The Monster Within - Book 1

Chapter 17

The next time I open my eyes the pain is gone. My chest swells with emotion as I realise I'm alive and still in one piece. But that happiness doesn't last long as my eyes drift across a room that I don't recognise. The walls are painted a dark, charcoal grey with matching curtains and bedding. The room is sparsely decorated and in desperate need of a feminine touch. I sit up in the bed, feeling the sheets slide down my naked body as I bring my hand up to cradle my thumping head. It takes a second for my brain to register the red smears clinging to my body and the bedding surrounding me. Then a scream forces its way out of my mouth as I realise its dried blood.

In a frantic state, I pull the sheets off my body, and throw myself out of the bed. I reach for the closest thing I can find to start wiping the blood from my body. I sob to myself as the black T-shirt in my hand has little effect on the dried substance stuck to my skin.

'Do you mind? That's not cheap.' A mans voice says from the bed next to where I was laying.

Another scream rips from me as I pull the black t-shirt up to my body to try and cover myself. I don't take my eyes off the man as he rolls over in the bed, turning towards me, showing me the red smeared across his face. I stand frozen in horror staring at the man who is almost a complete stranger to me. Then my flight instinct kicks in and I run for the closest door, locking myself in a rather extravagant looking bathroom. I hear his footsteps on the other side of the door, approaching. Quickly, I press my back against the it, in case he tries to force his way in here, but thankfully he doesn't. He just stops on the other side of the door, as if he's not sure what to say to me. My body slides down the wood until I drop to my knees on the floor, trying to rack my brain as to what happened. How did I end up here?

'You won't remember... Not right away anyway.' He tells me through the door.

'Is... Is this a dream?'

'No.'

'What happened? What did you do to me?' I practically cry, looking at the the red smears across my body.

'It'll come back to you. You're memory won't be great after the first few times.'

'What? Did you drug me?'

'No'

'What happened? Why am I covered in blood? Why am I naked in your bed? Did you... Did you touch me?'

'No.' He scoffs. 'Although you were making it pretty hard to say no to last night.'

'I don't remember last night.' I shout at him.

'Which is why I just tucked you up into bed. Call me old fashioned, but I'd like my future wife to remember our first time.'

I don't know why but that made my stomach do little summersaults. Despite being trapped in an unknown place with someone I had never really spoken to before, covering in blood, I liked the way he spoke. But that wasn't rational, right? This isn't what a sane person is supposed to be focusing on, giving the circumstances. So I pushed my feeling to the side, pretending I didn't feel them.

'Why should I believe you? I don't even know you. Why do you have  blood on your face? Why do I have blood on my body? What happened?' I question, asking the questions that should matter more.

'After you changed we went on a hunt and ate. Nothing more.'

'Changed?'

'Yes, under your first full moon, after I bite you last month?'

'What are you talking about?' I ask, confused. 'Why does no one around here make any sense?'

'You're a werewolf Cassandra. My wolf. My second.'