Everyone had gone home. The only people left in the house were Carter, Eleanor, Autumn, and me. Three Hunters locked up in a house with the very monster that they were hunting. Their specialized warding had no effect on me, their silver blades were useless, and all of their knowledge of the supernatural held no answers for them. But luckily for them, I was no threat. Instead, I was probably the best protection they could ever have.
They came to the guest side of the house and kept insisting that I stay with them for the night, especially after the run-in that we had with the vampires. They were worried that something might happen to me with all of the different threats looming so large. So, they set me up in their guest wing, and they wouldn’t take no for an answer, no matter how hard I tried to downplay.
Autumn was anxious as we all spoke, thinking I’d end up going home or something. As soon as they broke my will to resist my own urges, I just agreed. I guess I was staying the night.
Carter and I sat on the counters of the small guest kitchen, drinking a few beers, talking about the monster. He wanted to dig in on the mystery creature and find ways to research old legends and stories that could help us learn more. He told me that he had contacts in other parts of the world that were looking into anything that could help us figure out what we were dealing with. In his mind, he knew that the answers would come. It was only a matter of time. At least that’s how it usually worked, but I was no ordinary beast.
It was funny to me how the thing he searched for was right in front of him, but I had absolutely no ideas to share. I was just as in the dark as he was. Whatever hid inside me seemed like it had been lost to the supernatural world for a long time.
Carter was ready to call it a night, and Eleanor had just finished setting up the guest room. She paced out of the guest bedroom with a few spare sheets she didn’t need. “It's all set up,” she said.
“I guess it is that time,” Carter said, finishing the last sip of his beer.
“Yeah, I could use some sleep. Today was… eventful,” I laughed, shaking the empty beer bottle in my hand.
“Yes, it was,” he said, standing up. He got a little more serious for a second, “We can talk more tomorrow. If you want to stick around in the morning, there are always new things to learn.”
“Sounds good,” I said. I looked to Eleanor, “Thanks again for the room. A couch would have been fine.”
She smiled, “Please, it’s nothing. If you need anything, just make yourself at home, go get something to eat, drink, watch TV, whatever you want. Make yourself at home.” She emphasized again, really wanting me to feel comfortable.
I nodded and actually smiled, not the fake smile I put on, “Thank you. You guys really don’t have to do all of this for me.”
“Oh, stop, it’s nothing. It’s the least we can do to make sure you’re safe,” Eleanor replied.
“Well, thank you.” I was undeserving of their care. If they only knew what I was, undoubtedly, they’d be acting differently.
“Good night. We’ll see you in the morning, Sam.”
“Good night,” I replied. Then they headed up the few steps and down the hall to the primary side of the house.
I walked into the bedroom and flipped the light switch. The bed looked so comfortable that I walked straight to it and slid under the warm blankets. I hadn’t slept like that in forever. Soft sheets on a warm, clean mattress weren’t my reality. I was in heaven.
As I lay in the dark, I thought about all they were doing for me and how much they cared about me. I felt my throat tighten, followed by my eyes watering up. I felt like I was a part of a family again. I was motionless in the dark, thankful for everything I was experiencing with the Chasses. Still, I was getting choked up about something else.
All the things I was getting from them only reminded me of everything back home. Well, where home used to be. I remembered the late nights with Vicky, lying in bed, and talking about the family we wanted. I thought of our lives together and how much we loved each other. I remembered being with my own family and my brother. Then, I remembered that sweet little girls face that night in the house. I replayed the only memories I had of Caydee. Her small little frame, her tiny little lungs rising and falling, her quick heartbeat. I read through her little book in my mind again. This was what real pain felt like.
For that moment, I was glad to be alone.
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I was lying in bed for about an hour before I heard the doorknob twist, and someone slip through the crack before closing the door silently. She was almost a ghost as she crept through the dark room. It was funny watching her try to avoid furniture that I could see so clearly with my blackened eyes.
Autumn’s heartbeat was erratic. She was nervous, excited, and all the other things you’d expect from a normal human. I, on the other hand, was scared. I knew what probably lingered in Autumn’s mind. But I was hesitant to do it. I was worried about what that would do to her.
I didn’t know all the answers, and I didn’t know what it would mean if we got too… physical. I didn’t want to do anything that would hurt her.
I said nothing as she snuck through the room and flawlessly slipped under my covers.
“Hey,” was all she said to announce herself as she inched under the sheets.
“Hey,” I whispered. “What are you doing?” I was still nervous about it. I wanted it so bad, but I feared the consequences.
Stolen novel; please report.
“This,” she said just before her lips pressed into mine. She didn’t need to talk anymore. She, and I, knew what she wanted. There wasn’t room for anything else.
As things started to heat up, my worries melted away, replaced by an intensity I hadn’t felt in years. The what-ifs vanished from my mind, replaced by the overwhelming sensation of her presence, the longing I had suppressed for too long. I pulled her close, feeling the warmth of her body against mine, and then gently rolled her on top of me. Her dark hair cascaded over my face and chest, the strands soft yet slightly rough, brushing against my skin like silk laced with electricity.
Every sense was heightened, every touch magnified. I was acutely aware of how easily I could lose control; how one wrong move could shatter her fragile frame. She was strong, determined, but she was still human, still vulnerable. I had to be careful. Every movement needed to be measured; every touch deliberate. I felt the tension coil inside me, a primal force I had to keep in check.
We moved in the darkness, our breaths mingling, our lips meeting over and over again. Our bodies speaking in a language of quiet, deliberate movements as our hands both explored each other desperately in our passionate embrace. My senses locked onto every detail; the soft rhythm of her breath, the steady rise and fall of her chest, the way her pulse quickened beneath my fingertips. Her heartbeat thrummed in my ears, a steady, mesmerizing rhythm that guided me, grounded me. It was as if I could feel her blood coursing through her veins, a subtle warmth against my palms, a living connection that pulsed in time with her heart. She kissed me desperately, and I fell into it, but the beast was ever present in my mind. I prayed we would slow down and not go too far.
The experience was overwhelming, a surge of sensations I had never known before. It was everything I remembered with Vicky, but now amplified, every moment stretched out and intensified. I didn’t want it to end. I was lost in the experience, drowning in the flood of new sensations. It was an entirely new way of being, a heightened reality that was both exhilarating and terrifying. Every moment with her was a reminder of what I had lost, but also of what I had found… what I could lose.
She slowly pulled back, “Sam… I really like you. It’s more than like…” she struggled to find the words. “I feel safe with you; and that is saying something in my world. I’ve fought things that people don’t even know exist, I’ve killed creatures with ten times my own strength, but with you…” she really dug from deep within as she spoke. “There is something about you that I can’t explain, but I feel it.” Her gorgeous face strained in the dark as she tried to put her feelings into words. She trailed off, trying to think of how she wanted to continue.
She was silent for a few minutes, kissing me again, periodically… slowly. The intensity of the physical contact had slowed, which was good. My human mind wanted us to pump the brakes.
“I don’t want to rush this,” Autumn said. “I don’t want to go too fast, but I want you to know that you mean a lot to me. This… means a lot to me”
“You mean a lot to me too,” I replied. “The last thing I want to do is ruin everything I have with you, and your family.” I meant it for more reasons than this.
She snuggled in close to me, lying her head on my chest listening to my powerful breaths. She seemed… happy. I stayed as still as possible, sensing everything about her in those late hours, holding her tightly against me. We stopped before we got too far, which eased the burden in my mind. Just to have her lying beside me was heaven, and I didn’t want it to be over.
This was different than in the back of her car. This wasn’t a frenzied rush of lust and uncertainty. This was a real connection, with real emotion and vulnerability. It was the first time I had been this close with anyone in years, and I needed it to last forever. I was so comfortable that, for the first time in a long time, I didn’t want to escape into sleep.
Then, in the darkness of the night, after Autumn’s mind floated into slumber, I made a decision. I felt right. This felt real. I had thought for so long that I was living a lie, but now… I don’t think that was totally true. I was living a half-life.
Yes, I came to learn from them in secret through lies. It was to see if I could discover more about the beast within. But what actually happened was that I learned more about me… Sam. Me… I wanted to be with them; that’s why I kept coming back. The human man that walked with a beast was interacting and growing with these people. I just wanted to be me again. It was complicated, for sure, but I truly thought if anyone could understand… it was them. If they could accept Jane and Frank… maybe, with time they’d accept me, my whole life, both sides. Of course I feared the worst. Autumn might hate me, and they Chasse family could try to kill me. But I couldn’t continue like this. I knew I was at a crossroads with how everything sat. I couldn’t keep going without them knowing the truth. And I couldn’t let this get any further and suck them deeper into the lie without coming clean. Especially Autumn. I wanted her to know the real me.
It was decided. In the morning, when everyone was awake… I’d tell them everything.
I closed my eyes and just listened to Autumn breathing. It was hypnotic and entrancing. I didn’t even notice when I fell asleep. Part of me was… happy.
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"Rise," a voice sliced through my slumber, cold and commanding. The image of the cloaked figure flooded my mind. The same figure I’d seen on the night I was killed, the one that loomed atop jagged rocks in the pitch-black forest where the original monster had slaughtered me.
I bolted upright, sweat chilling as it trickled down my face. Silence smothered the house, but the voice… I knew it was real. It clung to me like a heavy fog. My ears strained for Autumn's steady breathing beside me. She was still there, blissfully unaware of the sinister voice that had echoed through the night. She shifted unconsciously as I sat up, oblivious to the dread seeping into the room.
The silence deepened. My eyes darted through the dark room, searching frantically for the source of the words, but there was nothing. Only the sweat and cold fear crawling over my skin made its presence known.
“Charlotte Gunderson,” the deep voice spoke again. A violent flash of images shot into my mind.
I saw a woman… no, women… It was a party. No, it was a gathering. It was in a modern home. The lights were dim, making it even harder to see their already cloaked faces. Candles littered the edges of the room. The group of women sat in a circle smearing blood on the floor in all kinds of different patterns. I only recognized one of the shapes, the biggest one in the center of the ring. It was a pentagram. Flashes of other things ripped through me incoherently, along with deafening blows of what can only be compared to thunder. Bodies littered the floor. Women’s naked figures writhing in pleasure on top of multiple different men. Then, I saw the men being cut open and killed. They were sacrificed. These women… these witches were killing them and smearing the blood over themselves. I felt dark, very dark power in what I saw. One woman paced between the figures on the ground. She was the mediator. I could see her guiding hand on everything taking place with everyone on the floor. All the other women looked to her as they slit the throats of the unsuspecting men. She was Charlotte Gunderson, and they were all witches. Their faces were burned into my mind, every single one of them. Then, everything shot to black.
My eyes ripped open, and everything flew back into focus. The room was calm and silent. There was no voice, no images. Everything was as it had been. Autumn was still there, grasping my arm tightly in her sleep, unaware of the visions that just ripped through my mind.
You’d probably think that I was confused, but I wasn’t. I knew exactly why I was shown these things. I could feel the reason in the images, but I felt the command in the voice. I was being sent for her, Charlotte Gunderson, and her alone. I had no clue what was watching me, or haunting me, or whatever was happening, but I did know that it wanted only one thing. It wanted me to kill her, to kill them all.
I would.