Page 10 of Into the Night

Turning away from him, I hurry into the trees.

His footsteps follow me at first, but then mercifully, he stops at the treeline.

When I look over my shoulder, he’s standing there staring after me with a confused expression on his face.

I don’t understand why I had such a violent reaction to him, either. But I do know I need to burn off all the adrenaline pumping through my veins before I go back to my truck.

I can’t let there be a repeat of last time. I need to make sure I’m physically exhausted, enough to ensure I sleep soundly through the night. Without any unexpected walkabouts.

And so, I run. Hard. I have no clue where I’m going or what I’m doing, albeit with the sole purpose of tiring my body out and getting as far away as possible from anyone I could hurt.

7

KALI

There’s someone else here, and it’s someone I don’t know.

With heavy rain now starting to fall, I’m surprised anyone would brave the elements tonight, which instantly makes me wonder who it is and what they want.

Used to staying out of the way, I’m adept at identifying different beasts from a distance. My safety depends on it. I don’t recognise the strong heartbeat and the faint scent I pick up as anyone I know from Sutton or Zora, but I haven’t spent that much time here that I’d know everyone in town.

My beast is eager to investigate. Normally, she’s extra cautious, trying to avoid any unknown situation, but tonight, she wants to see who it is.

I grab a coat from behind the door and pull the hat that was stuffed in the pocket down low over my eyes, dragging my hood up over my head to hide any loose tendrils of hair.

Stepping outside, I scent the air, scanning the trees for any sign of the mystery visitor, but whoever it is, they’re a good bit back from the road. The hairs stand up on the back of my neck, and my heart beats a little faster. I should go back inside, but I can feel their pain. It doesn’t seem right to sit by the fire, pretending I don’t know someone’s out here hurting.

“Hello?” I slowly walk down the steps and peer out into the gathering dusk.

There’s no answer.

I don’t see any parked cars as I look up and down the long private access lane. Taking a deep breath to catch the scent and commit it to memory, I step across the narrow dirt road and study the old forest across from my new home.

Nothing seems amiss, but it’s impossible to forget that three humans have gone missing here. I’d be an idiot to go wandering off into the forest alone. My intuition tells me, though, that this person isn’t a threat. In fact, my beast is pushing me to go and help them.

Him, she whispers. He won’t hurt us.

With my hands on my hips, I look up at the heavy cloud blanketing the mountain, making it darker than it should be at this time, and try to decide what to do. I have no reason to be scared yet, so I stomp through the trees a little further.

Tilting my chin to catch his alluring scent on the breeze, I follow his trail into the tall trees surrounding the cabin. I won’t be able to relax until I know who I’m dealing with, and whether he’s okay.

My mother likes to joke that for someone who gets picked on all the time, I have a very trusting nature. Like I’m a labrador and not a dangerous beast.

As I pick my way through the low branches, I creep close to the edge of one of the pools dotted along the river. As I approach, instead of walking straight out into the open, I hang back, keen to have a look at the male who’s wandered so close to my new home, and smells so damn good.

At first, I don’t see him, but then a ripple across the surface of the mirrored water gives away his location.

My mouth turns dry as he stands, brushing his black hair back off his face, water running down his glistening chest and muscular shoulders.

He stretches his neck from side to side and wipes droplets of water from his face.

Swallowing hard, I can only stare as he splashes water over every inch of his tanned skin, and then rubs himself clean, his impressive muscles flexing as he works, spending a long time scrubbing his hands together.

I should have made my presence more obvious, because now, I feel like a peeping tom. And it’s quite a show I’m getting, too.

As he turns away, the swell of his ass is visible over the water. His firm body, hard and dripping wet, is making my insides flutter. Watching him from the shadows feels both naughty and exhilarating at the same time. I imagine what it would be like to drag my fingers, or my tongue, over that gleaming, wet skin…

When his movements slow, and the muscles in his back twitch, I know he’s finally picked up on my presence. He doesn’t immediately acknowledge me or call out a friendly hello, and suddenly, I’m not quite so relaxed about a stranger lurking around my garden.

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