Shadow of the Beast (Twisted Dark #2)

Chapter Five: Night Terrors

The trees were towering over me, I had never thought they would be so big. Stories and pictures would only show you so much but this was beyond my imagining. I felt stupid and idiotic but they... scared me. I had never seen one in person before and if it wasn't for the throbbing and aching pain in my feet I knew I would have been utterly terrified.

There was a tug against my ankle as the werewolf yanked on my chain. I bit back a whimper as I tried walk faster. I felt hot and sweaty and horrible. I just wanted to go back to the shop. The Forest wasn't welcoming, everything felt hostile. It was absolutely strange to me but the broad back of the werewolf tugging me along like a little puppy felt like the safest thing around me. He was literally the only thing that was familiar and that I was fairly certain he wasn't going to kill me, hurt me maybe, but not kill. I had no clue about anything else that was out there, as far as I knew everything around me currently wanted me dead.

I limped along behind him, biting my tongue to keep from asking him to stop. Each time I had done so he had always responded with a gruff no. My legs were almost numb but my feet felt raw and searing. I just wanted my stupid and shitty bed back in the shop. I stared at the ground, my bottom lip quivering. I pushed my sweaty and limp hair back from my face. I wanted to be brave and put a strong face on but I was painfully aware I was a witch without the use of my magick and I was in a world I did not know or had been prepared for. I was at the full entire mercy of whoever held my chain.

It was getting darker and much harder for me to see. I was barely even aware when I stepped on anything because my feet hurt so much anyway that all the pain just seemed to all blend together. I just wanted to stop, I had never walked this far or moved this fast my entire life. I was exhausted, in pain, and just wanted to go home. It was shitty and terrible but it was better than where I was currently.

The pace was far too punishing and my legs wobbled as I tried to keep up. My feet felt like they were on fire and my bottom lip trembled. I bit it to keep it from being too obvious. I took another step, my hand against the rough bark of a tree to steady myself, and my legs buckled. The chain immediately went taut, my leg was jerked, and I was nearly dragged. I yelped and the werewolf whirled around, glowering at me. "Get up." It was a harshly said command and I just stared at the ground in defeat.

I expected him to retaliate but there was a still silence in the air before he moved towards me. I flinched as he drew closer but he didn't touch me, merely wrapped the chain around the tree, tying it in a complicated knot that made my head hurt to watch. He said nothing as he moved away. I brought my knees up to my chest and leaned against the tree, feeling drained and weak.

I tried my hardest to not focus on the vast wilderness I found myself in. How I knew I couldn't escape because of the chain tied tightly around my ankle and the tree. The thoughts of the danger I found myself in were invasive and made my head and chest ache unbearably. I had been scared of Irma and the things she would do to me but it was a different sort of fear that now clung to me. The feeling of uncertainty, of feeling as though you were suddenly very tiny underneath the vastness of the things that surrounded you.

Everything was so big out in the world, even the werewolf was almost uncomfortably large. I could see his form was coiled thickly with muscles as he moved around, his expression fixed into a severe glower as he kicked rocks towards trees, clearing sticks and debris from a rather large area on the ground. The muscles rippled across his form, straining against his shirt, his longer hair pulled into a hair tie at the nape of his neck. I could occasionally see the feral gleam in his eyes and the glint of the gold he had in his one ear. My gaze drifted to his neck where I could see the tattoos, dark against his skin. I wondered what types he had, how he managed to get them.

He turned towards me and my eyes flicked to his face right as he glanced at me, meeting my eyes. I felt frozen underneath the blue of his gaze, his eyebrows lowered and a rumble escaped him. "What ye lookin' at, pixie?" It was a harshly said question and he seemed to make himself taller, puffing out his chest. I swallowed but couldn't find my voice as I looked at his large and intimidating form. "Ye gunna tell me?" He took a step forward and I looked down at the ground, trying to gather myself so I could respond. I couldn't do that when his gaze pierced into me, straight through my body and to my very core. It made me very uncomfortable, as if he could see everything about me with that azure gaze.

It took a moment and I gave another swallow before glancing up at him, avoiding his eyes, my gaze falling to his strong jaw. "You're really big." I felt stupid the moment the words came out and my cheeks flushed bright red and I immediately lowered my gaze, wrapping my arms around my knees.

I could hear him approaching and I stared hard at the ground, at the dark of the earth that was littered with pine needles and leaves. He crouched in front of me, I could see his large hands as he rested his wrists on his knees. "Aye, I am big... an' yer small." He reached for me and I couldn't help how I flinched slightly but it didn't seem to deter him as he pressed a knuckle underneath my chin, gently moving it upwards until I met his gaze. He looked my face over, that piercing gaze seeming to burn over my skin as he traced my features. "Wee little pixie, ye are." His voice was low and it rolled across my skin, making a heat coat my neck and cheeks. "Pretty thing... dainty.... delicate." His voice lowered another octave and the rolling turned to a distinct rumble over my skin.

He brushed his thumb across my lower lip and the contact made me inhale quickly. It was a sharp heat and the volatile sensation was slightly foreign. "Ye are built t' make a male beg, aren't ye?" He let out a chuckle before removing his hand and standing up, towering over me. "Get some sleep, pixie. Ye need it." He moved away, going to the spot he had cleared before laying down.

My bottom lip still burned and tingled from the contact and I pressed my fingertips to it, wondering how he had caused such an immediate and visceral reaction within me. My feet giving a sudden throb distracted me and I gave a small whimper as I tried to adjust them so they weren't pressed hard against the ground. I shifted, leaning against the tree as I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stay warm.

I gave a little shiver as the darkness of night made the air drop from cool to cold. My dress was torn and flimsy and within a few moments I felt cold right down to my bones. I clenched my teeth to prevent them from clattering together in my mouth, I shivered uncontrollably and closed my eyes tightly. I was exhausted but the pain in my feet and the cold kept me hovering on the very edge of the sleep I so desperately needed.