Chapter 10
T he nearly finished painting stared back at me from the easel.
When I got home in the early hours of the morning, I’d gone straight to painting instead of going to bed.
Even on my days off, I usually kept my sleeping schedule the same so I didn’t get off track.
Last night was no different and even with the relaxation from the orgasm in the woods, I’d been wired.
The sunlight peeked through the shades as I cleaned my brushes at the kitchen sink.
My mind still couldn’t wrap itself around the creature and the experience in the woods.
I was no closer to figuring out what it was, but I was certainly more invested now.
I hadn’t had a release like that in years—maybe ever.
Sleep tugged at my mind as I got into bed and I wondered why I’d been so intrigued by the thing in the first place.
It wasn’t normal, and if I told anyone they would say I was crazy.
Even Jenna. Still, the creature and the orgasms it had given me were very real.
As I fell into a deep sleep, I still felt the coldness between my thighs.
“Jade, I’m sorry. Ashley is still sick, and Eli’s dad won’t come into town to help.” Ruby’s tired voice came through the other end of the phone. “Since he moved last year, he won’t help Ash out at all. He says it's too difficult to drive the two hours unless it's his time with Eli.”
I dropped my head in my hands and tried to not let frustration seep into my voice.
“It’s alright, Ruby. I understand the situation you’re in.
I’m just glad your daughter has you to take care of her and the kiddo when she’s sick.
” If I were the one who was sick, I wouldn’t have anyone to help except maybe Jenna so I was glad Ruby was there for her daughter.
“Thanks, Jade. I owe you so much for this week. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
The call ended and I rubbed my eyes. Busy was an understatement.
I’d had a few double shifts because of Ruby’s absence.
Our hotel was small enough for one front desk worker at night, but during the day we needed two.
Of course, no one else offered to pick up Ruby’s shifts.
As the most senior member of the staff and the fact that I had no obligations at home, meant I usually stepped in.
Typically unbothered by it and glad for the extra money, this time I was agitated.
I’d been so tired after work I went home every day and immediately fell into bed.
I missed my creature and I was hoping to stop by for a visit after work, but instead, I had to call around to find someone to cover Ruby’s shift.
If I couldn’t find anyone, I’d have to at least work through check outs.
Which was exactly what I did. When I walked into my house in the early afternoon the hair on the back of my neck stood on end as soon as I stepped inside. I looked around and found nothing out of place. I shrugged it off, showered and slid between the sheets of my bed.
Just as I closed my eyes, coldness settled on my skin.
When I cracked them back open and looked around the dark room and everything was as usual.
I pulled the blanket around my shoulders, turned over and drifted into a half-conscious state right before sleep.
As I was falling deeper into slumber, the voice I longed for whispered, come to me.
When I startled awake later it was dark. I looked at the clock and it was nearly time for my shift. Something fell off the nightstand as I fumbled for my phone, and unlocked it to a missed call and two texts. One text was from Jenna, but the call and the other text were from my boss, Gloria.
The text read, Hey, tried to call. Brian noticed how tired you were while you helped him through check outs. Go ahead and stay home tonight. I’ll cover your shift.
Suddenly, I was very awake as a current jolted through my body.
I sat up and typed a quick reply thanking Gloria for the cover.
She would step in to help as well when people called out, but usually I jumped at the extra shifts.
This time, I wasn’t going to argue. I let her take over, mainly because there was somewhere else I'd rather be.
I pulled into the church parking lot an hour later and shut off the car. When I opened the door, the cold seeped into the small Nissan with me.
That was odd.
The temperature didn’t usually drop until I was in the woods or the creature was near. It was never cold in the parking lot. As I walked toward the graveyard, the church loomed large on my left, almost as if it were judging me.
When I stepped through the gate, the breeze picked up and my brown hair fluttered around my ears.
Halfway through the cemetery, I stopped in my tracks, the cold spearing me like an arrow.
I looked back toward the parking lot to make sure no one was there.
My breath caught when I turned back around as my creature loomed in front of me.
We stared at each other as the wind blew around us. Surprisingly, the creature broke the silence first. “You stayed away for days. Did I scare you?” Its voice was filled with lust, but also what seemed like a hint of remorse.
I swallowed, unsure of the right answer. Did it want me to be scared?
“No. I had to cover some shifts for my coworker and I’ve been too tired to do anything else,” I said, deciding to be honest.
The creature tilted its concealed head, the hood fluttering with the movement. “Miss me, little flame?”
My cheeks heated and I dropped my gaze to the ground. I nodded, the slight movement almost undetectable.
The creature flew to me, wrapping its arms around my body and trapping me in its embrace. “I missed you too, and I’m going to make sure you don’t stay away that long ever again.”
A hand tilted my chin up to the opening of the hood and the creature’s tongue slid out to trace my lips.
It was like an ice cube on my skin, and its head dipped forward bringing the hood down around my face.
Frigid lips met mine and the kiss felt more urgent than what I remembered from last time.
Its tongue roamed every inch of my mouth and then entwined with my own.
When its mouth left mine and the hood pulled back, I whimpered at the loss of it. The creature released me and hovered back a few feet.
“Jade.”
I sucked in a breath at hearing my name in that cold voice. It was still very much androgynous but was higher this time like before.
“Jade, swear you won’t run.”
Despite the need to list all the reasons I wouldn’t, I only nodded. I didn’t know what was about to happen, but whatever was coming, I wasn’t going anywhere. “I’m not leaving,” I said into the crisp air.
The words settled between us and finally, the creature moved. It brought its hands up to either side of its hood, its sleeves falling away to reveal long gray hands. It slowly pushed the fabric back, and long dark hair spilled out around its shoulders as a gasp left my lips.
My creature was a woman.