Burn Me Right

Chapter 54

Sun rays pierced the window, making the room bright and chasing away the darkness. The morning tiptoed into the room, casting a warm and gentle glow through the curtains. Soft beams of sunlight filtered through the fabric, painting intricate patterns on the walls and on the floor. The air was crisp, carrying the promise of a new day as it softly caressed the room's corners.

Two bodies were tangled under the sheets. Zyler woke up to the uneasiness in his mind. He looked to the side and saw Autumn snoring softly under his sheets. The sun shone behind her, making her look like orange dust. Raising his hand, he brought it close to her cheeks, and that's when he heard a loud snort. For a minute, he thought a wolf had gotten into his room. He placed his palm on his mouth to control his laughter. It was odd and funny. Unable to hold it on any longer, he let out a loud sound of continuous laughter that woke Autumn up.

"What happened?" she jolted awake, trying to understand why he was laughing.

"You snore like a wolf," he clutched his stomach and continued laughing. Autumn frowned and rolled her eyes.

"Sure, laugh at something so normal. I am sure you will laugh at me for breathing the wrong way next," she was offended as to why he was pointing out something humans did. Even babies snore. Zyler looked at her irritated face and pinned her to the bed in one lunge. Autumn shut her mouth and turned her face to the side.

"Aren't you turning bolder by the day?" He buried his face in her neck.

"I guess morning breath isn't a concept for you then?" she wouldn't back down. If he were going to tease her, she wouldn't be lying there and taking it. He sunk his teeth into her neck and sucked the skin hard.

"You seem to forget that I hunted you in the middle of the night," he reminded her of the incident she tried so hard to forget, which made her breath quicken. "That's right, just because I am being nice to you doesn't mean I am a nice man. I am still the same psycho stalker," he kissed the spot and moved down her body.

Pushing her shorts down, he placed a kiss on her hip bone. "So pretty," he mumbled. "People think they can steal things from me," he was so angry at Joel for keeping his mother away from him all these years. "But I am a monster," he moved to the other hip bone, biting it again, this time harder, and she hissed. Biting her lip, she controlled her raging breath. She had no idea why he flipped so suddenly. He was fine last night.

He moved up her body and stared into her glassy eyes. "Just because I consider your feelings doesn't mean you get to talk back to me," his gaze latched onto the teardrop that escaped her eyes. "I am a cruel man. I will not change," he was setting the record straight. Maybe he had gone softer in her presence. He could not let people take advantage of him. He cannot let people see him as someone running after a woman. It would be easier if she hated him. After all these years, he couldn't let his plan go into the sewer.

That is why he didn't tell her his mother was alive. The less she knows about his world, the better.

Last night's incident didn't sit well with him. What messed up his mind was how she asked him to stay with her and hugged him.

"I........" she was pissed off with him. How dare he do this to her? She blamed herself more than she accused him. She should've let him rot in that misery.

"Sh.." He silenced her. "Listen to me when I talk," he kissed her cheek. "Last night didn't happen. We didn't talk," he knew he was being toxic and a manipulative asshole. But that is what he is. That is how it should be. She looked at him with sad eyes. He saw pity in them. He hated it when people showed pity on him. "Don't pity me, Autumn," he didn't admit it, but he was worried that she would be one of those people who would pity him just because he had no parents and family or a sad past.