beast with every ounce of her strength, the blade biting into his palm, drawing out crimson droplets. Yet the beast remained unmoved.
"You want to die so badly? I'll show you what savage truly is!" he growls, a sinister grin that causes my heart to do a flip stretching across his face as he disdainfully flings the dagger away into the dark.
He seizes my legs, dragging me closer with an overwhelming force. In a swift, almost primal motion, he parts my legs, tearing my panties, enveloping me in an unsettling blend of fear and raw desire.
Then, without warning, he penetrates me.
A jarring sensation that blurs the line between pain and an unfamiliar thrill courses through me.
"Aaaahh!!" my piercing scream cuts through the woods.