4. The Hunt

The Hunt

I watch Fiadh glance over her shoulder as she walks away, and I give her my softest smile. What a naive girl. She actually thinks I’m a human man. A handsome, kind man who just wanders book stores and reads romance novels. Her perfect match. All I had to do was read her soul and I knew everything about her. What she’s passionate about reading, what she finds attractive. Her greatest fear. She fell right into my trap, and now I can play with her during the daytime while I torture her at night.

As soon as she’s out the door and running through the rain with her Granda, I duck into an alley and shift into a raven again to track them home. I perch outside of a window, watching them eat dinner and read their books. Clad in flannel pajamas, Fiadh looks so relaxed as she snuggles into her arm chair, nose deep in the book I picked for her at the store. She reads until the stars twinkle in the night sky. When she finally makes the trip to bed, she continues reading by the light of her bedside table lamp. I shift into my human form and sit on a thick bough lower in the tree, right outside her window, and decide to play with her more before I terrorize her.

Hey, how are you enjoying the book?

Her phone pings. She puts her book down and sits up, blushing like a schoolgirl. Shifting in her bed, she stares at the phone for a few moments before replying.

Fiadh: It’s great so far. I love how Diana is so strong and confident. And the way these guys just come in and stir things up. They’re seriously psychos.

Have you gotten to the dream scene in Chapter Five…

Her face is beet red, and she rolls onto her stomach. I see the curve of her ample arse in her pajama pants, but it’s not enough to slake the need I have. I want to see more. I want to see all of her porcelain skin flush red. Her cheeks, the tip of her nose, her neck, all the way down her stomach to her pussy. Just because I plan on eating her soul, doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with her first.

Fiadh: Yeah, it was steamy. Only an incubus could pull off something like that. And the way Bonnet wrote the scene *hot face emoji*. The banter was hot too.

Only an incubus, huh?She’ll learn. I’m going to enjoy playing with my new toy.

I love how descriptive that scene is…how Diana is taken right to the edge, over and over again. How Sebastian makes her deepest, darkest desires come true. Made me think of what my hidden desires are…

I can see her throat work as she swallows. She seems so flustered. The dots in the messenger app appear and disappear a few times, and minutes pass before she finally responds to me.

Fiadh: The way he completely owns her in that moment is truly beautiful. And the bite mark and what it signifies. The dominance, the control. Knowing he wants her bad enough to claim her for himself no matter the consequences. Maybe I’m messed up for thinking this, but I find that very romantic.

So she wants to be controlled. That works for me. I want to own her, dominate her as I feed from her fear and feel her lust wash over me. It seems this girl may enjoy kinkier activities in the bedroom. And lucky for her, the soul is always awake, even when its keeper is sleeping.

Yeah, it was cool to read about things I practice in real life. I love how the indie romance author community explores these themes in a nonjudgemental way. Hey, do you know the big oak tree in the woods, the one surrounded by all the primroses and bluebells?

Fiadh: Yeah, I love that spot. So beautiful. I used to read there all the time when I was a kid.

Do you want to meet there tomorrow and read together? I’m rereading In Death We Part so we can talk about it, and I’d love to get to know you better.

She frowns, laying down and pulling the covers over herself. Her eyes are glued to the ceiling, no doubt thinking of how to respond. Little tendrils of despair waft from her, but they’re so potent I can taste them from outside. So delicious, with a rich, dark flavor. It runs deep. I’m sure she feels conflicted about spending time with another man so soon.

Fiadh: Sure. How does three in the afternoon work? I can pack some snacks and drinks?

I will, too. See you soon.

Little does she know, I’ll see her much sooner than she thinks.