by Ruby Forrest
Hanna- Gale couldn’t breathe. If he tried to hurt her, she would have no hope. She tried to sneak back, to leave and phone the police, but the floorboards creaked beneath her feet. When the man began to turn, Hanna- Gale thought she might die of fright.
She clutched the candlestick tighter and wondered how fast she could really run in these heels.
Chapter 3
When he turned around, Hanna- Gale knew that she had been caught out. Her eyes widened as they met his. An intruder. A man who she was terrified of, just because he had entered her house without permission. But he was so striking.
Dark eyes that seemed to flash and dark hair that was perfectly styled. A heavy leather jacket rested over a sharp white t-shirt and blue jeans. He wore heavy boots that looked like motorcycling boots. Hanna- Gale’s heart fluttered, her words caught in her throat. He was big and broad and strong and she felt herself drawn to him even as she was trying to back away.
He had an unnatural sort of beauty, like it shouldn’t be allowed, like this wasn’t something that should be possible, and yet here he was. And she suddenly felt out of place, like he belonged in this house more than she did, even though she owned it.
She was quickly snapped out of her thoughts as he smirked, confident and comfortable, even though he’d been caught. A thrill of fear moved through her.
“I’m Casey. Nice to meet you.” He moved towards her slowly, predatory steps and Hanna- Gale backed up, “May I ask who you are?”
Hanna- Gale couldn’t find her words for a moment, before she frowned, a dark look, “I own this property. I suggest you leave.” Her words were strong and cold, but her hands were still shaking on the candleholder and she suspected that that probably mitigated the effect.
Casey chuckled, a low, dangerous sort of sound, “Leave?”
He looked her up and down and Hanna- Gale suddenly felt very naked around him.
“You’re new to this city, aren’t you?” He smirked.
Hanna- Gale swallowed, the nagging feeling in her gut telling her that she was missing something very important here. Casey just seemed amused, like this was something funny, instead of being a very serious matter of trespassing.
“That doesn’t matter. This is my house and you’re trespassing.” She tried to keep her voice even, but it wavered. Casey’s face darkened, eyes flashing as he took a few leisurely steps forward, Hanna- Gale had nowhere else to go, so she stood her ground.
“Listen, sweetheart.” His voice was low, smooth and deep and it made Hanna- Gale shiver despite herself, “I might be trespassing in this house, but you are trespassing on our turf.” He eyed her with a dangerous sort of look.
“Your turf?” She blurted out. Confusions swirled around Hanna- Gale’s head, making her feel sick and uncertain about everything all over again.
He laughed again, the darkness chased from his eyes as he shook his head, “Damn, you really do not know anything about this city.”
He pointed to his leather jacket, “Red Snow leopards.” He looked at her intently, “It’s our turf.”
A biker gang. The realization hit Hanna- Gale like a ton of bricks and she shuddered. She was evidently in their area and they were not taking very kindly to that fact. Hanna- Gale felt a little shaky, unsure what she should do next. She didn’t know what to say and she most definitely had not expected this when she came into the house today.
Hanna- Gale swallowed and stared him down, “Well, it’s still my house.”
He frowned, “Look…this has been our turf for years.” His voice was low, “So I recommend you get the hell out and go back to wherever you came from, sweetheart. You do not belong here.”
She frowned and narrowed her eyes at the challenge. He was terrifying, but this was her house, her father’s childhood home and all she really had left of him. She wasn’t giving this up because some gang was running around outside.
“I’m not interested in your gang.” She looked him in the eye, “I do not plan on interfering. But this is my family’s home and I’m not just leaving it.” Hanna- Gale turned, determined to get out of this situation. She needed to phone the police if he didn’t leave.
She still didn’t feel safe around him, threatening her like this. She only got a few steps when she felt his hand close around her wrist. Shock and anger jolted through her. His hand was big, easily encircling her wrist and holding her in place. It didn’t hurt, but she couldn’t pull away either.
She whirled and glared at him, “Let me go!”
“Then get out of here.” His voice was low and threatening and Hanna- Gale felt fear tingle through her.
Hanna- Gale whirled around, the candlestick cracking down on his arm. He yelled in surprise and let go of her. He was a huge guy and that wouldn’t have been more than a warning shot to him. A blow like that probably would have snapped Hanna- Gale’s arm in two.
He rubbed his arm as if he had bumped it and glared at her, danger in his eyes, “You’re not playing smart.”
Hanna- Gale fumbled for her phone, racing to the top of the stairs. This time, he didn’t grab her, although he did follow her in slow, steady steps.
“Get out of my house or I’m phoning the police!” She dialled the number with shaky hands, ready to push the call button.
Casey glared at her, before he chuckled and shook his head, the dark clouds fleeing from his eyes, “You’re interesting, Hanna- Gale.” A tingle shivered up her spine- she hadn’t told him her name.
“I’ll let it go for tonight, but be assured I’ll be back soon.” He sauntered past her, Hanna- Gale backing up as he did, not wanting to get caught in his path. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, eying her up and down with a devious smirk, “Watch yourself.”
Then he walked out of the door like he owned the place and Hanna- Gale was left shaking and wondering what the hell had just happened. And what she was meant to do about this gang that wanted her out of her own home.
She sank down, sitting at the top of the stairs and wondering what was going to happen next. 911 hung, untouched, on her phone.
Chapter 4
The snow leopard stood, proud and tall. Hanna- Gale could see him standing atop the mountain, surveying his domain. He was so proud, and standing so tall. Hanna- Gale couldn’t help but admire him, couldn’t help but see majesty in his stance, in the way that he looked over his people, over the millions scattered across the earth.
Somehow, even though she could not see them, Hanna- Gale knew that there were millions down there, millions around the world who were aligned with this magnificent creature. She felt like her breath had been taken away from her in a sudden rush, in a beautiful rush of air and breathlessness. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, feeling the sensations catch in her throat and tighten in her chest, an ache that she could not let go of, an ache that was lingering in the background and refusing to let go of her.
She loved it, loved watching this creature, watching the muscles that bunched beneath his skin, watching the rise and fall of its breathing and the ways his chest tightened and relaxed, expanded and contracted with each breath. He looked so powerful standing there, so strong towering above everyone, a force to be reckoned with, someone who should not be messed with, or argued with. There was a magnetism about him that Hanna- Gale could not ignore. There was a strength that rippled through him, a power that she could not deny, something about him that was drawing her closer and closer and closer.
She could feel the way that the air seemed to ripple around him and it touched something deep inside Hanna- Gale. She felt a freedom, a longing, and an ache that she had never felt before and did not know what to call it. It was something that was calling her to him and she could not turn away. Something about his eyes as he stared out into the distance.
It was a mysterious force and Hanna- Gale didn’t know how or why it was working on her, didn’t know what to do or what to say or how to act. She shuddered, feeling herself move, as if in a trance. One foot moved a step forward on its
own, tentative and hesitant. Then the second foot followed, stepping into the unknown, stepping into a world that she had never before experienced, or even heard about.
Her body seemed to be moving on its own, stepping out into the great unknown, stepping out into something new and strange and different in so many ways. She didn’t know what lay ahead, and she didn’t know what was waiting for her. But Hanna- Gale stepped forward, one foot at a time, moving out into the unknown, with no one but herself to offer guidance, no one but herself to help her move forward, move onwards.
And yet, she had to move, had to move forward and keep going, had to keep moving until she found the place where she needed to be. And she had a feeling, a feeling deep inside of her, that she was meant to be here, meant to move towards the snow leopard that was standing so proud on the mountain, who was watching over everyone with such strength and dignity and grace, who was not about to quit or give up or move away. He was strong, he was confident and she needed to be by his side.
She needed to get to him. She took a step, moving closer and closer, approaching him faster and faster, feeling the breath on her skin as she gasped, her breathing coming in short, sharp pants as she ran towards him, ran towards him and felt the pressure on her skin, on her body. She felt the ache in her chest as she approached and got closer and closer.
The snow leopard turned around, fixing his eyes on her, those beautiful, yellow eyes that seemed to stare into her soul, seemed to stare into her very mind and capture her with the intensity, with the way that he wouldn’t look away, the focus, the breathless way it made her feel, the tension that caught in her chest and left her gasping and shaky and wanting to be closer already.
The draw to him was spiritual, was more intense than anything that she had ever felt before and she could not turn away. She could not turn away from this leopard, this creature with such strength, the creature who would guide her, keep her safe and bring her the type of fulfilment that she had been craving and needing and wanting for the longest time, that she had been so desperate for, for the longest time. She needed it, ached for it, wanted the fulfilment and the purpose in her life, and wanted to feel whole again.
She needed this. As she approached, it hit her all over again. The snow leopard stood, proud and tall. Hanna- Gale could see him standing atop the mountain, surveying his domain. He was so proud, and standing so tall. Hanna- Gale couldn’t help but admire him, couldn’t help but see majesty in his stance, in the way that he looked over his people, over the millions scattered across the earth.
Somehow, even though she could not see them, Hanna- Gale knew that there were millions down there, millions around the world who were aligned with this magnificent creature. She felt like her breath had been taken away from her in a sudden rush, in a beautiful rush of air and breathlessness. She bit her lip and took a deep breath, feeling the sensations catch in her throat and tighten in her chest, an ache that she could not let go of, an ache that was lingering in the background and refusing to let go of her.
She loved it, loved watching this creature, watching the muscles that bunched beneath his skin, watching the rise and fall of its breathing and the ways his chest tightened and relaxed, expanded and contracted with each breath. He looked so powerful standing there, so strong towering above everyone, a force to be reckoned with, someone who should not be messed with, or argued with. There was a magnetism about him that Hanna- Gale could not ignore. There was a strength that rippled through him, a power that she could not deny, something about him that was drawing her closer and closer and closer.
She reached out a hand, reached out towards him, longing to pull him in and draw him close, to feel him near again, feel something, anything. She was so close, so close, and so close. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears-
When Hanna- Gale woke up the following morning, she was left with a dazed feeling, as if the previous night had been a dream. She woke with a start, the same recurring dream twisting in her head again and again.
It didn’t take long for her to collect herself and, when she did, everything flooded back to her and she sunk back against the pillows, sighing heavily. She was exhausted- there was no denying that. She had tossed and turned all night, even though she was sleeping on the softest sheets.
She had sat at the top of the stairs for what seemed like hours, watching the world darken around her. She had just sat and thought about Casey, about what he had told her and how insane it had all seemed and felt to her. She felt a little ill as she remembered his words, threatening, confident and so very self-assured.
She had eventually dragged herself to bed with slow, tired steps, sinking into one of the master bedrooms, after she had checked and double checked that everything was locked. She then locked the door to this wing, locked the door to her bedroom and curled up beneath the covers.
She had fallen asleep like that, curled beneath the sheets, wondering what she was meant to do next, now that she knew she had a biker gang banging at her door. Now that the light was filtering through the curtains, Hanna- Gale knew it was time to get up and face the day.
She didn’t particularly want to, but there wasn’t anything else for it. So she stood up and headed to the bathroom, deciding to run herself a bath, a lavish one at that. She had packed her own toiletries and after a quick rinse of the bath, she filled it up with plenty of beautiful smelling bubbles and sank into the warmth.
It felt amazing. The bubbles and hot water on her skin helped her to relax and the bath was so lovely and deep that she felt like she was really able to soak. This made her smile, happiness bubbling in her chest and making her feel settled and content even in this absolutely crazy new world she had walked into.
With a sigh, Hanna- Gale reached for an old book that she had brought with her, one of the old fairy tale stories that kept her company late at night when things got crazy, and had helped her through both her childhood and adult years. She smiled faintly, hoping that reading the text would help her feel more settled, help her feel more at ease in her own skin, more ready to take in the day that was in front of her.
The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids
There was quite a long time ago an old goat who had seven little children, and cherished them with all the affection of a mother for her youngsters. Multi day she needed to go into the timberland and get some sustenance. So she called each of the seven to her and stated: 'Dear kids, I need to go into the woodland, be alert against the wolf; in the event that he comes in, he will eat up all of you—skin, hair, and everything. The knave regularly camouflages himself, however you will know him on the double by his unpleasant voice and his dark feet.' The children stated: 'Dear mother, we will take great care of ourselves; you may leave with no uneasiness.' Then the old one bleated, and went on her way with a simple personality. It was not some time before somebody thumped at the house-entryway and called: 'Open the entryway, dear kids; your mom is here, and has carried something back with her for every one of you.' But the little children realized that it was the wolf, by the harsh voice. 'We won't open the entryway,' cried they, 'you are not our mom. She has a delicate, lovely voice, yet your voice is unpleasant; you are the wolf!' Then the wolf left to a retailer and got himself an extraordinary chunk of chalk, ate this and made his voice delicate with it. At that point he returned, thumped at the entryway of the house, and called: 'Open the entryway, dear kids, your mom is here and has carried something back with her for every one of you.' But the wolf had laid his dark paws against the window, and the kids saw them and cried: 'We won't open the entryway, our mom has not dark feet like you: you are the wolf!' Then the wolf raced to a cook and stated: 'I have harmed my feet, rub some batter over them for me.' And when the dough puncher had rubbed his feet over, he hurried to the mill operator and stated: 'Strew some white dinner over my feet for me.' The mill operator pondered internally: 'The wolf needs to delude somebody,' and can't; however the wolf stated: 'On the off chance that you won't do it, I will eat up you.' Then the mill oper
ator was anxious, and made his paws white for him. Really, this is the method for humankind. So now the lowlife went for the third time to the house-entryway, thumped at it and stated: 'Open the entryway for me, youngsters, your dear little mother has returned home, and has brought each one of you something over from the backwoods with her.' The little children cried: 'First demonstrate to us your paws that we may know whether you are our dear little mother.' Then he put his paws in through the window and when the children saw that they were white, they trusted that all he said was valid, and opened the entryway. In any case, who should come in yet the wolf! They were startled and needed to shroud themselves. One sprang under the table, the second into the bed, the third into the stove, the fourth into the kitchen, the fifth into the organizer, the 6th under the washing-bowl, and the seventh into the clock-case. Be that as it may, the wolf discovered them all, and utilized no awesome function; in a steady progression he gulped them down his throat. The most youthful, who was in the clock-case, was the just a single he didn't discover. At the point when the wolf had fulfilled his hunger he took himself off, laid himself down under a tree in the green glade outside, and started to rest. Before long subsequently the old goat returned home again from the backwoods. Ok! what a sight she saw there! The house-entryway stood completely open. The table and seats were tossed down, the washing-bowl lay broken to pieces, and the bedcovers and cushions were pulled off the bed. She looked for her youngsters, however they were mysteriously gone. She called them in a steady progression by name, yet nobody replied. Finally, when she went to the most youthful, a delicate voice cried: 'Dear mother, I am in the clockcase.' She took the child out, and it disclosed to her that the wolf had come and had eaten all the others. At that point you may envision how she sobbed over her poor youngsters. Finally in her despondency she went out, and the most youthful child kept running with her. When they went to the glade, there lay the wolf by the tree and wheezed so noisy that the branches shook. She took a gander at him on each side and saw that something was moving and battling in his glutted stomach. 'Ok, sky,' she stated, 'is it conceivable that my poor youngsters whom he has gulped down for his dinner, can be as yet alive?' Then the child needed to run home and get scissors, and a needle and string, and the goat cut open the creature's stomach, and scarcely had she influenced one cut, than one little child to push its take off, and when she had cut more remote, every one of the six sprang out in a steady progression, and were all still alive, and had endured no damage whatever, for in his eagerness the beast had gulped them down. What cheering there was! They grasped their dear mother, and bounced like a tailor at his wedding. The mother, in any case, stated: 'Now go and search for some huge stones, and we will fill the devilish monster's stomach with them while he is still snoozing.' Then the seven children dragged the stones thither with all speed, and put the greatest number of them into this stomach as they could get in; and the mother sewed him up again in the best scramble, so he didn't know about anything and not even once mixed. At the point when the wolf finally had his fill of rest, he got on his legs, and as the stones in his stomach made him extremely parched, he needed to go to a well to drink. Be that as it may, when he started to walk and to move about, the stones in his stomach thumped against each other and shook. At that point cried he: 'What thunders and tumbles Against my poor bones? I thought 'twas six children, But it feels like enormous stones.' And when he got to the well and stooped over the water to drink, the substantial stones influenced him to fall in, and he suffocated hopelessly. At the point when the seven children saw that, they came rushing to the spot and cried out loud: 'The wolf is dead! The wolf is dead!' and moved for euphoria circuitous the well with their mom.