Her Dryad Dom (Beastly Falls)

Chapter 1 Aspen

W hen my parents said I needed to grow up and get a life, I didn't think this was what they envisioned. At thirty-two with no romantic aspects and no friends, I honestly didn't have time to do anything with my life other than work. When was the last time I took a drive along a winding road, flanked by lush greenery and towering trees? I couldn't remember. For the first time in years, I felt at peace. A sense of serenity enveloped me, even though I still hadn't found what I was looking for.

Without warning, a deafening sound shattered the tranquility. My heart leaped into my throat as my car jerked to the left, veering off the road. With a sickening crunch, it collided with a bank of trees. The impact knocked the air from my lungs, and I gasped for breath.

"Shit," I muttered, gripping the steering wheel to steady myself. The scent of burnt rubber filled my nostrils while smoke billowed out from under the crumpled hood. How had I managed to crash when everything had been so calm just moments before?

"Damn it all!" I slammed my palm against the dashboard, frustration boiling over. So much for serenity. Despite the chaos around me, that inexplicable sense of reassurance remained, like an anchor keeping me grounded. But why? Why did I feel this way when I knew nothing about this place or the mysterious town of Beastly Falls?

I was trying to find a place somehow impossible to contact despite being on every map. It was the focus on a particular client of my firm. They sought to steal the land from the proper owners. Hell, I couldn't even prove the town still existed. Without someone appearing to show the town in fact existed, the land would be seized. I'd tried everything to prevent the seizure of the land, but so far was unable to prove anything. Showing up was my last resort.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and stepped out of the wreckage, my legs trembling. Smoke continued to pour from the engine, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. After all, this car had been my reliable companion throughout my journey of becoming a lawyer, and now it lay mangled and broken. It felt like a sign... but of what, I wasn't sure.

"Great, just great," I muttered, surveying the damage. The front end was a twisted mess of metal and glass. Hell, it didn't technically exist anymore. The two trees inside what used to be my front end had taken care of that. It wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Looks like I'm on foot from here," I sighed, resigned to my fate. I still had no idea where Beastly Falls actually was. According to the map, it should be nearby.

And as I stood there, amidst the wreckage and growing despair of failure, I felt a strange kinship with this place – an inexplicable connection that whispered promises of secrets waiting to be uncovered. But for now, those secrets would have to wait.

"First things first," I said, determination steeling my resolve. "I need to find help." And with that, I walked along the tree line to see if the curve down the road would reveal the town.

My heart ached with an unfamiliar yearning for something more than what my life had become – a sterile existence filled with endless contracts and ruthless negotiations. My personal morality and ethical code were worn thin, just as was my contentment with this life. But as the peace of the countryside threatened to lull me into a sense of complacency, I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that I was lying to myself.

"Fuck," I cursed under my breath as I fumbled with my useless cell phone, the screen taunting me with its lack of service. It seemed like everything was conspiring against me, from the car accident that left me stranded, to the mysterious disappearance of Beastly Falls from modern records. "How could today get any better?" I muttered sarcastically.

"Having trouble, are we?" A deep, gravelly voice echoed through the trees, causing me to jump and squeak in surprise.

"Who's there?" I demanded, my heart pounding in my chest. It felt like it had been an eternity since I'd encountered another living soul, and the sudden appearance of this stranger both terrified and excited me.

"Relax," the voice replied, a note of amusement coloring his words. "I'm not here to harm you."

"Then show yourself!" I snapped, my patience wearing thin. I was all too aware I was a woman alone in a remote area with no chance of rescue. Maybe this trip was a bad idea. I spun around, trying to make sure he wasn't walking up behind me when my foot caught in a bramble. Before I knew what was happening, the world tilted and the ground came rushing up at my face.

"Fine, fine," he chuckled.

I realized I never hit the ground. No, tree branches had wrapped around my body and stopped my fall. Carefully, I turned around in the embrace and looked up at a tall, imposing figure.

At first glance, he looked human—or at least, human enough to make me hesitate. Then my eyes adjusted, and the details came into focus. The man, if I could call him that, was like something carved from the heart of a forest. His skin was smooth yet textured, the deep brown of aged oak, with faint grain patterns that seemed to shift when he moved. In the sunlight filtering through the canopy, I caught glimpses of amber undertones, like sap trapped beneath bark.

But it was his eyes that stopped me cold. They were the green of fresh spring leaves, brighter and more alive than anything I’d ever seen. They glowed faintly, like the way sunlight pierced through trees at dusk. When they locked onto mine, I felt as though the forest itself was staring at me. There was a weight to his gaze, ancient and watchful, like he could see past my skin and straight into my thoughts.

There was an undeniable air of authority about him that made my knees weak. He clearly wasn't human... but my body didn't seem to care. It melted from his gaze, turning into a puddle of warm fuzzies as I wanted to ask for more of his attention.

"Who... who are you?" I stammered, struggling to maintain my composure. Even in the rays of light, there was something magnetic about his presence that drew me in.

"Dominik, but you can call me Dom," he said with a grin, his voice sending shivers down my spine. "And you are?"

"Uh, Aspen," I replied, swallowing hard. "Aspen Larkspur." And like that all the confidence and smoothness I usually displayed disappeared, leaving me a babbling mess.

"Ah, beautiful and rather ironic name," he mused, continuing to hold me to his chest... Was it a chest on a tree-man? Maybe it was a trunk? Either way, if he kept looking at me like that, I would never be able to speak clearly. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Business," I answered curtly, unable to jumpstart my brain. "My car broke down, and now I'm stuck out here with no phone service."

"Sounds like quite a predicament," Dom said, feigning sympathy. "But perhaps there's a reason for it."

"Like what?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes at his cryptic words.

"Maybe fate has other plans for you, Aspen Larkspur," he suggested, his gaze boring into mine as the air around us seemed to crackle with unspoken desire.

"Or maybe I'm just having a really shitty day," I retorted, fighting the urge to lean closer to him.

"Perhaps," he agreed, but the wicked gleam in his eyes told me he knew more than he was letting on. "Either way, I'm here to help."

"Help?" I asked skeptically, struggling to reconcile my growing attraction to this stranger with the fear that gnawed at the edges of my thoughts.

"Of course," he purred, leaning in closer and causing me to involuntarily shudder. "After all, we wouldn't want our dear visitor to be stranded all alone in the dark, would we?"

"Fine," I conceded, my voice barely above a whisper as I stared up at him. "But don't think for a second that this changes anything."

"Wouldn't dream of it, sweetheart," he replied, his lips curling into a predatory smile that made my heart race with equal parts excitement and trepidation. "Now, let's get you back on your feet."

I slid out of his wooden grasp, shocked at how easily the branch limbs changed as he moved. I looked him over, then, taking a deep breath, I decided to ignore the strange man for a moment.

First, I needed to retrieve my belongings, then I could figure this creature out. I walked around my car, heading toward the back seat where my backpack lay, filled with legal documents and my laptop. As I reached out to grab it, my body suddenly jolted back as if I had hit an invisible wall. Pain exploded in my cheek, and I cursed loudly.

"Son of a bitch!" I spat, rubbing my throbbing face as I stared at the empty space before me.

What the hell was going on? I reached out, and sure enough, pain exploded in my fingers as they bounced off some invisible wall.

"Everything about this goddamn trip is cursed," I muttered darkly, glancing back at the mysterious stranger who called himself Dom. He watched me intently, his eyes hooded and unreadable. My frustration grew, fueled by the knowledge that I'd been sent on a wild goose chase by a client who seemed hell-bent on acquiring a piece of land known as Beastly Falls—land that, as far as I could tell, didn't even exist.

"Having trouble, sweetheart?" Dom drawled, leaning against a tree with a smug grin on his face.

"Shut up," I snapped, my cheeks flushing with anger and embarrassment. I tried again to reach my backpack, but the invisible barrier remained, just as solid as before. Panic began to well up inside me as I realized that not only was I stranded in the middle of nowhere, but I couldn't even access my own belongings.

"Relax, Aspen," Dom said, his voice low and soothing. "You can't go through the barrier, so might as well stop hurting yourself."

"Or maybe you could help me? For all I know, you're part of the reason I'm stuck here in the first place!" I accused, though I had no idea if that was true or not. Despite the fear and frustration coursing through me, I couldn't deny the magnetic pull I felt toward this enigmatic creature. A dangerous attraction that made me half-want to throw caution to the wind and submit to his every whim.

"Maybe so," he replied, stepping closer, his eyes dark and intense. "But you need me, whether you like it or not."

"Fine," I conceded through gritted teeth. "Help me get my stuff, and then we'll talk."

"It doesn't work like that." His head tilted as he watched my facial expressions. "You haven't even asked me what I am. You don't seem put off at all by me."

I rolled my eyes at him. "You must be one of those monster creatures I've heard of on the news. They just passed a new law that gives you the same rights as humans, so why would I be put off by you? Though, I can't quite figure out what flavor of monster you are."

"I'm a dryad." He reached his hand up and branches grew from his fingers until a small treetop blocked my gaze from the sun's rays.

My brain raced to pull information together and reconcile it with his words. "A tree spirit... but I thought nymphs were female."

"Historians love to make history sexier. Half naked tree women frolicking around in the woods is far more alluring than grumpy tree men."

"You're not very grumpy."

Dom snorted. "You caught me unaware. Besides, sweetheart, I'm sure you'll put me right back in my normal grumpy mood soon."

"Yeah, I think I have that covered for the both of us."