Page 13 of Ruining Red
The stranger leans in, his lips a breath away from mine.Is this to be my first kiss?From a stranger in the woods?Before today, I would have cursed my stupidity at allowing myself to get so enmeshed with a sprite, a trickster of the forest.But now that I know the designs my family had against me, I no longer care for their words of wisdom.
“You have my name, Sprite,” I whisper in the minute space between us.“I have yet to know yours.”
Pulling back, he gives me a lopsided smirk.Pain lances through my body at this slight rejection, need clawing at my insides to close the gap.Is it wrong of me to ask, to know the name that belongs to the lips which threaten to pull me under?
He studies me for a moment, staying silent.“And what would you do with my name, oh goddess of the night?”
His words send a tremor through me, a thrill I never knew I could have.“I merely wish to know.Is it not proper to know a man’s name before aligning my lips with his?”
This time, the look he gives me seems to be confusion mixed with mirth.“And what would you do for my name?”He raises up even higher, his shoulders widening with each step.
Somehow, he grows bigger, larger as he gets closer.But it’s my imagination running away with me.It must be.Air catches in my throat, my breathing coming in rapid gasps.Still, he propels forward, his steps never faltering as he brings himself closer to me.
With each movement forward, I ease back, keeping distance between us.Though I long to kiss him, to find out what secrets lie between men and women, I find that I’m also frightened.Intensity rolls off of him in waves, reminding me he could very well lead me to my doom.
“I’m waiting, little red hood.”
Sorrow slashes through me, causing my insides to cramp.“That name is no longer fitting.”Bitterness laces my tone as I wrap my arms around my waist, finally aware of the icy wind as it tears at my flesh.“As you can see, I am without it.”
All it takes is two long strides for him to catch back up with me.Again, he reaches out and touches my hair, his fingers smoothing over the curls in an almost reverent manner.“You are better without it.”
“It kept me safe.Kept me?—”
“A prisoner.”Those two words, spoken so matter-of-fact, so full of conviction.“I ask again, my little red hood.What will you give me in exchange for my name?”
Never make deals with the creatures of the woods.They will always be the victor, leaving you in a sorry state.My mother’s words burn through my mind.Why is he so insistent?Why make an exchange at all?
“I…” My words falter, fleeing my lips as if to be rid of me too, just like the villagers.“It is a mistake.I want nothing from you.Your name is your own.”Turning, I move to leave, to run from this man that threatens to enslave me to him.
“As I said earlier, little red hood,” he murmurs against my ear, the vibrations in his voice making my knees shake as my insides turn to jelly.“You should run.Unless you want to be eaten by a wolf.”
“I see no wolves here.Only you.”Again, I turn, locking my gaze with his.
“Does this mean you will not run?”A slight pout mars his lips, twisting them down.“I only mean to save you, to protect you from what could be.That is…” Pausing, he reaches out to graze my arm, his touch branding me like fire.“That is unless you want to be a sacrifice.Is that what you really want, my little red hood?To be splayed open, devoured, and consumed?Tell me, omega.Is that what you want?”
Omega?The word bounces around my mind, filling my insides with such elation.Though the word is foreign to me, somehow, it feels right.No other words, terms, or phrases ever made my soul sing.Even if it means my downfall, I must find out the true meaning, to somehow imbibe this word and make it my own.
I’m rooted to the spot as he prowls around me, his other words flitting through my head.Devoured,consumed.They should frighten me, fill me with dread, and yet, I find myself even more curious than before.
Besides, it’s clear the village doesn’t want me.Perhaps I can make an exchange with this god.But first, I must find a way to extricate myself from this man.He’s the one person standing between me and blessed sleep.
Still though, I do long to find what it is about him that arrests me so.Why does my body burn the closer he is?And why does my soul long to merge with him, to become one?He promises eternity.Somehow, I know this.But at what cost?
His form starts to blur as my eyes feel wide, heavy even.It makes no sense.Nothing about my reactions make any sense.Looking out onto the snowy expanse, I find the glare almost intolerable.The moon gleams bright like a beacon, nearly blinding me.
Blinking doesn’t help.The only time it stops is when I get my emotions under control.Only then, does it feel like everything goes back to being normal.It lends credence to the notion he’s more than just a man.What other explanation is there?
Chapter7
Conrí
Iwatch the omega stand there, her mind churning so hard, I can almost hear it.It makes me wonder what exactly it is she’s contemplating.Already she’s proven to be far stronger than I gave her credit for.
As the other men ran, they pissed themselves, clambering over each other in a desperate need to flee the wolf.Granted, Teagan has only seen me in my human form, and it makes me wonder if she’ll be just as frightened as they are.Circling, I breathe in her scent, taking it deep into my lungs.
Mine, the beast snarls inside as he claws at me, desperate to be free.But I cannot let him loose.Not yet.Not until I know I have him fully under control.Unfortunately, the longer I’m in this omega’s presence, the less I feel as if I can dictate what he will and won’t do.
It’s madness, a feral need that eats at me as I take in the innocent bat of her eyes, the rosy blush to her cheeks.Even now her body shudders before me, responding to me, and I haven’t even touched her yet.In truth, I wanted to kiss her.I wanted to feel her lips under mine, to feel them part as I invaded her mouth.
