Even now, Addison rolled her eyes. What jerks! So, to make a long story short, she soon decided she needed a break from the college crowd. Her family lived about two hours away. She hadn’t called them to say she was on her way. She just didn’t want to break down on the phone.
Addison cranked her radio and headed home for some TLC. The Wong Paulie were pounding out their latest tune. She didn’t cry. In fact, she smiled. This song was starting to become her anthem.
* * * *
“Shit!”
Addison steered her sputtering car onto the shoulder of the highway. The “oldie moldie,” her nickname for the car, slowly died and came to a halt on the gravel. Addison hit the steering wheel while cursing her vehicle, as if it just needed more motivation to start up again.
“Damn it!” she swore loudly. A few tears started to form but she quickly blinked them away.
She tried to turn the key a few times, seeing if it would start. Nothing. There wasn’t even any noise coming from it. Addison grabbed her purse and started looking for her phone. After several minutes of not finding it, she dumped out the contents of the bag onto the passenger seat.
She made a frustrated growling noise when she still didn’t see her phone. Just then, it hit her. She had never taken her phone out of her schoolbag after her last class. She had been in such a hurry to just leave everything behind that she had.
Well, at least I’m close, she thought. She was off the interstate and on a wooded highway. If she had to walk, which looked like her only option, it would take her about forty minutes. Addison looked out her side window and recognized the part of the forest she was in.
She knew that if she cut through the woods, she could make it home in under thirty minutes. Addison had a decision to make. On the road, she had a chance to be picked up by a passerby, but she knew this road saw little traffic. On the other hand, she hated the outdoors. So many bugs, squirrels, snakes, whatever.
Addison climbed out of her deceased car and slammed the door. She took a minute to look up and down the highway and saw no vehicles. Woods it is. She gave her car one more dirty look and headed into the ditch and then up into the forest.
As she walked, Addison ran through the events of the last few days in her head. She just felt so wronged. And to make it worse, a part of her wanted Joe back. Damn, I'm screwed up, she thought.
Chapter Six
Addison’s mind was starting to clear. Maybe a peaceful walk through nature was just what she needed. As she stepped over a fallen tree limb, an odd observation popped into her head. It was quiet here, very quiet.
She was pretty sure that when she had started out her trek, about ten minutes ago, the woods had been normal. That is, birds chirping, cicadas singing, a random frog croaking, but now, just silence. Weird, she thought as she slowed her pace.
Addison looked up at the trees and saw that they were pretty still. She shrugged and kept walking. Nothing to do but get home as soon as she could, she determined. There seemed to be some dark clouds rolling in, she now noticed.
Suddenly, Addison’s attention was ripped to her right when she heard a loud crash. She whipped her head in the direction of the noise, but saw nothing. An equally loud crash then sounded on her left. Again, she quickly turned her head to see what the source of the noise was. Nothing, still. The noises were like something slamming into a tree, but there were no physical signs of anything.
A slow panic started to crawl up her throat. An eerie feeling of eyes watching her spread over her skin and caused her to tremble. Addison stopped dead in her tracks and slowly spun in a circle, looking for what could have caused the almost-deafening noises.
Still, she saw nothing. Am I losing my mind? Before she could answer herself, a huge gust of wind hit her left shoulder. The wind was so intense that she stumbled back a few steps. Weird, that wind was very specific.
Just then, Addison felt a warm trickle running down her arm. She looked and screamed in shock. A thin ribbon of blood was running down her forearm. Is that mine? She didn’t feel anything, no pain. Before she had a chance to inspect her arm for a wound, another gust of wind hit the opposite shoulder.
Again, she stumbled a bit, but she was more aware now. Addison looked in horror as a bead of dark red liquid seemed to seep from her inner elbow and then started a slow trek down her arm. This time she had felt the very smallest amount of pain. It lasted a nanosecond. She would have never noticed it if she hadn’t been looking for it.
She looked back at the other arm and a few fat drops of blood were falling off her fingers and coloring the dead leaves on the forest floor. What the hell is happening? I don’t think wind can do that.
“Hello?” Addison screamed out and tried to control the panic in her voice. “Who’s there?”
The only answer she received was another blast of air. This one hit her straight in the chest. She couldn’t keep her footing this time. Addison fell and her back slammed against the ground. The wind was momentarily knocked out of her lungs. She laid there gasping while holding her chest.
As if someone had flipped a switch, all the pain that had been absent for the amount of blood that was now flowing from both arms came to full power. As Addison found her next breath, she screamed out in pain. The pain wasn’t just radiating from her arms, though. It was coming from everywhere.
Her body felt like it was on fire and being crushed from the inside, all at once. Addison started to writhe around over the crunching leaves in pain. Her eyes were tightly closed from the intense pain and she tried to will them open. What was going on? She was being attacked by something, but by what? And why hadn’t she seen anything?
Finally, she mustered up enough strength to open her eyes. The next image quickly seared itself into her memory. Deep-red blood almost completely coated both arms, and because of her rolling around, the forest floor was smeared with it. Addison abruptly felt sick to her stomach. I’m going to fucking vomit!
Her face scrunched up in pain and her eyes shut again. She was starting to feel weak, partly because of blood loss but also because of the unrelenting pain. Addison screamed again, louder as her body curled up into a ball, involuntarily. Her mind was shutting down. The only thing that she could think about was the hurting.
She rolled over to her other side. Her body was trying everything to get rid of the hurt. Addison felt like white-hot wire was being forced through her veins while metal clamps were tightening every muscle in her body.
Just when she wondered if she was going to pass out from the pain and lack of blood, she felt hands. Someone was grabbing her upper arms and laying her back onto her back. Addison’s eyes were still unable to open as she felt the person pulling her body out of its ball form to lay flat.
Surprisingly, just then, some of the indescribable pain faded. It wasn’t completely gone, but it had let up a great deal. Addison then felt a body leaning over her. She slowly opened her eyes. She inhaled sharply and her whole body went rigid. That face. She was lost for several long seconds. It was the most gorgeous face she had ever seen.
A man was leaning over her, hands supporting himself on either side of her body. He was staring down at her with piercing blue eyes. They were the color of the ocean in paradise. Addison thought of nothing except his face, then. A slow-moving silver streak ran through his eyes as a mischievous smile lifted his perfect lips.
Without speaking, the man took one of Addison’s bloody arms in his hand and lifted it. A small part of her told her she should be scared. She couldn’t explain it, though, but she wasn’t. It was like she wasn’t completely in control of her own mind at the moment.
The man’s smile grew as he brought her arm to his face. What he did next both shocked and aroused Addison. He slowly stuck his tongue out and slid it up from the middle of her forearm all the way to her wrist. His tongue was collecting her blood. Addison couldn’t move as she watched him first rub his bloodied tongue over his pearl-white teeth before swallowing.
“Aahh. There’s more
to you than I expected.” The overly attractive male’s voice wrapped itself around Addison. It seemed to seep into her.
He then smiled. Seeing her blood on his teeth kick-started her brain. Addison started to wiggle underneath the stranger. Her sense of danger and fear was growing. Just before she could start to think about fighting back, the full force of the unreasonable pain returned.
Chapter Seven
Addison lay there, unmoving. The pain had again faded, just enough. She had to keep swallowing to stop the vomit from reaching the back of her throat. She just couldn’t comprehend her reactions. It was like her body didn’t want to end this dangerous game even though she knew better. When the man lifted her other arm and started to clean it with his tongue, a small tingle started in her gut but quickly made its way between her thighs.
If her mind could reason right now, she would have found her sexual attraction a bit disturbing. Instead, her mind was just taking in the sight of this gorgeous creature licking and swallowing her blood. For a brief second, Addison thought about struggling, but her body felt heavy and weak. It was taking almost all of her energy to just keep her eyes opened and focused.
This small amount of energy was just about to be stolen from her. The man stopped his tongue-bath on her arm and looked straight into Addison’s eyes. Again, that silver streak made its way through the bright blue of his eyes. She took notice of his black hair that was framing his face but not moving. The air was dead still.
The monstrous stranger then flashed her a million-dollar smile. Her first reaction was to smile back, but she suppressed it with some difficulty. Finally, it happened, what she somehow knew was coming.
The man’s eyes fell shut as he lifted her arm, again, to his face. This time, however, he bared his teeth. Addison let out a blood-curdling scream as she felt his teeth pierce her skin. The pain radiated from her wrist, throughout her entire body. Then, strangely, the pain vanished and was replaced by a warm, tickly sensation.
This almost-too-pleasurable sensation felt like the most intense orgasm someone could have. Wave after wave crashed through her and her screams were gone. In their place were her moans and whimpers of need, but confusion.
Addison’s mind suddenly felt like it was being opened, not under her power. She instantly felt everything and nothing, joy and sorrow, peace and chaos. She felt at one with this creature, but also his opposite.
Then the magic was ending. Addison felt everything slow, her body and her surroundings, time itself. She was falling into darkness. She was dying. She knew this just like she knew her own name. The thing that was odd about it was that she wasn’t panicking. Addison felt like she was supposed to be diving into that black hole.
* * * *
Addison felt nothing and saw nothing. She didn’t know how long she had been in this state of suspended animation but slowly, feelings started to return. Slowly, she started to come to. Her whole body ached and her eyelids were too heavy to lift. Where am I? What happened? In an instant, the mental pictures of the irresistible male flashed before her mind’s eye. First, just his face then his teeth, stained red.
A stripe of panic and horror moved into her mind, but she was still unable to move. Was she dead? I hope not, because I’m in a shitload of pain. How long had she been out? It seemed to Addison that it had only been a few seconds, but how could she tell?
Just then, it was as if someone pulled a plug. She started to go under. Then she was out, again.
* * * *
“Leave her!”
Addison felt her brain awake, but not her body. It was like she was paralyzed, but it felt like it was self-induced. Addison felt like her brain was shutting down all other functions to be more alert. Is that true?
“You know I can’t.”
With her eyes still closed and unresponsive, Addison tried to concentrate on the voices. The first had been female, and it was laced with frustration. The second voice was male. It was oddly soothing but very dominant-sounding.
Just then, Addison felt something touch her lips. At first, she wondered if she was imagining it, but it persisted. She felt very light rubbing on both lips. Out of pure reflex, she licked her lips where the sensation had been. Her tongue came alive. The taste was new, yet familiar.
More touching and more light licking. Her body seemed to know it wanted the mysterious thing. Soon her tongue was moving faster and her head even tried to lift itself closer to the source. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but the taste reminded her of baby powder and metal, like chewing on tinfoil laced with powder. There was a larger amount of the liquid now falling into her parted lips and she swallowed. One more glop and another swallow. Afterwards, just a little more on her lips. As her tongue moved painfully slowly again, she felt her mind starting to go back under its cover of darkness.
No. Addison willed herself to stay present. Just then, she was moving, not under her own power. She was being carried. She gathered all her strength and opened her eyes a fraction. All she saw was sunlight breaking through the trees above her. She almost felt like she was floating.
Then her eyes shut and her brain retreated.
Chapter Eight
Addison moaned loudly and was scarcely aware that she could now move. With her eyes unopened, she rolled from side to side. She was conscious, but just barely. When Addison rolled onto her side, she could feel that she was on something soft. A bed maybe, she thought. As she became more and more awake, she started to take stock of her body. Addison’s chest was sore but it seemed to be fading by the second.
She rolled onto her back and a bit of pain radiated from her wrist. Again, a moan fell from her lips. She took a deep breath, and that is when it hit her. The memories from the forest started to flood her brain. Her eyes popped open and she was staring at a ceiling, but not seeing. Her vision was all internal. Addison saw blood everywhere, on fallen leaves, on grass, on....lips. Fuck! His face made her gasp. It literally felt to Addison like his image had sucked the life out of her again.
“No!” Addison heard in her voice a high-pitched, scared sound. “No!” Now, her voice sounded irate.
Her body was frozen again, just as it had been during the attack. Before, it was frozen from pain, now frozen from memory. Then she felt someone grab her shoulder. At first, Addison thought it was part of her memories but slowly, she realized that it was real. The hand started to shake her and then, that voice.
“Hey, you’re safe now.”
Addison was still staring at the ceiling. Her brain was trying to catch up. Where am I? How long has it been since I was last conscious? The hand started to slide down her arm and then it grabbed her wrist. This kicked her into overdrive. Images of her blood dripping down her arm were coupled with the sensation of being trapped. The hand on Addison’s wrist was holding firm.
She whipped her head to the side where the stranger was sitting. The sudden motion made her dizzy. Addison had the distinct feeling of being nauseous, but also the realization that she would not vomit. Oddly, it was like she now had control over parts of herself she couldn’t have before. She closed her eyes to steady herself.
Addison took a deep breath and paused. After a moment, she opened her eyes. Terror ran through her at lightning speed. Her eyes grew round and wide. Her mouth shot open, but nothing came out. She yanked roughly on the wrist that was being held captive. A small twinge of pain came from the wound and for a second, the man held it tighter, but after she pulled again, he released it.
“I-It’s you.” Addison’s voice was a hoarse whisper.
She started to crawl backward, away from the monster in front of her. She soon reached the edge of the bed and fell to the floor with great force. She was too focused on the person now staring at her to notice. Addison started to crawl backward further, never taking her eyes off the man who was also watching her intently. His expression wasn’t what Addison expected it to be, but she couldn’t care about that now.
More panic and fear filled her chest as she realized that
she was trapped and had no clue where she was. She continued to slide backward on her ass and hands until her back hit the wall. Her eyes never blinked or left the stranger’s gaze. Soon, Addison started to feel tears building.
“Get the hell away from me!” There was more anger in her voice than she knew she had.
The man stood from the chair next to the bed, which he had been sitting on. As he slowly and mechanically walked around the end of the bed, Addison studied him. His face was stoic and calm. As he got closer, she thought she saw something close to remorse playing on his face.
Just before he reached Addison, she buried her face in her arms while curling into a ball. She was trying to make herself as small as possible. She waited, waited for more pain. It didn’t come. Why did he save me just to kill me here? Is this a sick game?
Addison started to sob violently, although it occurred to her that this cry felt different. Something was absent. She tightened her grip on her own legs, now in a ball on the floor. She just lay there, unmoving, until she felt his hand touch her arm. Addison was startled and jumped but stilled again as the hand moved up and started to stroke her hair. She instructed herself not to look up. He wants me to give in to him.
“It wasn’t me.” His voice was so even, and it seemed to cover her like a blanket.
At first, his meaning escaped her.
Addison heard him repeat himself. “It wasn’t me.” This time it sounded like a plea.
What does this vicious man want from me? Does he get his jollies from submitting prey? A good girl begging to be taken? Under different circumstances, Addison thought she might play along. Not now, not like this. More fear reared up inside her chest.
The hand stopped stroking her hair and tugged at it. At first, the tug was gentle, but it got harsher until Addison was forced to raise her head. The man then grabbed her chin and turned her face toward him. Addison blinked her eyes quickly, letting the situation fully encase her. It is him. It is the attacker, my attacker.
Once Bitten, Twice Seduced [Revenants 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 3