BEASTLY ALLURE

●Strom & Earth.

THE CONTINUATION OF sky and forest.

.

.

Then to my eyes. His pupils dilated, and his jaw clenched as if he were holding back something impossible.

And for a moment, under the glow of the moonlight, he looked unreal.

Like something out of a dream.

Or a danger I didn't know how to name.

.

.

.

Then he blinked hard, shutting his eyes as if that would help him gain control.

He stepped back, fast, turning away from me, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

I let out a slow breath I didn't realize I'd been holding.

And just like that between the whirlwind of my thoughts and the quiet restraint in his touch. We arrived at his nest.

I hadn't even realized how far he'd carried me. One minute I was on the forest floor, and the next, we were high above the ground, nestled among the thick arms of a towering tree.

His nest was hidden cleverly camouflaged by dense green leaves, so well tucked away that anyone who wasn't paying close attention would walk right past it.

Muir's arms, still wrapped around me, slowly loosened as he stepped onto a wide, sturdy branch.

With the gentlest care, he set me down on the branch just outside the entrance of the nest.

One wrong step and I could trip, tumble, and become one with the forest floor below.

A few feet away, the ground looked like a blur of shadows and leaves. My fingers instinctively curled around a knotted root jutting from the bark, trying to ground myself.

I must've gone stiff tense enough that even Muir noticed.

"Relax," he said softly, the single word wrapping around me like a warm blanket.

And strangely... It helped.

Something in his tone made my shoulders drop just a little. Maybe it was the certainty in his voice. Or the way his eyes didn't leave mine until he saw me breathe again.

He didn't smirk or tease. He just... waited.

Waited for me to feel safe.

I took slow, careful steps like a cat walking on a narrow wall toward the entrance of Muir's nest. It looked small.

Narrow and low. Way too tight for someone to walk through comfortably.

How could a full-grown human fit through there? Even I wasn't sure I'd make it inside without crawling... and

Muir? He was huge. Tall, broad. How in the world did he fit?

I turned back to look at him, eyebrows raised in silent question.

He didn't say anything just gave me a small nod, urging me to go ahead.

With a sigh, I ducked my head, bent my knees a little, and slowly pushed myself through the tiny entrance.

but once I was through...

My jaw dropped.

Holy crap.