Page 90 of Haunted Hearts

What? A distraction? I don’t spare Brock a glare over my shoulder but in my head the monster hisses,Traitor.

I catch sight of Willow as she follows the stone pavers that slope slightly downwards and lead around to the back of the house. Her footsteps are swift as she moves. By the time I’m halfway down the sloped path, Willow’s at the bottom.

I almost expected Willow to slow or even stop by now. She’s by no means a runner. The fact that she’s still going is a sign of how determined she is to play this out. That determination to beat me, to keep me from touching and claiming her as my own, excites me just as much as it infuriates me. She’s mine. How dare she try this hard to stay away! The swift onslaught of anger that barrels through me increases my heart rate and makes my mouth water.

Wait… what? The predatory way I'm watching her causes my footsteps to falter. This isn’t me. This feeling of anxious possessiveness belongs to the monster inside of me. As if just thinking of it summons the beast, the creature surfaces in my consciousness and my chest vibrates with a growl that belongs to it.

Prey, the deep sinister voice in my head whispers.

No, Willow is not prey, I snap defensively even as my pace quickens. When Willow darts around a sharp curve in the path, the corner of the house blocks our view of her.

The monster laughs in my head. The sinister sound is terrifying but no more so than the fact that suddenly, the rational part of me is shoved back into the recesses of my mind. It’s as if I’ve never had control as the monster surges forward to take over my body completely. Has this other part of me beenlettingme believe that I was still a man? How cruel. Right now, I’m no man. I’m a Tangleling on the hunt and my prey has just triggered the need to chase.

I can’t even warn Willow to stop running. My ability to speak is long gone.

Prey.Mine. The creature roars in my head before letting out a horrific howl of excitement. It echoes around me then gets carried away in the soft breeze.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I race after Willow as a prisoner inside my own body. We round the corner, the monster and I, just in time to see Willow take the steps down towards the sand dunes. I take a running start and then leap the distance to the steps, then jump down them rather than take them one by one. The second roar that I let out is fiercer than the one before.

We’re coming, Willow.

My legs start pumping as my booted feet hit the sand. Immediately, I sink into it, causing me to slow my pace. With a snarl, my boots are kicked off. They land next to Willow’s shoes that are thrown off to the side. I climb the steep sand dune and pause, my eyes scanning the beach.

Movement to my left is all that I need to know which way Willow’s taken. The part of me that’s been pushed to the background is mildly surprised that Willow has managed to put this much distance between us. It won’t last, but still… impressive.

Will catch, the monster assures me as our muscles bunch.

Then we’re off, shooting across the sand after Willow. She’s smart to get closer to the water where the sand is packed, making it easier to run. Not that it will save her. My longer,stronger, legs close the distance between us easily.

“Brace yourself, Mystery Man!” Willow shouts over her shoulder, hearing my approach.

A monster’s roar is the only response she gets. I can hear her gasps as she looks over her shoulder. Her eyes widen before I catch the corner of her mouth turning up into a smirk. Turning her attention back to in front of her, she quickens her pace. It’s not fast enough. The monster launches us towards her, our arms outstretched. The victory bellow in my head is set free and sweeps across the beach.

The internal warning bells go off in my head too late.

The wind picks up just as a howl of screams slam down from the sky, knocking me off course. I hit the wet sand hard before rolling to the edge of the water. My limbs lock up as my heart slams against my ribs. A horrendous shaking rocks my body, and I nearly lose control of my bowels before the attack relents. I gasp for air as my lungs expand. For just a second, my body goes limp as it tries to process what just happened.

No!The voice in my head is a furious shriek as Willow gets away.

I sit up with a snarl, only to get hit in the face with a wave. I’m thrown to the side, getting a mouth full of salty water.

Good thing I didn’t take a shower.

I’m not down for long. Sputtering, I get to my feet and give chase again. The monster is running purely on instinct right now, ready to get his hands on his prize.

Mine. Mine. Mine. Prey, it chants as we run full out after her.

Feelings bubble up in my chest that are a mix of mine and the Tangleling side of me. The sizzle of excitement is intense within my chest. My fingers curl into claws as I itch to pin Willow down beneath me, and my mouth waters with the need to sink my teeth into her flesh. The combination of all of that scares the shit out of me, which only drives more adrenaline through my veins. I can’t let this side of me catch her. Who knows what will happen? I know it understands that Willow is our mate, but right now, I’m afraid he doesn’t see her as anything other than prey. I have to stop this monster before he can take this too far. I’ve never felt so helpless and out of control before.

The monster catches up to Willow. We’re only a few feet away before her next attack comes. Green flames flare up on the left side of me, just a few inches from my skin, causing me to stumble out of the way. The flames grow higher, reaching well past my head. They race beside me, shifting slightly, redirecting me towards the water.

Her attempt to throw me off course only gets my blood pumping more. The snicker that slips past my lips is menacing. Willow is going to be in a world of trouble if we catch her. As if she knows this, Willow tries using her flames again. This time creating a short wall of green fire to flare up in front of me. I leap over it without any issue.

Willow tries the tactic again. This time the wall is a little higher. Still, I clear it with no problem. A third wall comes. I stretch my legs further and leap again. This time, there’s no manic laughter in my head. The monster isn’t going to jump the gun on his success just yet. With arms outstretched, Willow is seconds away from meeting a real monster. I try to surge forward, take control while the creature is solely focused on Willow’s back.

As my body connects with hers, there’s enough momentum to take us both down into the sand. My limbs twist around her, both monster and man instantly in agreement that Willow can’t get hurt. It’s my shoulder and back that take the brunt of the fall, and I wrap myself around her as we roll a few more feet before coming to a complete stop. Even before we’ve come to a halt, Willow is fighting me.

“I’m not going to make this easy for you!” She claws and pushes at my chest as she giggles wildly. “Help! A monster has me!”

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