Page 27 of Stalker

And even as I continued to hold it in my hand and stare at the message thread, wondering what to say, I knew he was watching me.

And it didn’t bother me like it probably should have.

Goodnight, puppet. Dream of me tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow night.

Jesus fuck. I dropped my phone on the floor and walked away from it in confusion.

He called me puppet and told me to dream of him. Just like the monster in my head always said. What the fuck was wrong with me!? And why did I like it?

Ilaid down hours later, no longer able to fight the fatigue trying to pull me into slumber.

I didn’t want to dream; I didn’t want to close my eyes and accept defeat. For the first time in forever, I didn’t want to see my monster.

What if my monster was Dane? What if he revealed himself to me for the first time and it was the man from the internet?

Would it ruin everything, or perhaps I’d feel fulfilled that there was at least a smidge of hope in having my fantasy come to life if the main character in that fantasy was actually alive.

I couldn’t hold off anymore and as I slipped into dreamland, Dane’s words fluttered through my brain once again.

Goodnight, puppet. Dream of me tonight and I’ll see you tomorrow night.

I expected to see the trees, feel the humidity on my skin, or smell the moss on the forest floor like usual when I fell into that familiar dream. But I didn’t. There was nothing around me but darkness.

It felt like sleep. It felt like rest.

Something I hadn’t had freely in months. I felt disappointed for a moment, saddened that my monster hadn’t taken me to our dreamland as usual.

“Puppet.”

The voice was ethereal, floating around me as I tried to find the source. There was none though, there wasn’t even light. I felt nothing, I wasn’t standing, I wasn’t sitting, I wasn’t lying down. It wasn’t my monster’s voice. His was always strained like a fictional demon’s would be in a movie. This one was a man.

Dane’s?

“Are you afraid, Puppet?” The voice floated around me again.

“Should I be?” I asked, surprised by the sensual lightness in my voice. “Do you want my fear?”

“If you want to give it to me. I’m here for you.”

“Who are you?”

He tsked his teeth, and I felt the air heat around me. “Puppet, you wound me.”

“How?”

“Thinking it could be anyone else but me. Thinking anyone else could give you the world.”

“You haven’t given me anything yet.” I tried to sound strong and sturdy, but I was anything but.

“What do you call the dress you’re wearing, then?” He asked, and I looked down, and suddenly I could see my body, wrapped in the red lace from the gift box. “And the shoes?” His voice was nearer now as I kicked one foot out and saw the sexy heels on my feet that I wore in the photo. “And this?” I felt his breath on my neck as his fingers traced over the strap of the lingerie showing on my shoulder. “You don’t think I’ve given you anything?”

“Dane.” I moaned, leaning back into his feverish body as his hands slid over my stomach. I hated anyone ever hugging me from behind because it made me self-conscious about my stomach. Not with him, though. He was so fucking tall and strong that he made me feel small and I didn’t worry about outweighing or overwhelming him.

“Puppet.” His lips brushed the side of my neck as he gripped my hair into a ponytail and held it out of his way. “My perfect little puppet.”

“This isn’t real.” I closed my eyes and sagged into his arms further when his fingers toyed with my hard nipples through the dress. “It’s a dream.”

“Wrong.” He kissed up my neck to my ear, and then ran his tongue over the shell as he drifted his fingers lower to my aching center, brushing against it briefly before sliding his fingers under the hem of my skirt and pulling it higher so he could rub my clit directly through the black panties he bought me. “This is a premonition. This is a glimpse into our future together.”

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