37. Monsters in The Dark
Monsters in The Dark
SARAFINA
A shrill scream erupted in the distance, and I sucked in a sharp breath, jerking toward the sound. Relief flooded me when muted laughter quickly followed, but my skin still prickled with unease.
You’re fine.
The soft hum and chirp of bugs filled the air around me. Minutes stretched long, and dead ends grew even more frustrating as I tried to push down the panic that had sunk its teeth deeper into me with every wrong turn.
With mud squelching under my caked tennis shoes, I started down the next tall row of corn, hating the darkness that suffocated me from all sides as I very unsuccessfully tried to navigate my way out of the maze.
I told myself my mind was playing tricks on me, but ominous shadows seemed to move within the dense walls of corn, seemed to keep pace with me.
When I reached the end of the row, my stomach dropped, realizing the path split in three different directions. Again .
There was a strong chance I’d been going in circles for quite a while now, and I’d had just about enough of that. I quickly tied several corn husks together and placed the large, recognizable knot at the entrance of one path before starting down it .
I pulled out my phone and turned on the flashlight, not caring about the rules as I hurried down the row to see if I made a loop back to my marker.
Cold mud splattered up the back of my bare legs, and I desperately wished I’d changed into leggings, but of course, the outfit had been my priority.
Well, actually, the look on Carter’s face when he saw me in my leggy little dress had been the priority.
A twist of heat bloomed in my chest, making me smile as I recalled Carter’s quiet simmering outrage when Cade had taken me to the dance floor.
Jealous Carter was hot . Got me hot just thinking about it.
As fun as dancing with Cade had been, he’d only been a part of my cover.
There was, of course, only one person I had really wanted to dance with.
It was the guy who had fucked me into next week like it was a casual Tuesday night. The guy who had practically turned me inside out, using in his own words a cute little unicorn horn .
To put it delicately.
I rubbed my collarbone breathily as I turned his words over in my mind. He wanted to take it slow. I rolled my eyes. Please. I wanted to do anything but. I wanted to make up for lost time. I wanted?—
God, I was desperate for him. Whatever. It was what it was, and what it was— was all freaking consuming. But I’d always been like that about Carter, always been drawn to him. I couldn’t help it.
I shook my head, knowing Liam was going to be so upset when he found out; it’d feel like a betrayal to him. We’d have to figure out a way to tell him eventually, but Carter was right. We deserved a little time to figure this all out, just the two of us.
Plus, the sneaking around was kind of hot too.
Replaying last night’s shenanigans in my mind, I clung to that little kernel of warmth as I turned down another tall row of corn, lost in my dirty little thoughts.
The way Carter’s eyes had tracked my every movement all night, what we’d almost gotten caught doing underneath the table.
Whew.
It wasn’t just the physical side though, the feeling of being wanted, desired, looked at in that way. It was ecstasy. I’d never felt anything like that in my life. Didn’t even realize the way other guys had looked at me had been so devoid of the devotion that was already so apparent with Carter.
Even the way Cade had looked at me, it was all lust and desire.
When Carter looked at me, there was hunger and desire there for sure, and thank God for that, but there was something soft, and protective too.
Like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to handle me like a precious, fragile artifact, or ruin me entirely.
The juxtaposition of it was utterly thrilling if I was being honest.
A quiet laugh bubbled up as the warmth of being wanted filled me, making me feel woozy and lightheaded.
It was like floating away into thin air and being crushed with the most powerful force all at once.
Sure, it had taken us a lifetime to finally get over the hump, but now, everything just felt so—being with Carter just felt different .
In every way. Exciting yes, but also calm, steady, right ?—
I screamed as something smashed into my face at mock speeds, followed by the disgusting sound of buzzing. I sputtered and spit, frantically trying to get the feeling off my mouth as I exploded into a windmill of flailing arms. The thing skittered over my face before finally flying away.
Grumbling, I smoothed out my hair, a little paranoid that the bug was still on me, and adjusted myself.
Stupid, fucking confusing corn maze. Why Sloane had been dying to do this, I had no idea.
The only thing worse than being alone in the dark was being alone and half-naked in the dark with gross bugs.
The worst cherry on top you could possibly ask for.
I turned the next corner, feeling more and more anxious by the minute. Was I anywhere close to getting out of here? I had to be. How many turns could there possibly be… in the city’s most notoriously complicated corn maze?
Shit.
I’d started this whole damned thing with Jules and Douglass, and when they’d started bickering, I’d tried to give them some privacy.
Which led to me making a turn too quickly, and before I’d even realized it, they were long gone.
I grimaced, knowing something had been going on between the two of them for a while now, and I honestly just wished that she’d cut him loo?—
Suddenly, I realized everything had gone eerily quiet… that it had been unnaturally quiet for some time.
My hair raised as I turned in all directions, shining my phone flashlight into the dense corn, as if I’d find something or someone lurking between the stalks.
I knew I was being ridiculous because— something rustled behind me . I whirled, the light revealing nothing as I twisted in all directions, breath shaking, heart pounding wildly in my ears. “Carter, is that you?” I swallowed hard as my voice came out alarmingly timid and quiet.
No response.
The corn rustled. “This isn’t funny.” I complained, unnerved by the panic lacing my voice as I tried to steady it. “Liam?”
No response.
I started to feel dizzy as adrenaline crashed through me, and I abandoned my plan, taking the first turn away from the noise.
I turned my phone light off and hurried down the long muddy path, looking over my shoulder before I rounded the next corner, slightly out of breath.
Forcing silent breaths in and out, I listened quietly, but everything was still eerily silent.
Quietly as I could, I continued onward, all the while feeling like the shadows in the corn were following me. Which was delusional. I knew that.
Finally, with bile rising in my throat, I stopped and stared into the dark row of corn, wondering if I was imagining things as a dark shadow seemed to stare right back. I lost my nerve, frantically fumbling for my flashlight again, but when I finally got it on—there was nothing there.
And then I heard the footsteps behind me.
My throat closed up as I turned in wild panic, horrified to find a terrifying face looming over me—I wished I were one of those girls who threw a punch, or did something to defend myself, but the only thing I could do was scream.
Even that took the longest second of my life to produce.
The mud gave way beneath me, and I was already falling backwards as the scream seemed to stick in my throat before finally cracking out of me with a thin screech.
“Boo.” Someone grabbed me by the waist, catching me before I fell into the mud.
“ Carter. ” I gasped after another long second, relief washing over me. “That’s not funny.” I complained shakily.
“Did I scare you?” He chuckled.
“No.” I gritted, all the while relishing in the protective warmth of his touch as he steadied me.
He blinked against the bright light in his eyes. “You mind aiming that thing somewhere else, scaredy cat?”
“I’m not sure I’m done blinding you yet,” I huffed before shakily tapping the light off, my stomach swirling with adrenaline and nausea. Stupid fucking corn maze.
It was hard to see as my eyes adjusted back to the dim light of the moon, but the darkness didn’t seem to matter as much anymore.
“Geez, you’re freezing, sweetheart.” Carter pulled me tighter against his hard body and rubbed my arms, trying to warm me up.
“Oh, you have no idea.” I wormed my arms up his chest with a sly grin and slid my icy hands against his bare neck.
He yelped. “Hey now.”
“You deserve it for scaring me like that.” I grumbled with a small smile while the buzz in my body morphed into something totally different.
A glimmering look flashed through his eyes and I think I felt it more than saw it in the darkness, “And you deserve all kinds of things that I can’t wait to give to you, pretty girl.
” Carter cupped my hands between his and blew hot air on them before kissing each of my palms, sending a strike of heat through my entire body. That was certainly one way to warm up.
“Was scaring me worth it?” I asked skeptically, already missing his warmth as he stepped away from me. “I would have wandered all night before I cut through all those creepy-crawlies to get out of here.” I involuntarily shivered with the heebie-jeebies.
Carter pulled his hoodie up over his head, and I shivered for an entirely different reason as I watched his shirt slide up, revealing his toned stomach. “What?” He asked, shaking out his hair in that adorable way he used to before he bunched up the collar of his hoodie.
“So help me, this better not have a single spider on it.” I complained, my voice muffled as he pulled the warm fleece over me.
“Why would it have spiders on it?” Carter said, while he adjusted the oversized hood around my face, looking amused.