Ensnared

Chapter Fifteen

They stared at one another for what seemed like forever.

She, standing above him in her wounded and disheveled state; her body vulnerable and practically on display for his viewing from what little the remains of her clothing covered as she remained puffed out, the adrenaline still heavy in her veins.

He-although no longer curled into himself from the shock and sudden assault of torment-remained seated on the floor as he looked down and gingerly touched the bloodied patch of his neck where her teeth had made their imprint.

She had bit him.

Almost as if in a trance-his eyes now clear with no sign of the wild lurking within them-he locked gazes with her once again with a look of astonishment.

She had marked him.

The beast had receded back into the depths of his inner being without a fight the moment the little spitfire sunk her pearly whites into the flesh of his neck; without a doubt laying claim to him just as he had done her. 

No repercussions.

No anger.

Only contentment upon the return of affection traditionally practiced amongst his kind.

"You.. returned my mark." his tenor was deep and filled with awe while his eyes took in her appearance from head to toe.. the rose tinged cloud that had befallen him slowly lifting as he truly saw her.

Her hair was a mess, eyes red and puffy from the tears previously shed.. and her body clawed as if she had been jumped by a rabid animal.

"Oh, Goddess.." he whispered to himself in shock, his gaze taking in the little details now.

The way she held herself as if she were ready to defend herself, her knuckles bone white with a slight shake to her hands.. and how the blood slowly dripped from her body and onto the carpet at her feet.

Her blood.

"I am not an obedient toy, Ryder." she tried to keep her voice strong, but it wavered slightly with the adrenaline slowly fading from her body.

He slowly rose from the floor, his hands outstretched to reach for his injured mate.. only to be denied by the flash of fear glinting across her eyes as she shakily took a step back.

"Do not touch me." his little female lifted her upper lip in a show of teeth; hardly intimidating on a human, but the fact that he had pushed her.. had backed her into a corner..

Dear Goddess.. the things he did.

The realization had him backing down with his palms held out towards her to show he meant no harm.. a lot of good it did.

The adrenaline was gone now, and obviously so by the way her body began to tremble and sway as her hands began to blindly grope at the wall behind her in search of something sturdy to help keep her upright.

"..Mate?" he remained where he was, palms still shown upright with his worried gaze on her now shuddering frame..

Though that worried look turned to horror the moment her back made contact with the wall, a solid thud resounding throughout the otherwise silent room as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and her battered body slumped to the floor..

A trail of blood legging its way after her on the wall.

"..Mate..?" his heart began to palpitate as his palms grew clammy.

The wild began to stir, the placid beast peeking through the skin's eyes to observe the source of their increased stress levels.. only to become damn near unruly within a heartbeat's notice.

Instinct clawed violently within him the instant he dove for his unconcious female, careful as not to harm her anymore than he already had with his nails shifting to and fro from nails to claws, and back again.

"Riona!"

 An insistant tug-o-war between Skin and Fur warring within him as he fought the change.. but he vowed to endure as he raced from his home with her tucked firmly against his chest.

She couldn't die.

She just couldn't.

By the Moon, what kind of monster was he?