Forrest Quinn.
Jogging toward her, his figure silhouetted against the dim glow of streetlights, his powerful strides cutting through the silence like a blade. Awa's heart stopped for a brief moment, her breath catching in her throat. Of all the nights, of all the places, why did he have to be here? The same Forrest who had occupied too many of her thoughts, the same Forrest who now had a mysterious entanglement with her little sister.
As he drew closer, Awa instinctively slowed her pace. She wasn't ready for this encounter, not now, not like this. But there was no escaping it. Forrest was heading straight for her, his expression unreadable as he ran, his movements smooth and effortless.
Her mind scrambled to make sense of what to say, how to act. Surely, they would exchange pleasantries, wouldn't they? They were no longer strangers. She was the older sister of his... fling, or whatever Tina was to him. At the very least, they had that awkward connection. Awa almost opened her mouth to call out to him, but something in her throat clenched tight, the words refusing to come out.
And then, as if she didn't exist at all, Forrest jogged right past her. No glance, no acknowledgment. He just moved by like she wasn't even there, a cold breeze in the night.
The dismissal stung, sharper than she expected.
Without thinking, Awa spun around, her voice betraying her before her mind could catch up. "Forrest!" she called, the word escaping her lips before she even realized what she was doing. It was a reflex, driven by something deep and uncontrollable.
Forrest stopped abruptly, mid-stride, and turned his head slowly, his eyes narrowing in the darkness as they found hers. His gaze locked onto her, sharp and unforgiving, like a predator assessing its prey. "Yes?" His voice was cold, detached, as if her interruption were nothing more than a mild inconvenience.
Awa froze, caught off guard by his intense gaze. The words she had been about to say evaporated, leaving her grasping for something to justify the sudden outburst. What was I thinking? She had no real reason to stop him, no excuse to call him out.
What was she going to say? How's the sex with my little sister? Why are you banging your boss? Those thoughts, dark and twisted, flashed through her mind, but she knew they were absurd. She was acting absurd.
Instead, the only thing she could manage was a stammered, "I just... wanted to say hi."
The silence between them stretched, thick with tension. Forrest didn't move, his expression unchanged, his piercing eyes watching her with unnerving intensity. Awa swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry.
"And why..." She hesitated, unsure of herself but driven by the overwhelming need to get something—anything—out of him. "Why do you smile for Tina and Beatrice... but not for me?"
For a moment, Forrest's expression flickered, but it wasn't amusement or surprise. It was something else—darker. He stepped closer, just a half-step, but the movement felt like a warning. The space between them shrank, and Awa felt the air grow colder.
"Why should I?" he asked, his voice low, almost a growl. His eyes, once distant, now glinted with something primal. He took another step toward her, his presence overwhelming, suffocating.
Awa's heart pounded in her chest, her confusion twisting into something closer to fear. "What does that even mean?" she demanded, trying to sound firm, but her voice shook. She wanted to hold her ground, but the intensity in Forrest's gaze made it hard to think clearly.
Forrest stopped, his face mere inches from hers now, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. "You smell different," he muttered, almost as if he were talking to himself. "All three of you smell nice. "But you….you're marked by Kelsey, and I don't want any problems with him over a human woman. So, no, I won't waste a smile on you."
Awa blinked, stunned into silence by his cryptic response. Marked? What was he even talking about? The idea of Kelsey claiming her in any way made her skin crawl. "Marked?" she repeated, trying to make sense of his words. "Like... what? What does that even mean?"
Forrest's gaze darkened, and the corner of his mouth twisted into something that wasn't quite a smile. It was more like a sneer. "You wouldn't understand," he said quietly, his voice cold. "You humans never do."
You humans? Awa recoiled slightly, but she refused to back down. "What are you, some kind of... what? Dog? You've mentioned my 'scent' twice now. What are you, sniffing around like a—"
The moment the word "dog" left her lips, Forrest moved.
One second he was standing still, and the next, he was on her.
In an instant, his hand shot out, wrapping around her throat with a grip that was impossibly strong, impossibly fast. Awa gasped, her body instinctively lurching backward, but Forrest's hand held her in place, his fingers cold and unyielding as they tightened around her neck. His face was inches from hers now, his eyes filled with something dark and dangerous, something primal and enraged.
"How dare you," he growled, his voice low and feral, vibrating with barely restrained fury. "How dare you liken me to a lowly dog."
Awa's breath hitched, panic flooding her system as her hands shot up, gripping his wrist in a desperate attempt to free herself. She clawed at his arm, her nails digging into his skin, but he didn't flinch. His grip tightened, cutting off her air, and suddenly, she was being lifted off the ground, her feet dangling helplessly in the air as he held her over the railing, above the dark, swirling river below.
"Forrest—stop," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. She struggled, her body thrashing as she tried to break free, but his hold was ironclad. The cold wind whipped around her, the sound of rushing water filling her ears. Her heart raced, fear consuming her as the reality of the situation set in.
Forrest's eyes bore into hers, and for the first time, Awa saw him for what he really was—something inhuman, something far more dangerous than she had ever imagined.
"Do you think I won't kill you?" Forrest hissed, his lips curling into a snarl. His voice was barely recognizable, thick with anger, with contempt. "Do you think Kelsey will protect you? You're nothing to me, Awa. A human woman marked by a Quinn—what makes you think I care?"
Awa's mind raced, her vision blurring as she gasped for air. Her body was on fire, every nerve screaming in panic. But amid the terror, something strange happened—something she couldn't explain. A burning sensation began to spread through her, starting from where Forrest's hand gripped her throat. It was hot, all-consuming, and yet somehow... intoxicating.
Her vision blurred further, but her gaze locked onto Forrest's neck, glistening with sweat under the moonlight. The burning inside her intensified, and suddenly, all she could think about was biting him. She wanted to sink her teeth into his skin, taste him, feel the heat of his body.
Her mind clouded with desire, primal and overpowering.
Forrest's eyes narrowed, his grip tightening further, but Awa couldn't focus on his anger anymore. All she wanted was to be closer to him. Her lips parted, her breath shallow, and the world around her seemed to fade into nothingness.
Forrest growled in frustration, mistaking her silence for fear. "Pathetic," he muttered, his voice filled with disdain. "You're not worth the trouble."
Without warning, Forrest released her.
Awa felt the world tilt beneath her, and suddenly, she was falling.
The cold wind rushed past her as she plummeted toward the dark, icy water below. Her body jolted awake from the feverish fog that had clouded her mind, the heat vanishing as the cold reality of her situation set in.
She was falling.
The world slowed, her senses sharpening as she watched Forrest's silhouette recede above her. He was turning away, already walking back along the riverbank, as though she were nothing more than a fleeting nuisance in his night.
The water loomed closer, her body free-falling toward the dark, icy surface.