Page 60 of Cedarwood Cabin

I sink into the armchair opposite him. “This makes things complicated…” I say.

Lyka leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands. “She wanted me to hurt her.”

The raw emotion in his words cuts through me. I let out a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

“What are we gonna do?” he asks. He looks up at me, his eyes searching mine for an answer.

“We’ll ask her tomorrow.”

Lyka nods, his shoulders slumping. He picks up the remote and presses play, the DVD resuming. We sit there in silence. The tension in the room is intense—my mind races, replaying the past few weeks' events.

I want Flora. I know Lyka wants her, too. What the fuck have we done.

LYKA

I lie there in bed, staring up at the ceiling as thoughts swirl all around me. From the very moment that Flora waltzed her way into our lives, I had a sense of determination to break her. It was meant to be a game for me. I don’t like getting close to people.

I fucked a lot of girls. They loved the power I had over them, it's never hard to manipulate them into doing what I want. But with Flora, things were different. She wasn't like the rest. With Flora, it was about fucking with her mind—to make her question everything and strip that façade off her, leaving her raw and exposed. I enjoyed watching the confusion in those eyes of hers as I played out my games. Of course, it was simple: keep her off-balance, keep her guessing.

The only people who have claimed her body are me and Dax. I wanted her over and over. The way her pussy gripped my throbbing cock made me groan in bed. There was something about her eyes…no girl has ever looked at me like that before. Something deeper—something I couldn't quite grasp. I know dark thoughts riddle her mind. They riddle my mind, too.

Maybe she was better off dead instead of giving us so much trouble. Is there a part of me that cares about her? Shit! This was Dax’s idea. I didn’t even want her here. We should have left her in the forest. I’m so fucking conflicted and confused.

FIFTEEN

FLORA

My body is hurting and aching as every cut stings. I had to spend the night lying on my stomach so I didn’t aggravate the wounds.

Dax left early to go to the pharmacy for emergency contraception.

I feel a sense of unease wash over me as I walk out onto the balcony. Lyka stands there, smoking a cigarette and looking out at the forest. I should be angry at him for hurting me, but I’m not. My fucked up mind and body want him even more.

I walk over to him, wanting to speak about yesterday, but before I can, he suddenly turns me around and lifts my T-shirt. I feel his fingers trace the wounds on my back.

Before I can ask why he did that, he twists me back and lifts me on the balcony banister. He takes a final drag of his cigarette and flicks it over the balcony. I grip his shoulders and balance myself on the narrow banister. He holds me in place, making sure I don’t fall back. I don’t know why, but we just stare at each other. He moves his face away from mine and goes to say something, but before he can, I speak up. “Lyka, you never answered my question. Why are you so grumpy with me?”

He looks out into the forest and shrugs. “I don’t like getting close to people.”

Before I can reply, a high-pitched cry rings out. I turn my head and see a bear cub that appears injured.

“It’s hurt!” I shout. Seeing the cub pulls at my heartstrings. I jump down from the banister and rush over to the stairs.

“FLORA, STOP!” Lyka yells, panicked. As I’m about to descend the steps. He grips my arm, sending a shot of pain through it.

I look back at the cub and see what Lyka saw. Out of the bushes steps a massive Mama bear. She sniffs the air and tenderly picks up the cub by the scruff of its neck. The moment they are out of sight, I can hear Lyka deeply exhale. In that moment, I see a different side of Lyka. His grip on my arms loosens as he takes my hand and leads me away from the stairs. We silently watch the Mama bear retreat back into the forest with her cub.

“I didn’t think…Thank you,” I say, my voice shaking.

“You gotta be careful. The forests here can be dangerous, Flora.”

We both look out at the forest, taking in the view in silence. We both don't know what to say to each other.

Lyka breaks the silence. “Come on, let's head inside.”

I follow him back inside the cabin.

Dax enters from the living room as we enter the kitchen. He places a couple of paper bags on the counter and pulls out a box labeled Plan B, pushing it toward me.

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