****Copyrighted**** 'Tell me you don't feel it.' He whispered against my lips, and the trembling that had ceased at the feel of his lips against mine began again with renewed vigor. 'Tell me it's not what you want, and I'll go. You'll never have to see me again.' Swallowing, I looked up at the eyes that had entranced me from the start. I took in his every feature, slowly and deliberately. I thrilled at the feeling of his arms enfolding me, and I inhaled his familiar scent with a trembling breath. And then, then I did the most foolish thing imaginable: I flung my arms about his neck and kissed him with all that I had, almost losing myself in the safety and security I felt. But more than that, I ran. I took his moment of shock, the slight loosing of his arms about me, and tore myself away from him, shoving out the door and into the rain. I suppose I'll never know why he didn't follow me. It was the thing I feared most. I knew that if he came for me a second time, I wouldn't be able to say 'no'. I wouldn't be able to run. But I had to. I had to go. I couldn't let him be hurt because of me. He would live on now, and I would marry another. I had leased my last bit of passion in that one moment in his arms, and as I made my way through the dark streets, I felt myself become dull and lost like the creatures bound in the menagerie. **Much of this was written when I was younger and then I came back later and finished it. There will likely be mistakes. Lots of them.

We all need our own way to vent. This is mine if you can't respect it, leave.

WATTPAD BOOKS EDITION. The past always resurfaces . . . Five years after almost drowning, Olivia Cathart returns home to Caldwell Beach determined to face her fears and take some risks-not just by swimming but by opening her heart. Hoping to rekindle her friendships, she's excited about a carefree summer with her best friends Keely and Miles. But life in the sleepy town has changed, and no one and nothing is as it seems. When a series of startling crimes threaten Olivia's fragile state, she is plunged into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Her only solace from the chaos is West, Miles's disowned and ruggedly handsome brother, but even he can't answer the question on everyone's minds-is Olivia really in danger or is it simply all in her head?

"𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭." in which fei'uey, firstborn daughter of ronal and tonowari, finds herself entangled with toruk makto's eldest son in a time of sorrow and peril. (neteyam x fem! metkayina! oc)