Predator. Prey.

One Shot: Forever.

One Shot #13

Timeframe: 50 days after Chemical Wedding

The feeling of the soft bear skin rug beneath my half naked body eased my mind into a peaceful state as I gazed up at him, his grape soda in hand, swirling the ice around the glass as his piercing eyes burned into mine. Shirtless and sitting in one of his many gold thrones, his electric hair was disheveled and his ruby lips were smudged. I watched in awe as his tattooed chest rose and fell in tune with my heartbeat.

In sync: as we always have been.

As the comfortable silence created a layer of fog over my blurry pink vision, my mind wandered, peeking into corners of memories that had been buried so long ago. Flashes of people, places, and moments assaulted my memory, and I could do nothing but let the memories play out. And suddenly one became stuck on a loop, playing over and over as it sunk into my conscious mind:

"Say it."

"Wh-what?"

"Say. it."

My mind replayed the feeling of anticipation as he rolled his head slightly and grabbed the small of my back in a rushed motion, forcing me against his body. He growled lightly in front of my ear, repeating the words that haunted my mind:

'Say it.'

'Say it.'

'Say it.'

"I love you, J."

Once the memory played until it became glued to my mind, green and red lights flickered in front of my eyes, and then they disappeared: leaving me in blackness.

"What are you thinking about, baby?"

His voice halted the grey haze forming around my body as my eyebrows raised and my skin glowed in curiosity,

"How did you know?"

He cocked his head to the side, demanding me to continue. My voice was dripping in innocent wonderment,

"If I was always a part of your plan, how'd you know I would fall in love with you?"

I searched his face for an answer as he laughed slowly, his grin stretching to his ears. Licking his teeth, I drank in his every move as I sat up to watch him reach for his phone, resting on the edge of his seat. With my heart in my throat, and my question lingering in the air, he yanked off his phone's purple leather case, to reveal a pink, folded piece of paper that drifted to the floor. Curiosity tugged at me as his voice pierced the silence,

"Recognize that?"

A rose gold light flickered in the back of my head as I reached for the paper at his feet. Examining it in my pale hands, the light brightened as it searched for the memory pleading to poke through. I unfolded it slowly, revealing a paragraph of hand written words...words written by me.

02/09/10

I'm starting to believe I wasn't made for love. Alex is on her third boyfriend this year, and this time she said its "real." I've never seen her more radiant. And I'm happy, honestly. But all my peers and friends are getting engagement rings and talking about children, and yet here I am, going out five nights a week and unable to commit to even a one night stand.

What's wrong with me? Where did I go wrong? Why does nothing intrigue me, excite me, or even peak my interest? A part of me believes I wasn't created to know.

But that's the weird thing. I do want something, honestly. I want that feeling that everyone else has: the feeling that they're...happy. But happiness in this life is in stability: study-work-eat-birth-work-work-retire- die. It's a cycle people look forward to, but is that all there is? Is that...is that life? Because if so, I don't want to live it. I don't want monotony,

I desire the fire and the passion of unpredictable adventures. I need the unknown, the fear, and the adrenaline. I crave it. Regular romance and everyday lives utterly bore me. I don't just want love, I want passion. I want to be consumed, unlike any love has consumed before. I want to feel something, not just contentment, but rage, fury, danger, and bliss. Because that's life.

Life isn't paying bills and being safe: life isn't mortgages and cheap cars with used tires: life isn't the same love and the same job and the same chores. Life is fire: life is lust and passion and extremes; life is a consuming desire and making terrible choices. I don't want the life I have built for myself. Life was not made to be created, it was made to be destroyed.

Destruction is beautiful because you can feel it; destruction is inside your bones and it reminds you that you are human. And there's no denying it anymore. That is what I want. And that is what I will always want, and until I find it, I will remain this way. Always searching, always seeking.

Forever if I have to.

Tears pricked my eyes as I realized my hands were shaking, and my voice cracked,

"This is...this is from my diary, when I was in school."

Still unable to glance at his eyes, he leaned forward in his seat, his lips parted as his breathing grew heavier,

"You were waiting for me and you didn't even know it."

A small small formed on my face as I found the courage to look up at him,

"We were made for each other."

"No-no-no-no, baby."

With a sudden haste, he sat up from his chair and knelt in between my thighs, straddling me but barely touching my skin as he grazed his finger along my chin. His voice was low and dark,

"I created you for me."

His lips brushed along my jawline, and the contact caused my breath to hitch. I could hear the smile in his words,

"But I built you knowing I had the right tools to work with."

Still breathless, I allowed my fingers to graze up and down his arms as I admired his every word: it was as if he always knew everything he was going to say before he said it. I bit my lip,

"So you knew you'd make me happy."

His head swayed lightly as he let his answer roll of his tongue,

"Yes."

"But do I make you happy, Puddin'?"

As the words escaped my mouth, he abruptly froze in place. I could tell I had gone too far. I know how to play his games, and this wasn't one of them. I had ventured to a part of him he doesn't know how to express. Now all I can do is wait.

I watched a fire begin to burn inside his royal blue eyes as he swiftly grabbed my shoulders and pinned me against the rug, hovering over me as his pupils dilated in desire,

"You ignite me."

His head dropped as his lips crashed into mine with a tender force, and my hands immediately clutched his green hair and begged him to come closer, closer and closer to me until there was no space between us.

Fuck happiness. This life was beyond that. And for me, to hear him say "ignite", was almost as blissful as if he had said he loved me. Because that is what we both want. We both believe that there is more life in chaos and destruction than rules and monotony.

And our ignited love is the most alive fucking thing I've ever experienced. I want this, I was made for this, and I will always be waiting to fight for him, always.

Forever.

A. N.

So, this is the end, if you can't tell. "Predator. Prey." has been a crazy ride that I never expected to embark on. I remember uploading the first chapter, and wanting to delete it because I saw no future for this novel. And you guys have blown me away with your support, and it's because of you guys that I won the jarley fanfiction contest by JARLEYFANFICAWARDS    This final chapter is dedicated to them, because ultimately, this is beyond what I ever wanted for this book. You guys have been incredible, and I love you all. Thank you.