by Ruby Forrest
It wasn’t the life she had planned. It wasn’t sedate and safe and planned out like the one in the suburbs. It was dangerous, it was fun and it was thrilling. Hanna- Gale found that she loved it, craved it, and wanted it.
And every time she looked into Casey’s eyes and saw the fiery eyes of a snow leopard, she knew that she had made the best choice for her and for those around her. Staring at the house, she felt Casey’s arms wrap around her body and she sighed in contentment.
The roar of his bike wasn’t far off and she longed to ride with him for long hours, ride away from it all and focus on hours spent with him, a life in a fancy house and on the open road.
It was unusual, it was different, and it suited Hanna- Gale down to the ground. It was everything she could have hoped for.
“Ready to go?” Casey’s voice whispered into her ear.
Hanna- Gale turned and kissed him, tasting him on her lips and feeling the searing, smoky heat. She could lose herself in his arms, lose herself in the feel of his hands on her body, him ahead of her as they rode on the bike, his smile as he looked at her and burnt her with those beautiful eyes. She couldn’t believe that she had once dreamt of hating this man, for even a moment.
“Ready.” She smiled.
Everything was just perfect.
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 could hear her heart pounding in her ears.
This time, when she reached out, she felt Casey’s hand in hers. This time, she felt on top of the world. This time, everything was perfect.
THE END
Table of Contents
Snow Leopard Protector
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8