chapter eight #2
Hands wrapped around my ankles and swiftly yanked me out into the open.
A scream of pain ripped from my throat before I whipped around, landing a hard blow across his head with the cast-iron poker. The strike was so blunt that his head snapped to the side, giving me a moment of recovery.
As I scrambled to my feet, a sharp crack came from my ankle, rolling it unpleasantly.
I let out another yelp as I was forced back to the ground.
His fingers dug into my leg, flipping me over onto my back as he dragged me across the wooden floor. The wood grated against my skin despite the silk robe.
“That was really good! I am so proud of you for taking the hit at least,” he mocked, lifting a boot on my chest to keep me down. The poker was ripped from my hands and tossed across the room.
My heart sank as it clamored against the floor, far away from my grasp.
As if my heart had not already labored from running, it was pounding under him now.
His black eyes watched me, burning into my own as my nails dug into his leg.
“I am going to kill you,” I breathed, hitting his leg. My chest heaved up and down as best it could, fighting to keep that steady rise and fall as I struggled underneath the weight of him.
“Are you done?”
“You can’t eat me. People will notice I’m gone and look for me,” I said breathlessly. “I won’t taste good. I’ve had long-term exposure to too many toxins. Look!” I pleaded, extending a hand with my fingers splayed to show the red skin from too many curious touches.
“Oh.” A smug grin crept onto his face. “Did you think I meant that literally? I guess in some sense it will be, but not the way you think.” He shook his head.
“Human meat is too stringy. It gets stuck in my teeth,” he said plainly, opening his mouth to point at two sets of long, thin canines on his upper jaw.
I blinked in confusion, attempting to rationalize the image I was seeing. I tried to lean up to get a closer look, but his boot still held me in place.
“Oh? Is that enough to convince the skeptic?” He laughed. His fangs were suddenly gone. He stepped back and picked me up.
“Wait—”
He ignored my plea as he sat on the chair in the corner, pulling me on top of him. His legs spread wide, forcing my own to open wider as I straddled his hips.
“I won fair and square.” He gave me a cocky look.
“How on earth could that have possibly been fair?” I snapped, but I had trouble keeping eye contact in my panicked state.
My mind was still flashing images of the fangs, the tongue, the eyes. Just as I thought I understood things, the less sense it actually made, at least not when I tried to map out the levels of classification for what possible species he could have branched off from.
“Don’t worry. As a reward for a truly valiant effort, I’ll make sure you enjoy it,” he purred in my ear. His hands slid up my hips and circled around my waist. His muscular stature made my body feel delicate in his grasp. One squeeze and my spine would snap.
A warm, wet heat trailed across my neck.
His split tongue slid over my skin and tickled my earlobe.
That all too familiar vocalization of clicks rang in my ear, though I didn’t know if that was a good or bad sign.
The noise was so complex when it was directly next to my ear, like two pitches harmonized together.
I shied away from his touches, dizzy from the adrenaline high wearing off.
He stayed close to my neck, exhaling against my skin.
I flinched, expecting a bite, but it never came.
Wait, was he…?
“ Stop! ” I pushed on his chest and leaned backward. The blood that rushed to my cheeks was probably noticeable even in the dimmed light. I pulled my robe tighter over my body, aware of my immodest position.
“What? I could be selfish if that’s what you like,” he suggested, his fingers digging into my sides.
I winced.
He was not going to let me go.
If I have no choice but to be close, then might as well take advantage.
I leaned in cautiously, letting my hands slide down his chest.
Despite my prior prejudices, a heart was beating somewhere in there.
It was impossibly fast. Counting the beats, I realized that it must have been around three hundred per minute.
That might have been thought impossible, but as of an hour ago, I found that my stalker had some peculiar adaptations.
It would have been more exciting if my discovery was not set on eating me.
As my hands crawled higher, I traced my finger hesitantly across his bottom lip, fearing he would bite.
“Open.” My lips hovered close as I moved my finger down to pull on his bottom lip.
He graciously complied, tracking every movement closely, like he was waiting to snap if I made any move that did not please him.
My index and middle fingers pushed past his lips, his tongue dancing around them.
The tongue split directly down the middle, producing two independently moving halves. They were flexible and coordinated as his tongue moved along my fingers. He let out a low groan as he sucked on them.
With haste, I hooked my fingers downward, forcing his jaw open.
“Where do you hide them?” I demanded, tilting my head to the side to get a better look. My other hand joined to push his head back.
The Creature pulled back and grabbed both of my wrists.
“What in God’s name are you doing?” A look of genuine shock cut through his charade.
“Don’t bring him into this. Show me where you hide your teeth. You can’t just show me something like that and expect me not to ask questions.” I pulled my wrists from his grip. “You promised me answers the other day. You owe me.”
Now he was looking at me like I was the crazy one. His brows furrowed. “Fine, but no more fingers.”
He tilted his head back slightly and opened his mouth for me.
I would not mind him so much if he were always this obedient.
Both sets of fangs folded neatly against the roof of his mouth, similar to a snake.
He let them flex forward, flush against his canines, matching his human teeth seamlessly when pressed against them.
Two long pairs of perfectly deadly needles, though the outermost set was shorter and thicker.
He kept his eyes on me, waiting for my reaction.
“You have front and rear accessory fangs. Like some sort of cross between a Viperidae and Colubridae,” I rattled off excitedly, running my finger along the larger needle, not able to hide a smile as my mind raced from theory to theory. “Are there more of you?” I whispered curiously.
His expression was serious as he searched my face, looking for some hint of my behavior being a jest.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” My eyes shifted between his, analyzing him back.
A low growl vibrated in his chest.
What is it now?
He lost his cocky edge and was dangerously steady.
My breath hitched. I had not realized I was holding my breath—or maybe it was an anxiety attack. I averted my gaze awkwardly, not knowing if feeding my curiosity was the wisest course of action.
The silver halo of his irises studied me. It was like if I made a sudden movement, he would snatch me up and eat me, which was still not out of the realm of possibility. Knowing how much this man liked to hear himself talk, I knew that his silence was unnatural.
His hands moved from my hips and trailed up my waist. Leaning in, he breathed steadily against my neck, seeming to savor the proximity.
My hands pushed against his broad shoulders when his hands ventured too close to my breasts. My body was rigid with discomfort.
He was not letting go. Any struggle made him hold on tighter.
Why is my body so impossibly hot?
“I can’t,” I said hoarsely, pulling away.
He grabbed the hair at the back of my head, tugging it back to expose my neck.
I was a trembling, flustered mess in his arms, both from fear and shame, but mostly from shame.
My body shook from nerves that left my body more depleted than before. To my surprise, he did not bite me with those terrifying displays of teeth, but he deliberately sucked at my skin like he was trying to relish it before he got a taste.
He left a soft kiss on my pulsing artery, so gentle that I may have even mistaken him for a lover.
Then, the warmth of his contact traveled down to my breasts, leaning me forward again as his grip on my hair tightened.
A predatory rumble could be heard as he nipped and sucked on the sensitive skin, moving the fabric of my robe away as he worked.
He pinched my nipple between his teeth, and I took in a sharp breath.
A sound that could be interpreted as a deep purr came from him.
It made the tightness in the pit of my stomach knot eagerly.
Are those sounds for me or because of me?
His other hand trailed along my abdomen, working his way lower.
“No!” I snapped, and my hand shot out, digging my nails into the wound on his shoulder.
Not even a flinch became of my desperate clawing. His brow arched at me amusingly, as he leaned up and trailed his tongue up the side of my breast.
I bit my lip, but he gave me no time to think before he sucked, leaving marks as he worked his way to my collarbone. I squirmed in his arms as his hands and mouth explored me, leaving rough marks on my pale flesh.
His possessive touch made me feel ways I was ashamed to admit.
Pinches and bites were left all over my torso as he left mark after mark, his sick way of leaving his claim on his catch.
He touched wherever he could, poking and prodding to find what made me twitch, though he did not attempt to touch lower again.
It was like he was saving the best for last.
A tightness burned in my core. It could be the leftover thrill from thinking I was going to die or because a creature so deadly was deciding that he would rather play with me than eat me.
I was flattered, to say the least. I did not believe in heaven, but knew I would not be heading there with the ideas crossing my mind.
I was wondering when he would just end it, just sink those teeth into my jugular and end my suffering here.
“Where did you go?” he whispered into the crook of my neck. “You drifted somewhere. I could feel it.”
“ Hell ,” I answered honestly, my eyes having difficulty staying open.
That earned me an endearing laugh. “Fair enough.” He sighed, leaving kisses along my jaw, nipping at my skin, and sucking hard high on my neck.
I did not remember what happened next, because my body was then surrounded by darkness, succumbing to exhaustion.