Warning: This chapter contains mild sexual content. If you want to skip it go to paragraph 5 and after.
I could feel his hands touching me, his fingertips tracing gentle trails on my skin, right above my belly button. He was cold, like ice but my body was burning up. With every little touch I would shiver, my breaths short as I watched him get closer and closer. He had a grin on his face, his green eyes glowing like a mischievous demon as he hovered above me.
I was laid on a bed, red sheets made of fine silk underneath me and his snowy hair tickled my face as they brushed my cheeks. His palm fully touched my body, going higher until he reached my breast, cupping it seductively. A moan escaped my lips. I was aching, wanting him more and more as the seconds passed but he was taking his time. His movements were slow, sensual as his face got closer to mine. I could feel his breath, steaming, land on my lips and I raised my head, wanting to kiss him. He pulled back, a chuckle escaping his lips as he dived for my neck, kissing the spot that united with my shoulder.
I felt my heart explode at the feeling of his lips on my body, his tongue licking me while he nibbled carefully on my skin. He was so cold but I felt like the whole room was on fire, the red silk turning into actual flames of desire, devouring me.
"More…." I begged and I couldn't believe these words were coming out of my mouth. That I was the one begging for him to touch me, to please me.
He looked as if he was finally going to kiss me, unite us in what I had been expecting for so long. My eyes were stuck on his lips, hungrily anticipating when once more he turned for my neck, lingering over my skin. I waited, the drumming sound of my heart the only thing I could hear. He stood still, making me shiver from need when he finally dove into my neck. I expected to be kissed, showered with that sweet seductiveness he had shown me from the start but nothing like that happened.
A piercing ache, as if someone was trying to rip my skin apart came over me. He had bit into my neck, fangs diving deep into my flesh and draining my blood. I tried to leave, hitting him but he pushed me down, his weight too much for me.
Tears started to gather in my eyes as all of my strength was slowly leaving me. It hurt, it hurt more than when claws pierced through my skull because the physical pain was accompanied with emotional torture. I felt devastated, betrayed, my heart was breaking.
My lips parted, a loud scream escaping from them, a fruitless call for help and then…
Then I woke up, panting and crying.
My clothes were uncomfortably sticking on my skin, my hair on my face when I realized I was drenched in sweat. I looked around me, still trying to leave the realm of what seemed to be dreaming and everything slowly started to get back.
Sawn had been mildly hurt, just a scratch on his torso but we still had decided to camp at the clearing. I took care of his wounds and we grabbed something to eat as we searched for another route to the so-called witch we were looking for. We had found an alternative in hope of misleading what had attacked Sawn. He had no idea but I was not ready to tell him yet.
The time had passed fast and we fell asleep, me finding myself trapped in such a peculiar dream. It was the man from before, the one that had charmed me in such a mysterious way. I was dreaming about him after a ten minute encounter and with such a gruesome end to that. There was something wrong with me, I thought as I pushed back my hair because they began to bother me.
"Alice…" Sawn called my name as he sat up. My scream had probably woken him up and I felt bad. He had a huge bruise growing on his right cheekbone, its color a deep purple.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up. I was just having a nightmare." I told him honestly and he stared at me with a concerned look. Our only source of light was a small fire Sawn had set up, mostly to keep us warm during the chilly night. It created shadows on both our faces, creating a hollowed look, making us seem as if we had been out here for too long, ghosts sleeping underneath our tired eyes. Even presented like this Sawn's worry was obvious and a prickle of guilt started bothering me. Why was I feeling guilty? For what reason?
"It's okay. This must have been scary for you. Don't worry though, it's over now. The…the thing that did this left, I am sure of it. We will leave early in the morning and be back on track." he tried to encourage me and I gave him a little smile.
I was not afraid of the shadows, not right now at least. They were not the source of my scream nor the reason I felt an ache in my chest. It was him, the man with the white hair that had so easily invaded my mind in such a bothersome way. Telling Sawn though felt like it would be wrong, so I pretended.
"Thank you. It's just…everything is happening so fast, sometimes I don't really know what's going on." I confessed, admitting my confusion and he smiled.
"I think that's perfectly reasonable. You are strong Alice, even if you don't see it. Even the fact that you can smile, that you can function after what happened shows the power you have in you, you amaze me, in every possible positive way." he told me and I blinked, surprised by the sudden praise.
"Sawn…"
"Yeah?"
"I know it might sound weird but can you hold me?" I asked him, once more surprised with myself, just like my dream. Not so daring now but I needed a hug, I felt like I wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise, the night sky was too heavy simply existing above me while my thoughts scared me, the possibilities of more dreams with him in them even more so.
"Come here." he told me simply and moved a bit to the side from his sleeping bag. As I made myself comfortable in his arms, I heard him whisper. "Alice, I will protect you, no matter what." and my heart once more fluttered, wondering if he had felt it, our bodies being so close.