Chapter Ten
The forest looks daunting and eerie, but I can’t help but feel drawn to it.
I think about Ryder’s body on mine again, its hard ridges and immovable muscle, and the butterflies return.
The forest is dark, and I stumble a little, steadying myself on a tree trunk.
I think about him practically nose to nose with me up against the tree.
His juicy lips taunting me. ‘Didn’t Mummy and Daddy warn you not to mess with the Moonkind? ’
I let out a gasp as his words play on my mouth and claw at my skin trying to get a hold of myself. It’s just the liquor that’s making me feel this way. The crack of a branch snaps me out of my thoughts, and my heart begins racing again.
“You came.” Ryder emerges from the shadows. My heart skips a beat, and my mouth goes dry.
“You didn’t really give me a choice,” I slur my words a little and gesture to the hoodie hanging off my arm.
“Are you drunk?” His jaw tenses as he steps closer to me.
“No!” I lie, trying to compose myself but stumble a little more. He looks like he’s staring into my soul.
“Don’t lie to me.” His stare is now somehow more intense.
“Fine. So what if I am?” I defend, trying to suppress the heat surging through my body. He walks towards me and plucks the hoodie out of my grasp.
“You clearly can’t handle your liquor.” His eyes look me up and down, and a slight smile tugs on his lips.
“How do you know what I can and can’t handle?” I sass back, raising my voice a little. “You know nothing about me.”
“I know that you can barely stand up straight.” He gestures as I rest against a nearby tree. “Didn’t think drinking was allowed at the prestigious Sun Sovereign?” he says, his words laced with sarcasm.
“Spare me the lecture. Like you’re so used to following the rules,” I slur. “You’re the one meeting me, a Sun, again. It’s forbidden, you know!”
I stare back at him with frustration; he has a stubborn grin on his face, which is agitating.
“I’m not the one watching strangers in the forest at night…. Stalker.”
He leans up against a tree and tugs at his silky black locks. I fight the urge to moan at the definition in his upper arms.
“Oh, please, why would I want to stalk someone like you?” I counter.
He leans in. “Because maybe the Sun boys just aren’t doing it for you.”
His breath hitches on mine, and my heart skips a beat or two. “Maybe the sweet little Sun girl wants a taste of darkness.” He drags his finger down my lip, and I fight the urge not to push him away.
“And how do I know you’re not craving something a little sweeter?
” I place my hand on his hard chest and feel the motion of his heart against my fingertips.
I try to resist the desire to claw my fingers into his chest and pull him closer to me.
My heart thumps in tandem with his. I wonder what his lips taste like.
He leans into my touch and brushes his lips over mine before pulling away.
“Because, believe it or not, I have better things to do than involve myself in any of your fucked-up Sun shit.”
His demeanour changes, and his eyes narrow on mine as he pulls away from me.
“Don’t you ever just lighten the fuck up?” I back away from him slightly and stumble again, which makes his smirk return.
“I’m a Moon. We don’t tend to do that.” His hand runs through his blue-black hair. “You know, you should be more careful of how you talk to me.” He takes a purposeful step closer towards me.
“Why? Because you’re a dick?” I scoff, masking my feelings of lust.
“Because I can kill you with the click of my fingers.” He flicks his forefinger to thumb and shadow hawks swarm around behind him. I take another step back as he steps towards me, and the hawks surround us. I take a shuddering breath. He still has a smirk plastered on his face.
“Not saying too much now, are you, Stalker?”
I cringe at the new nickname I have acquired. He steps in closer again, but I cannot step back. Hawks are swarming behind me. I feel his warm breath on my face, but I stand my ground.
“You think you scare me? Well, you don’t. I think I scare you.” I stare into his deep brown eyes, and a flutter arises in my stomach. Why does he make me feel like this?
He lets out a sarcastic chuckle as his eyes narrow in on me. “Why’s that stalker?”
“Because you couldn’t predict my moves last night.”
He pauses, and the hawks stand down. I watch as they disintegrate into thin air. He walks closer again, making me withdraw. I feel the rough bark of a pine tree against my back. Not again. He has me trapped.
“You really want to test that theory?” His eyebrow lifts, and he places his hand onto my chin, turning my head slightly. “What happened to your eye?”
I quiver at his touch and avert my gaze from his, fighting the lust racing through my veins.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” I sneer, shaking my head out of his hand.
“Who says I was worrying?” His hand brushes past my neck and my body tenses.
“Thought you didn’t care about my Sun shit,” I say, and a shiver runs down my spine from the cool midnight breeze that hits my back.
“I don’t.” He steps back and his stare falls on my breasts. “You never do dress for the weather, do you?” His eyes work their way back up to mine and I feel exposed.
“Well, I did have a jumper,” I say, motioning to his hoodie and covering my breasts with my arms.
“You weren’t wearing it though,” he observes, his mouth curving upwards.
That smile. If he weren’t Moon, I would jump his bones right now. I shake off the feeling. I think back to the dorm advice. I need to get away from all this testosterone before I do something I might regret.
“Look. I don’t have time for this. I’ve got to get back to River and the rest of the party. They’ll be wondering where I went.” I fidget with my hands and begin edging away from the tree.
“River. You’re hanging out with a dork named River?” He chuckles, placing his head in his hands.
“He’s not a dork!” I say defensively. “He’s actually nice to me, unlike some people.” I make an effort to appear agitated and look him directly in the eye.
He laughs before turning serious and staring back at me so intensely that it makes me gulp.
“Nice won’t get you anywhere in this life. Nice gets you killed. Sooner or later you’ll realise that.” His words are harsh. Why is he giving me advice? Am I supposed to appreciate this?
“Well, I happen to like nice,” I counter, though in my bones I know that River doesn’t make me feel like he does.
“If you like nice so much, why are you dreaming about me?”
His jaw muscles tense under the moonlight.
Is this jealousy? His eyes meet mine, and everything falls silent for a second.
He comes in closer, staring down at me, and I look up, my heart racing so fast I fear it might beat out of my chest. I try to pull my eyes away from his, but they have other plans.
I drink up every little detail. His hand stretches out beside me and rests on the bark by my head like it did last night.
I trail my fingertips up his body, tracing every ridge of his abs and stop on his left peck.
I feel his heart thumping against my palm.
Each pulse is an invite into him, my heart cries out for just a taste of him, the forbidden fruit.
His hand brushes against the skin on my neck, making a small gasp escape my lips; my thighs grow hot with temptation.
A crow squawks in the distance, breaking me from the seduction he has me under and I push at his chest, breathing heavily, but he doesn’t move much.
“I don’t even know why I’m having this conversation with you. You told me to bring the hoodie, and I brought it. No funny business, remember?” I try to slow my heart rate down and look anywhere but at his person.
“That was before you showed up drunk and looking like a hooker,” he spits, whilst looking me up and down, pinging the strap of my bra with his fingers.
“Asshole.” I push him and begin walking away, though my sexual desire still craves his touch.
“Wait.” The desperation in his voice forces me to stop in my tracks. “I did some digging. I wanted to tell you, but you’ve been acting all drunk and annoying.” He bridges the gap between us once again.
“Digging about what?” I question ignoring the sparks that fly when he is around me.
“You. You’re different, Asha.” His gaze softens. This man must be bipolar.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I start walking again. If I stay a minute longer, I won’t be able to control myself.
“I think you do.”
I want to turn around and ask him more questions, but I don’t. The desire inside me is growing and I need to distance myself from his warm, hot body.
“You know where to find me when you realise I’m right,” he calls after me.
I stumble back towards the castle, and I hear his footsteps trailing off into the depths of Moon Forest. My breaths ache for him, my lungs only wanting to breathe in his air.
I think about my mum and the man in the photo.
A cool shiver runs down my spine. Am I just like her?
Is it some sort of rite of passage for the women in this family to fall for a Moon? Or is this just the liquor talking?