One Whisper at a Time

Chapter 13: Bitten

*One Whisper at a Time*

*Chapter 13: Bitten*

I stopped only when my legs were tired. No one had come to look for me...No one cared enough to look for me. I didn't want to go back. Everytime I'd found love...someone had taken it away from me. Not this time...It wouldn't happen.

I sat down slowly onto the ground of the forest. It was cold, and silent, not to mention dark. I wasn't scared. I'd lived in forest after forest for years. I knew how to hide from something, or run away if I needed to.

I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. All I needed to do was stay here for a while, then someone would - who was I kidding...no one was coming to get me. I would be lucky if I didn't die out here.

I pulled my knees close to my chest, holding onto them. My head leaned back gently against a willow tree. My fingers ran up and down my legs, attempting to warm them as much as I could. "Whisper!" I heard a male voice yell. My ears twitched.

I flattened myself against the tree. I didn't want anyone to find me...The horrible things that Felix would do to me for telling what had happened. I shuddered, praying that it wasn't Felix that had come after me.

I heard footsteps on the other side of the forest, trotting. "Whisper...Please...." The man whispered. I wrapped my arms around myself tightly, biting down on my lip. My brown hair fell over my face, hiding all of my features from the world.

"Whisper!" The voice yelled. Then, I ran. I pushed my hair away from my face and ran deeper into the forest. The footsteps stopped for a moment, then ran in the same direction as myself.

My heart beat quickly as I dashed over fallen branches and logs. Through trees and around bushes. My shirt snagged on one of the branches of a tree, pulling me back. Now, it felt like the pounding of my heart was breaking my ribs. I tugged roughly at my shirt, trying my hardest to get it away from the wood.

A hand wrapped around my arm, pulling me towards the figure. I kicked and punched at the anonymous person. They grunted and pulled me towards the edge of the forest, pulling me down. "Whisper! Stop! Ow!" I halted and looked up to find Caleb before me.

"C..Caleb?!" I whispered, standing to my feet. "How did you get away?" Tears began to pour from my eyes. He'd heard what Christoph had said...He knew what Felix had done to me. I couldn't help but cry. What would he think of me now? Maybe he'd want to do the same thing to me....

Caleb's hand touched my cheek, guiding my face up to look at him. Tears continued to come as he pressed his lips to my forehead. "Got the big dudes while they were taking me away. It's all right, please don't cry." But I couldn't stop.

Caleb's finger fan along my cheek, pushing away the water that stained my cheeks a bright red. As he leaned down, I closed my eyes, begging for him not to hate me. His lips touched mine, caressing against me with sweet seduction. It didn't take long for me to wrap my arms around his broad neck and pull him closer to me.

I leaned into him as Caleb's fingers traced my cheekbone. He gradually stopped, pulling away after a long, passionate kiss. He stared down into my eyes, his eyes begging for me to understand. And I did. I understood that he cared for me and maybe even -

"I love you, Whisper...I really-"

I pulled my face away and looked at the ground. How could he say that? He knew that if he did, Felix would only take him away from me. He'd only be killed, or worse...maybe he'd be tortured in front of me. I shivered at the thought of anything happening to Caleb. I couldn't deny my love for him....

"Please...Caleb...Don't say that to me..." I forced the tears back, closing my eyes tightly.

"Why, Whisper? Why can't I tell you the truth? Why can't I tell you how I love you!?" Caleb said quietly. I could hear the seriousness in his voice.