Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ELLIOT
I love Litchfort, Michigan. It has become more than a base for me.
It is home, but I never thought I’d see the day I would miss being in Litchfort.
When I left a few days before to help prepare for the ball, I thought the uneasy gut reaction to my every step away was because I didn’t want to leave my home.
Until the first day of the ball, when I noticed my gut reaction wasn’t because I was leaving my home, but because I didn’t want to leave Diora.
Not just because I was leaving her with the devil incarnate, but because I missed her presence.
I missed seeing her skin, the feel of her lips. I missed it. Craved it.
I got that same reaction dropping Diora off to her room last night. Walking steps away from the pull toward her was astonishing, and I couldn’t wait for morning again, just so I could see her.
I had to wait all damn day to see my Little Crane again. My hosting duties for the ball only contained helping out in preparations and doing the introduction speech so the rest of the weekend is all mine.
Or so I thought. I mindlessly forgot about the third guest to our party, Mother, who would want to be up my ass the entire fucking time I'm here. Like I’m twelve again instead of twenty-six.
I try not to set the damn woman off. I try to be peaceful, but the more I learn about the damn trafficking ring she runs and the more time I spend with Diora, the closer I get to saying fuck it.
We’re in the Musee De La Nature again. Mother, Diora, and I dressed much more casually than last night. I’m back in my khakis and t-shirt, Diora is in a short pink dress that barely covers her ass, and Mother is in a dress suit, without her usual tweed jacket.
We spend time at each event that runs the length of the day. A few hours at the ax throwing event and a few hours at the gambling event. Watching the clock, I pull Diora to me as I lean down to whisper in her ear. “We’re gonna leave her here.”
“Won’t she get pissed?” she asks, her deep brown eyes peering up at me as I slowly walk away from the gambling table where Mother sits.
“I’ve got something more exciting than watching her gamble all night,” I say and lead Diora to the prehistoric human section of the museum. This is where the hunting and stalking event will take place today.
“Oh, hunting? I’m not much of a hunter, Elliot,” she says, pulling on my arm to stop us, but I shake my head, a laugh escaping me.
“Good thing you’re the prey then,” I say, and a smile breaks along her face.
“Oh, is that so?” She laughs, too, and the sound strikes lightning in my heart. A sound I want to hear again and again from my Little Crane.
“Whether you decide to partner up amongst yourself or target one of our animals up here is up to you. We will release these animals, and whoever is decidedly prey, into the arena, and after fifteen minutes, the hunt will begin. Please keep in mind not to break any of the artwork within the museum and to stay in our arena,” our instructor, a professional in our field, says as her eyes light up with excitement.
I’m sure my eyes are lit, too. As are Diora’s. The hunt is an alluring mix of hot seduction for probably everyone here. It lights a fire under my skin. My Little Crane is going to be my little prey for the next hour and a half, and I can’t wait to trap her wings in my hands.
My hand grips her thigh as the instructor goes on. I should be paying attention to the lesson, but all I can comprehend is the thrum of my heartbeat in my ears and Diora’s jittery thigh under my hand.
Each workshop comes with a lesson in this classroom-looking room within the museum, and eventually, we’ll get to the application part of the workshop. It’s meant to be honing our skills, but all I think about is getting under her skin.
There are rows of desks fit for two people, like in science class, and my Little Crane sits with me.
She listens attentively, like the good little bird she is. She doesn’t take notes, but I see her mind running.
Too bad she won’t be using the knowledge she’s learning in this lesson today.
Today, she is my prey. My chance to get a taste of that delicately soft brown skin. A chance to chase my prize in a place she’ll feel safe. A place where I can test the waters and see how far she’ll let me go.
Diora Moss is but a crane, and I am her golden eagle. One of the few predators of the crane, the eagle is one of the few large birds that a crane would have trouble escaping.
Leaning down, I get a whiff of her jasmine and raspberry scent, inhaling as much as I can before I have to breathe again.
“You can sniff me all you want, but you won’t be able to track me by scent,” Diora says with a smirk. She doesn’t give me the pleasure of her eyes on me or her full attention, but I’ll take the smile that I can get.
“I don’t know, Little Crane, maybe I can, or maybe you wore this little pink number to help me find you.”
“If I realized that I’d be running, I wouldn’t have worn such a dress.”
“So, why did you?” I ask, turning to face my bird. “I think you wanted to be chased, whether in this workshop or throughout this museum. I think you wanted me salivating after you, Little Crane.”
“I guess you’ll never find out,” she says shortly.
“Oh, but I think I will,” I say, tightening my hand over her thigh. My pinky meets the edge of her dress and I move so my finger can glide over the skin of her thigh. This time, she breaks, a shiver running through her body, which makes her face furrow in confusion.
Maybe she’s as new to this as I am.
I’ve never gotten this close to another person. Not in this way. Not romantically. Which, yeah, means I'm a virgin, but I never needed, never craved a release like I do with Little Crane.
“Let’s head down to the Prehistoric Humans room, ladies and gentlemen,” the instructor says, as she moves to the back of the room where the rest of the museum is. We all follow suit, my hand finding Diora’s. Finding her pulse, I can feel her heart racing. She’s excited, my Little Crane. Good.
We walk to the Prehistoric Human room, which honestly looks like a forest encapsulated within four walls. Through the trees, we can see shadows of people that must be the statues of humans throughout time. The setup is perfect, with dim lights in the arena, even though it’s mid afternoon outside.
“Okay, the prey will get a three-minute head start,” the instructor says, and Diora lets go of my hand.
“Let’s make a bet,” she says, turning toward me. She is practically jumping in her sneakers, the smart Little Crane wearing walking shoes today.
“What do you want?”
“If I win, you take me on a kill with you.”
“No,” I say instantly. I know she can hold her own, but I don’t want… I can’t put her in any more danger than I already have. I shake my head as she jumps on her toes. “No.”
“You better not lose, then, Elliot. ‘Cause if you can’t catch me…” She leaves her sentence hanging as the bell for the prey to start running rings. She dashes toward the trees before I can get in another word. I smile as I watch her go.
Shit. This is gonna be fun.