by Juniper Hart
Slowly, Will walked back up to the window and stared into the passenger side, his heart pounding. A piece of beige fabric poked out from under the grey seat, and Will instantly recognized it.
I knew it, he thought, bile rising to his throat. I wish I didn’t, but I knew it all along. Goddamn him.
***
“Mm, you smell amazing,” Herman whispered, inhaling her hair.
A small cry erupted from Ruby’s mouth, but it was stifled by the duct tape plastered to her mouth.
“Right now, Shawn is collecting the money from your daddy,” he purred. “And you’re going to be at my disposal. I bet you’re just as excited as I am.”
Despite her resolve to remain calm, Ruby began to struggle against her bonds, panic seizing her like a vice.
“Shh,” Herman breathed, his wretched mouth against her face. “No use in fighting, darling. You knew this day was coming.”
The front door opened, and Shawn walked in, a smile lighting up his face as he unmounted the army duffle bag from his back. “Christ almighty, this weighs more than the princess,” he chortled. “I am glad I kept up with my gym membership.”
Herman straightened out and stared at Shawn, his mouth agape. “You got it?” he asked in disbelief. “That’s all of it?”
Shawn nodded, grinning crazily as he unzipped the bag. “Look,” he said. “Six million dollars. Over a hundred pounds of money, my friend.”
“Let me see,” Herman gasped, rushing toward it like a child in a candy store.
He had barely taken two steps when a terrifying sound filled the apartment.
Ruby looked up, disoriented from the lack of food and water for the past couple of days.
I’m hallucinating, she decided as the bear from her dream flew into the tiny space, a furious mass of dark red hair.
“What the—” Herman did not have time to finish his thought, the beast falling onto all fours as it ran toward him.
Ruby watched in aghast awe as the bear easily tore the limbs from Herman, a low, guttural sound emanating through the space.
In the haziness of her mind, another bear appeared, slightly smaller and brown, leaping onto the red animal’s back. The two fell into a mound until Ruby could no longer identify which was which. Viscous red liquid flew around the room, and she could hear the whimpers and cries as teeth sank and claws slashed.
I am dreaming, she told herself. This is my nightmare. Yet as she continued to stare at the bloody scene, she knew it wasn’t a dream.
Abruptly, the red bear rose onto its hind legs, swiping out one final time to gouge into the eyes of the other beast. An ominous silence ensued as the brown animal lay dying, but as Ruby looked on, she was suddenly staring at two men.
The brown bear had morphed back into Shawn, but the larger animal, the majestic red beast, was the one she had seen in her dreams.
“Monroe, you stupid fool,” Sergeant Will Sears murmured. “Why would you do this?”
Detective Shawn Monroe stared up at him with pleading eyes. “How… did… you… know?” he gasped, his voiced choked and garbled. “I… planned… so… well.”
But Sergeant Sears wouldn’t get any answers from him, as Shawn’s eyes closed, taking one final breath. He was as still as his accomplice, who lay in pieces only feet away from Ruby’s bound form.
As if Shawn’s death had broken the spell that had overcome him, Sergeant Sears whipped his head toward Ruby.
“Ruby,” he breathed as he ripped the tape from her mouth. “I’m—”
“I know who you are,” she gasped, her throat parched. “I’ve seen you in my dreams.”
He seemed startled by her words, and he stared at her. “In your dreams?” he echoed, but as he said it, she realized that he had dreamt of her, too.
The pulse between them was undeniable, and their eyes locked in a deep, understanding trance. Ruby could not begin to reconcile what she had seen occur with reality, but she knew it had happened.
Somehow the man who had saved her was some kind of shifter. My soulmate is a bear, she thought, her mind overwhelmed with elation and confusion.
“How did you know?” she asked as Will began to untie her. “How did you know where to find me?”
“I knew it was someone in the department,” he sighed, shaking his head. “It had to be.”
She didn’t ask how he was so sure. “But how did you know it was Shawn?”
Will loosened the last of Ruby’s binds and brushed a knotted piece of hair away from her cheek.
“Your scarf was in the car,” he answered. “The one you wore the night you were taken. I smelled your scent on it, and I knew where to find you.”
Ruby grasped his hand, holding it to her face, pressing her mouth to his palm. “Kiss me like you did in my dream,” she whispered.
Will cupped her cheek lovingly. “There’s plenty of time for that,” he said. “Right now, we need to get you to a hospital.”
Reluctantly, she agreed, knowing he was right.
Epilogue
Will stayed by her side the entire week she recovered from dehydration and minor bruising in the hospital.
It had been three months since Ruby had been rescued from Monroe’s clutches. They had spent every night together since the ordeal, knowing instinctively that they were meant to be by each other’s side.
“Do you have to go to work?” Ruby pouted as she tightened her hand around his. She couldn’t resist how sexy he looked only wrapped in a towel, knowing that his hard, naked body was only covered by a mere piece of fabric.
Will bit his lower lip, obviously finding it difficult to resist her touch. “Well, maybe I could be a few minutes late.”
Soon, they lay naked and entangled in each other’s arms, and Ruby felt the hardness of her lover inside her as she had longed for seemingly her whole life. He brought her to her climax over and over, her cries growing louder until she lost her ability to scream, feeling him fill her fully.
When they had finally finished, they lay spent. Each day, she half expected for someone to interrupt their newfound happiness, but no one ever did.
“I have something for you,” Will said as he leaned over and grabbed a small envelope from the drawer of his nightstand.
“A present?” Ruby asked, clapping her hands together in anticipation.
Will smirked. “Open it,” he said as he handed her the envelope.
Ruby felt cold, hard metal brush her finger as she reached inside the manila envelope. “A key?” she asked as she looked closely at the item. “For what?”
“For you,” he said matter-of-factly. “I think you should move in. I know it’s only been a few months, but I have never been more sure of anything in my entire life.”
“Neither have I,” said Ruby, planting a long, hard kiss on her boyfriend’s eagerly awaiting lips.
Will stood up, lifting Ruby into the air and twirling her around.
“That’s a yes?” he asked.
“That’s a resounding yes!” Ruby answered, feeling safe and secure in Will’s loving arms.
*****
THE END
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Lost in the Woods
Text Copyright © 2016 by Alexis Davie
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
First printing, 2016
Secret Woods Books
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www.SecretWoodsBooks.com
Lost in the Woods
By: Alexis Davie
Lost in the Woods
Chapter One
“I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, listening to you!”
Jax kicked at a rock furiously, and the stone narrowly missed Annabelle’s cheek. She turned her head away in the nick of time, rapidly blinking back the sudden onset of tears which flooded her violet-colored eyes. Rain was pelting against her skin, almost hurting her, but she didn’t feel anything but borderline fear and genuine unhappiness.
“Why didn’t you tell me this place was in the middle of nowhere?” Jax bellowed, stomping his foot on the muddy ground like a whining horse.
Annabelle could see his breaths coming out hot and steamy against the humidity.
“I gave you the goddamn GPS for a reason, Annabelle! You could have used the little bit of brain you have to tell me that it was going to take longer than we thought!”
“I didn’t know it was this far,” Annabelle turned her lovely face to stare imploringly at her fiancé, but she knew the action was futile; there was nothing she could say or do to placate him while he was in such a state of fury. Like the storm, she would simply have to bide her time and hope he simmered down soon before things got out of hand.
“Let’s get back in the car,” she pleaded, reaching a tanned arm out toward Jax. “We can wait out the storm and call for help afterward. I bet when the rain stops, we’ll be able to get a phone signal.”
“You get back in the goddamn car! Who knows how long it’s going to rain? It might be days. And even if it does stop, we’re in the middle of fucking nowhere! There’s no guarantee that we’ll get reception on a clear day. I need to find help, thanks to your idiotic idea. Why would you suggest taking a shortcut? Didn’t you notice that the gas light was on?”
He was not finished unleashing, and Annabelle was having more and more difficulty holding in her anguish. Didn’t you? You were the one driving! Annabelle silently slapped back with the smidgen of fire she could muster from within, but she wisely kept her rosebud mouth closed and allowed him to continue raging. She began to tremble as the storm snaked its way through her thin t-shirt and down her tight jeans. She rubbed her arms, trying to fabricate some warmth through the friction.
“Oh for Christ’s sake, Annabelle, get back in the car!” Jax yelled at her. “You are absolutely useless.”
He stormed off down the deserted pathway, headed in the same direction as they had come half an hour earlier.
“Jax, wait! I’ll come, too,” Annabelle yelled after him but he had already disappeared behind the lush trees, out of view.
Inwardly, she was deeply relieved. When she was certain he wasn’t immediately returning, she hurried to the Chevy, soaked and shivering, and collapsed in the passenger seat. He hadn’t left her the keys, but it wouldn’t have mattered. The beat-up car was completely dead. Digging around in their bags, she located a towel and attempted to dry her soaked frame.
Jax hadn’t noticed because of the rain, but tears had begun to flow from her eyes, mingling with the shower in synchronicity. Why do I put up with this? Why do I let him talk to me that way? They had almost become age old questions to Annabelle, ones she posed internally more and more with each day that passed.
Once upon a time, Jax and Annabelle had been a golden couple, the envy of friends and strangers alike. Physically, they were paired by the gods. He was tall, fair, and athletic, while she was petite, yet voluptuous, with dark curls and an alluring smile. All their peers agreed that their children would have unrivaled good looks.
In high school, Jax Hunter had been a football halfback, and Annabelle LaCroix, a cheerleader. They were both outgoing, witty, and academically successful, each eventually gaining scholarships to their first choices in colleges. Their parents were friends with each other, and the young couple had grown up only blocks away from one another in an upper-middle-class city in Michigan. It was the epitome of the American love story. They were picture perfect, and from the beginning of their teens, everyone in Middlebury had known they were going to live happily ever after. Everyone, that was, except Annabelle.
It had started going downhill unexpectedly right after college. She and Jax had been officially dating for just over six years, and things had been going smoothly. They spent all of their free time together, joking and laughing. They had the same circle of friends and similar views on most subjects. Jax had been talking about marriage, and Annabelle had been thrilled at the prospects for their future. But something changed, and she didn’t know what it was.
One evening, they had plans to go to a movie with two other couples: Annabelle’s best friend, Elyse, and her boyfriend, and Jax’s best friend, Julian, and his girlfriend. The night had started out well enough; the six ate dinner at the local greasy spoon before heading out the multiplex downtown, something they had done many times prior.
Jax had started telling some off-color sexual joke to the boys, and all three girls quickly shut him down, groaning at the inappropriateness of such conversation. They had continued to the show without incident, but when Annabelle and Jax bid goodnight to their friends and returned to Jax’s car, he had begun screaming without prompting. Annabelle had been caught completely off guard by his abrupt change in personality and could only sit listening to his anger, open-mouthed and in shock. It was a rage which had been brewing since dinner, and Jax had accused her of making him look stupid in front of their friends, a diatribe which had continued for over an hour, all while he drove aimlessly around town in the Chevy at breakneck speed. For effect, when he dropped her off at home, he smashed his fists across the dashboard, denting the hard rubber.
Shocked and terrified, Annabelle had apologized profusely, promising never to make him feel uncomfortable again. She had felt guilty and ashamed for putting him in that position and vowed to be more conscious of her actions in the future, never wanting to see that side of Jax again.
Unfortunately for Annabelle, however, that night had simply been the tip of the monstrous iceberg. Suddenly he was lashing out after every date night, nit-picking at things she had done or said, things she would have never imagined could offend anyone. She chewed too loudly or laughed too hard as his friends’ jokes. No matter how hard Annabelle tried to please him, their days always ended in an eruption and Annabelle crying into her pillow. Overnight, Jax had become possessive, emotionally abusive, and paranoid about her affiliations with any guys he didn’t know, and on occasion, he became jealous when his own friends paid too much attention to Annabelle.
Over time, Annabelle’s sunny smiles became further and fewer apart. She barely spoke in Jax’s presence as any innocent comment or question was subject to intense scrutiny and ridicule.
While he never put his hands on her directly, nothing was safe in his rage. Books were sent flying, furniture got kicked, and doors slammed. Annabelle often feared that she would be the next broken object in his wake. She always assured herself that if that ever occurred, she would end the relationship and never go back. She tried to ignore the cynical voice in her head which constantly whispered that she was doomed to stay in a relationship with a hot-headed man-child, whether he hit her or not. But she was holding out hope that he would return to the sweet man she once knew. Not for the first time, she asked herself how she had ever agreed to his proposal the previous fall.
It’s not too late. You aren’t married. You don’t have kids. You can still get out. But even as she had those thoughts, she recognized the self-reassurances as empty, unenforceable ideas.
Annabelle dried her face with a fluffy brown towel and turned to stare out the window at the unrelenting rain. She had hoped that this outing would go smoothly. Julian had set up the trip weeks earlier, and initially, Annabelle had assumed it was a boys’ weekend. None of her female peers had mentioned anything about the trip, but
she spent less and less time amongst them as the years passed. Jax had cut off her social media access, and after work, he was there to pick her up every single night.
She never went out for girls’ nights anymore, nor did double or group dates occur. Even Elyse, who had been her best friend since kindergarten, had stopped calling and texting, knowing that the answer to all of her invites would always be, “No,” or “Let me ask Jax,” which inevitably meant no.
Annabelle was elated by Julian’s camping idea. She had looked forward to being out of Jax’s constant line of sight for once. She had made plans to meet with Elyse and maybe visit her parents for the first time in months. Somehow, even her relationship with her family had suffered as Jax took more and more control over of her life. Of course, her assumption had been too good to be true, and Jax quickly dashed any plans she had pre-emptively made in her mind.
“What do you mean you’re not packed?” Jax had screamed at her on Thursday night. “We’re leaving after work tomorrow!”
That was how Annabelle had discovered she was also invited. Hastily, she had thrown some clothing into a duffle bag, trying to ignore Jax’s critical scowl and forced a smile.
She fought through rounds of, “Oh, you’re still wearing that?” and “Seriously, Annabelle? This is a camping trip, not the Bunny Ranch. Don’t you have something more appropriate?” Finally, she had a complete travel bag packed and ready for transport.
“See? Finished! No harm done.” She smiled at him.
“No harm except you leave everything to the goddamn last minute. Would it kill you to plan in advance for once in your life, Annabelle? You’re going to be a shitty mother. I hope to God we make enough money to hire a nanny, or our kids will be screwed.”