I awakened early after sunset, just in time to watch the sky fade from crimson to indigo to violet. It's my favorite time of day, when the colors of sunlight bled into the darkness. The way pink hues streaked the night sky accented the shimmering stars on a cloudless night. The full moon reached not far ahead, the light on opposite ends of the chromatic scene. As the moon rose, the colors blended and flickered over the crystal waters of the lake below. The shrouded mystery of darkness beneath the surface drew me in.
Maybe I'll go for a swim.
I heard a clatter down the hall and a scream. Bolting from my bedside window, I bypassed clothing and ran toward the source of the sound. There was another crash coming from the kitchen and I burst through the wood and metal door only to find a bowl on the floor and my daughters giggling covered in flour. I groaned my annoyance.
"Girls, I thought someone had broke into the castle and harmed you."
My daughters giggled and threw flour at me, smiling at their own form of mischief. "Sorry, Mother, but couldn't you have saved us in armour instead of your birthday suit?"
I squinted, confused. "Birthday... suit?" They erupted into another fit of giggles and unanimously said, "Naked, Mother," before laughing again. I growled and shook my head. With a poof, I am covered in flour as well, Madeline and Dahlia laughing even harder. Shaking my head, I said, "I'm going for a swim. Dont get into too much trouble."
They each mumbled a promise and I returned to my room. With a wet cloth, I wiped away the flour from my skin and put on a silk robe and shoes before walking down the hallway to the front door. The moonlight peeked at me as I reached the front gate, making me smile, before it hid behind a small wisp of cloud. The lake still shimmered, shrouded in mystery and dark delights hidden beneath the surface.
I removed my shoes smoothly at the shore if its crystal waters, pulled my hair from a rubber band and dropped the robe at my feet before stepping in. The water was warm against my skin, whereas the night air was cool. I sighed my pleasure as I sank in to my shoulders. The water was always a happy place for me, a place of peace and freedom. The nights are beautiful, yes, but theres something about a midnight swim that's just so freeing.
Footsteps approached as I dipped in for a dive, swimming farther from shore. The quiet underneath is something of fairytales. As I emerged from the water and turned to shore, I saw Michael standing there, staring at me in amazement. I float there a moment and smiled before I stood and walked until I felt dry sand between my toes.
"Hello, Michael. Late night walk?" I asked as I pulled my robe over my shoulders. He nodded and grinned at me, a million watt smile that could melt anyone's heart.
"Midnight swim?" I laughed and smiled, but the sound is cut short by his hand cupping my cheek. Electricity shocked my nerves, leaving a tingling sensation along my skin. The feeling took my breath away. I watched as Michael took a staggering breath. He felt it, too.
How strange.
His dark eyes were half closed and hooded, even darker with desire. A red flush covered his cheeks. Taking another breath, he licked his lips and swallowed.
"I'm going to kiss you, now, Alanna."
The thought sent shivers down my spine, his lips pressed against mine. I wonder if they're soft? What do they taste like? I lick my lips, as if to express my thoughts, as I look up into his eyes.
Those uneasily farmiliar eyes. Where have I seen them before?
Before another thought could cross my mind, Michael's thumb nestled underneath my jaw and his lips were against mine. They were soft, like the silk of my robe, and tasted of musk and honey. Fireworks went off behind my eyes, my nerves suddenly alive. The soft growl that rumbled in his chest made my nipples pucker and heat to pool between my thighs. He pulled me to him roughly, allowing me to feel his rather large arousal as well, and nipped at my lips. The action had me gasping for air and clawing at his shoulders.
Such a mundane act had me curling my toes with anticipation. As if he sensed my arousal, Michael chuckled and growled again, moving his kisses and nibbles to my neck. The soft growls that came from his mouth matched the soft mewls that came from mine. I held onto this man, this stranger, for dear life as he did nothing but kiss me and arouse me by doing almost nothing.
It made me uneasy.
His kisses were soft but primal across the side of my neck, his warm lips aimed to leave a claim upon my skin. I sighed in pleasure as he held my hips in an almost painful grip.
"You're beautiful, Alanna. I dont know how I ever resisted you last night." His teeth scraped across my skin between his words, sending shivers down my spine. Michael's breath warmed the air around us, our skin already warming from the unrealistically erotic scene that's unfolded now.
I heard the snap of a twig and my eyes snapped open, searching the darkness for threats even as Michael continued his oral assault on my neck, making me sigh. A flash of white hair caught my eye as a woman bolted through the forest, faster than the mortal eye could notice.
"Michael, we arent alone."
The stealthy thunder of footsteps echoed through the earth, not another twig snapped, not a leaf crushed. Whoever it was, they weren't mortal. Flashes of white caught my gaze in the brush more than twenty feet away. Instinct took over, my feet racing ahead before the thought had even crossed my mind. My feet carved into the earth as I came to a sudden halt, and the sounds of the forest filled my ears.
Rabbits and bugs rustling in the underbrush. Squirrels nustling in their nests. Crickets and cicadas orchestrating off in the distance. Wind causing the leaves on trees to rustle in waves like wind chimes.
Snap!
There.
An elderly woman launched herself at me from within the brush. Her hair was long and filled with dead vegetation, her face twisted in animalistic fury. I snatched her by the throat midair and studied her; She was an older woman with deep, woodland oak eyes and white hair. And a scar below her right eye.
"You, " I growl.
Her eyes began to glitter.
"He was nothing more than cattle, a useless meatsack," she muttered and smiled. A roar escaped my throat and I tore her windpipe from her neck, watching her body drop. Michael cried out from behind me and I turned to look-
his honey eyes began to glow gold and fangs were protruding from his upper and lower jaw even as he cried out, "Mother!"
Now I know where I'd seen those eyes before.