Page 42 of Choose the Bears

“I waited outside of the bathroom like a gentleman, helped her get into bed, and made sure her arm was supported when she laid down. I read her a book and then she fell asleep.”

“Oh.” The look on his face was comical, but when I grinned, he looked at me like he’d never met me before. “The growly bear book?” He studied the cover, taking in the cartoonish illustration on the front. “Is that the sort of thing she likes?”

“She seemed to like it just fine tonight,” I replied, feeling a belated sense of pride.

“Oh. Oh.” I watched him deflate in real time. “OK, well, good. Good.”

“So wanna grab a beer and something to eat?” I suggested. He was about to say no, go scurrying back to the IT department to lurk amongst the computers, but then I offered something I knew he wouldn’t turn down. “We can talk about how we’re going to get through this with Imogen.”

“OK.”

Chapter 23

Imogen

I was running through a forest.

I never questioned why I was here, only knowing somehow that it was the pine forest that was planted around the campgrounds Mike forced me to take him to. Pine needles crunched under my feet as I ran, the resinous smell filling my nose as I gasped for breath. They didn’t get my attention, though.

Hedid.

A dark, lumbering shape in the shadows, his pace was slower, more methodical than mine. Yet somehow he was gaining on me. I knew that because his low chuckle slid across my skin, leaving a slimy residue. My head whipped around, my muscles burning as I put on more speed.

“Little bitch.”

His curse was like a slap to my face, which had me racing on. I was trying to escape him and his venomous judgements, but dodging around trees and running until my body ached didn’t help.

“Fucking slut.”

That was almost whispered in my ear–he was that close–forcing me to whirl around to face him.

My hands went up, but to do what? He was a dark shape rather than a man in my dream–that’s what this was, I realised. A bloody nightmare, because nothing I did mattered. Phil’s features emerged as a stray bar of moonlight hit his face, revealing a mask of sadistic pleasure. My chest heaved, fighting to suck in a breath but my lungs never filled. Instead, my chest ached, my heart starting to beat erratically.

“No…” My protest was thin, weak, and he gave it all the consideration it deserved, pushing past that and walking close with the slow tread of a predator. “No. No, I?—”

“Got that soft life now, have you?” His eyebrow rose as his lips twisted in a vicious smile. “Left a good man for a nice room with pretty pillows.”

When he lunged forward I stumbled back, the back of my ankle colliding with a tree root, but I recovered quickly. I held my fists up, all the while knowing it was a useless gesture. There was still a small distance between us, because by the sound of his laughter, he’d just been psyching me out.

“And how’re you gonna pay for all this?” His teeth flashed in the dim light, turning from nicotine yellow into something else altogether. Sharp needles, it was like staring into the maw of a great white shark. “One in the pink, one in the stink, and one to keep your filthy little mouth shut, but for how long?”

I shook my head, slowly backing away, knowing I didn’t want to hear this.

“How long until they get sick of you? That pussy.” His eyes slid down my body. “That drooling hole between your legs is never gonna keep boys like that happy. It didn’t keep Mike from fucking around, did it?”

I was pretty sure my ex wasn’t faithful to me. All the times he went out, all the women that hung out with his friends whowouldn’t know the girl code if it reached across to slap them in the face, his complete lack of self-control, but I stayed. I stayed because I didn’t have firm evidence.

“You let those cunts inside you, you’ll be out before the night is done, kicked to the curb.” My hands formed fists. “You couldn’t keep one man. What makes you think you can keep three?” His smile got wider and wider, turning into something completely inhuman. “And that’s when I’ll find you. No one to protect you, then I’ll be able to do all the things I’ve been dreaming of.”

That unfocussed look, those wide open eyes were a window into a place I did not want to go. Unimaginable horrors played out inside his head, but a little whimper from me had his head snapping up. Why think about it when I was right here? Right there for the taking, and that’s what he went to do just now.

I knew the way his touch would feel before he managed to grab my arm. Burning hot, searing me down to the bone, his fingers gripped me despite my attempt to escape him. I threw myself back with everything I had, but every bone jolted as his hand snapped down, his fingers finding the bruises he’d left on me with jarring accuracy.

“No!”

My throat worked, my lungs expelling the word out, but just like before, I didn’t expect anyone to hear. I was alone in this dark fucking forest, not even the sound of Mike and his buddies partying could be heard to let me know there was someone around. Instead, I was alone, completely alone, trying to face down an enemy I’d never be able to escape.

“No…” Tears filled my throat, threatening to choke me, right as he dragged me closer, those needle-like teeth flashing. “No?—”

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