by Kim Faulks
"I'm here." I licked my lips. "Can you help me?"
There was no answer. But this voice wasn’t Mark’s, so I had to try again.
"Tell me what you want me to do. Maybe we can help each other?"
The voice echoed from the darkness. "I need."
My chest seized my breath as cold air brushed my leg. The tips of my heavy skirt shifted under unseen fingers. They brushed my foot, exposing my ankle, then moved higher.
"I need." The husky voice growled as my dress parted, the cold sensation reached higher. I yanked the hem, drawing the brocade down over my legs, clasping my knees together. I caught the heady scent of musk as an unseen force shoved the satin aside. The icy trail snaked along my lower leg and slipped under my knee.
"Please, stop." I whimpered.
"I. Need."
The command was filled with hunger, luring me away from the cold and the dark. My dress bunched at mid thigh under a ghostly hand. Through the gloom, I caught movement.
First an arm, then a torso. Seconds later a face; the expression so hard, my heart stuttered with fear. His eyes were dark and imploring, trapping me underneath him. With each second his silver hair turned to gold and fell to frame his face. I fought the need to sweep my fingers through the strands to see if he was real. The pressure of him against me felt a little too real. His shoulders bulged as his arms blocked me in, pushing me against the floor.
Those intense eyes left mine, lingering on my chest. I pressed my spine hard against the floor as my nipples hardened, chafing inside the smooth satin bodice. My nerves fired, drawing heat between my legs. I clenched my thighs tight, watching his nostrils flare, drawing in my scent with harsh breaths.
"Stop this." No more. This isn't happening. This isn't happening. A bulge between his thighs dug into mine, sending shivers along my skin. I was helpless to move as he lifted one hand to slide his palm over my stomach.
The proper accent was now feral and depraved.
"I need. I need."
His hand was heavy, spanning my ribs, creeping up to cup my breast. I turned my head, tears slipped across the bridge of my nose. I tried to still my breath, but a different need—every bit as primal—forced my chest to rise under the touch of his hand. His grip kneaded my flesh and he squeezed my nipple, drawing a burn from deep inside.
I need. I need.
My tears turned to ice on my cheek, but they seemed to excite him more. His body rocked against mine, thrusting his knee to part my legs. He fumbled with my skirt, wrenching it higher from my legs. My cheeks burned as heat flared between my thighs. His strong grip forced my legs wider. The cold air licked the heat between my thighs, sending shivers along my skin. My attacker shifted and I could breathe once more. He slid lower, stopping at my sex.
I gripped the skirt, shoving it between my thighs, then froze as a growl tore through the air.
Under the thin cotton of my panties, my channel tingled. I waited for the touch of his mouth, hating the way my flesh reacted. One shift of my legs and the elastic of my panties would inch toward the crease of my sex, exposing me. I swallowed hard, fighting that dark desire as movement behind this man drew my gaze.
Something reared in the darkness. My ears buzzed with the pressure of a gathering storm. White wisps of smoke took shape into something that was too big for me to see. But, God I felt it.
The vague outline of a giant dominated the space of the dining room, stilling my attacker. His momentary distraction was all I needed.
I yanked my arms back and rolled, then pulled my knee toward my chest. I drove my heel out, kicking him in the chest. The blow toppled him sideways.
I shoved my good heel against the floor, skidding out from underneath him. A low growl echoed from the floorboards of the room. The deep rumbling raised the hairs on my arms. I scurried backward, desperate to get way, and smashed my ass against a wall. My body pulsed with that growl. Something dangerous reared in the darkness, coming for me.
Thank you for reading.
I hope you enjoyed Gretel and taste of Beast.
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