Chapter 2 #2
The forest opens up ahead of us, revealing the cleared space that's been my obsession for over a year.
Even knowing every detail of what I've created, the sight of it still takes my breath away.
The fog machines have done their work perfectly, creating thick, rolling clouds that transform the patch into something unreal.
The jack-o'-lanterns glow through the mist, their carved faces appearing and disappearing as the fog shifts and swirls around them.
It's perfect.
It's absolutely fucking perfect.
Like something from a dream. Or a nightmare .
I park the car at the edge of the clearing and cut the engine, savoring this moment before everything changes. Behind me, I can hear Seraphina's breathing shift to the sharp, quick pants of fear and disorientation.
My cock strains inside my pants, pushing to get out.
Fear first. Then confusion. Then gradually, slowly, the realization that this isn't actually about taking something from her.
It's about giving her everything she wants.
I take a moment to check my reflection in the rearview mirror, adjusting the blood-red devil mask that's been hanging there for the past hour.
It covers my eyes and nose but leaves my mouth exposed—perfect for tasting her when I catch her, and I want her to see exactly how much I'm enjoying this game we're about to play.
The mask was custom-made for this. Hand-crafted leather with metallic accents that will catch the jack-o'-lantern light perfectly.
Because every detail matters if this is going to be perfect.
For tonight, I'm truly a stranger to her. She won’t know who I am or why I’ve brought her here. Not until the end.
The grand finale.
I can feel my heart rate picking up as I prepare to get out of the car, adrenaline flooding my system. This is it. There’s no going back now.
She's going to love this.
She has to love this.
Because I've put everything I am into making this night perfect for her.
And if she doesn't... fuck , I don’t know what I’ll do.
I climb out of the car slowly, savoring the sound of my boots on gravel. Each step is a countdown to her awakening, to the moment when she realizes that her darkest fantasy has found her whether she was ready for it or not.
Fear is the ultimate aphrodisiac when you control every variable.
And she is safe. Safer than she's ever been in her life.
Because I would kill anyone who tried to hurt her.
I would burn down cities to keep her from harm.
But I'll also ensure she never escapes from what we're about to become.
I just have to break her a little… to help her understand.
The night air is cold but not painful, carrying the scent of woodsmoke from the fire pit I had installed at the center of the patch. The fog machines are working perfectly. Even the moon is cooperating—full and bright above the trees like a spotlight on our stage.
It’s coming together exactly as I envisioned.
I circle the car slowly, taking my time, letting her wonder what I'm doing out here in the darkness.
Through the windows, I can see her trying to feign unconsciousness, but her pulse is hammering visibly at her throat.
Even in the dim light, I can see the rapid flutter of her heartbeat, and it makes something possessive and primal rise in my chest.
She's mine.
She's always been mine, from the moment I first saw her.
Tonight I'm just going to make it official.
I check my watch one more time—10:52 PM.
The night is young, and I have so much planned for her.
The grand finale will elevate everything that came before.
But first, she needs to experience the fantasy fully.
She needs to run and be caught and pleasured and claimed by a stranger who wants her more than anything else in this world.
She needs to surrender completely.
My hand finds the small remote in my pocket—the one that controls the lighting at the patch center, the one that will transform our hunting ground when the moment is right.
When I reach her door, I pause with my hand on the handle. This is the last moment before everything changes. The last second of anticipation. After this, there's no going back.
I hope you're ready, baby.
I hope you're ready to discover what you're really capable of and how far you’ll fall into darkness.
I hope you're ready to be hunted by someone who's already decided you'll never get away.
I open the door and let the cool night air rush in, carrying with it the scent of my stage. The combination creates an atmosphere that's both familiar and otherworldly, natural and supernatural.
"It’s time to wake up, my night monster."
The nickname feels perfect on my tongue—she looks like a vampire princess in that skimpy little costume, all pale skin and dark lashes and blood-red lips. But tonight, I'm the predator. I'm the one who hunts.
I can see her trying to control her breathing, trying to maintain the illusion of unconsciousness, but her body betrays her completely. The rapid pulse, the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curl slightly even though she's trying to stay limp.
She's terrified.
And it makes my cock strain harder. Fuck. I need her.
"I know you're awake, beautiful. Your pulse is racing."
I reach out and press my fingers to her throat, feeling the frantic flutter of her heartbeat against my fingertips. I can feel how warm she is, how alive she is. The sensation sends heat straight to my fucking cock.
This is about fulfilling my darkest fantasies too.
"There's no point in pretending anymore. We have work to do, you and I."
She opens her eyes, and even in the darkness, I can see the mix of terror and confusion and something else—something that makes my blood sing with anticipation.
She's afraid, yes, but there's a part of her that's already responding to this.
Already awakening to possibilities she's never allowed herself to fully acknowledge, let alone explore.
There she is.
My beautiful, brilliant, completely irreplaceable night monster.
And she’s ready to play our game.
"Good girl," I murmur, and I don't miss the way her breath catches at the praise. "Let's get you out of there."
I lift her from the car with deliberate care, cradling her against my chest like she's made of glass. She's so perfectly sized to fit against me, so exactly right in my arms that it's like holding a missing piece of myself.
I wanted her to feel cherished even while she's been kidnapped.
As I carry her toward the pumpkin patch, I watch her face in the moonlight, memorizing every expression as she takes in the scene I've created for her. Her eyes go wide as she processes the magnitude of it.
This is her fantasy.
Her deepest desire.
Her most secret longings brought to life in a world we can actually inhabit.
"Welcome to your nightmare," I whisper against her ear. "I hope you're ready to play."
Because I've been ready for months.
I've been dreaming of this night since the moment you told me what you wanted.
I've been planning and building and creating, and now finally, finally it's time to show her how far I’m willing to go.
It’s time to hunt her through the world I built just for her.
To catch her and claim her and keep her forever.
Starting now .