“Lottie,” I cry, my voice shaking with need and devotion. My back arches, forcing her deeper, every muscle trembling in anticipation. Her tongue pulses inside me, filling me in a way that seems almost impossible. The tide of my orgasm peaks, walls clenching around her tongue as my release pours from me. I fall back onto the pillow, chest heaving as I catch my breath.
Lottie slides up to lie beside me, looking at me with a wicked smile. She licks the traces of me from her lips and then her fingers. “You’re quite delicious,” she murmurs, nuzzling against my neck. “I could absolutely devour you whole if I’m not careful.”
“Didn’t you though?” I laugh nervously, cheeks flushing. “I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard so quickly. It was like magic.”
“Or a curse.” Lottie sighs, turning away from me.
Her words are odd, but I don’t have time to mull them over before my eyelids drift closed. My exhausted body uncoils, finally laying in a warm bed next to a soft body. I wrap one arm around Lottie, pulling her closer before I give in to sleep.
Lottie’s sobbing rouses me from strange dreams of being chased through the woods. The room is still dark, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust. “What’s wrong?” I ask softly, sitting up to look for her.
She’s standing at the window, her back to me. Strange marks trail down her skin, following her spine. Thin, dark strands curl around her torso, extending to her arms. I lean forward, squinting to get a better look. I blink several times, rubbing my eyes with my fists to be sure I’m not imagining things. A scream builds in my throat, but I choke on it, only letting out a whimper.
Gnarled roots protrude from Lottie’s back, intertwining with the vines wrapping her body. Moss erupts from openings between her ribs, purple flowers blooming through the carpet of green. Antlers rise from her head, her hair tangling around them.
“It’s...it’s you,” I gasp, covering my face with my hands. “It was you at the campsite, wasn’t it? You left the berries.”
“I’m a monster!” Lottie cries, turning to face me. “Can you still bear to look at me, Shiloh?”
Her hazel eyes glow, burning with hues of green and sparks of gold. Tears stream down her cheeks, past a mouth that stretches too wide. Claws tip each of her long, slender fingers. She drags them over her breasts, leaving tears in her skin. Shadows spill from the wounds, pouring down her body before puddling at her feet. My jaw falls, staring at her silently in awe—in terror. My heart is hammering against my sternum so loudly, I’m sure she can hear it too.
“I’ve been watching you wander these woods. Your broken, aching heart cried out to me, your darkness, your loneliness, reaching out to mine. Impossible to ignore—painful to ignore.” Her voice is deeper, raspy and animalistic. The movements of her mouth don’t match the words, and there’s an underlying sound to her speech, like a language I’ve never heard.
“What are you?” I ask, trying to contain my fear. I reach out to touch her, but she steps away.
“A curse,” she howls, snapping her sharpened teeth at me. “Neither human nor animal. Not alive or dead.”
“I don’t understand,” I say, shaking my head. “What curse?”
“Love.” Lottie looks away, her face twisting in pain. “The details aren’t important. In the end, the ones we love hurt us—and we hurt the ones we love.”
“Is there a cure? How long have you been like this?” My mind is spinning. More questions burn my chest, begging for answers.
“It’s not an illness, Shiloh.” Lottie sighs, wrapping her arms around herself. “My fate was sealed a long time ago, and it cannot be undone. I can only endure.”
“Let me endure with you,” I plead, taking slow steps toward her like I’m coaxing a timid animal. Once I’m within reach, I clasp her hand, bringing it to my waist. My breathing quickens, waiting for her to pull away. When she leans in to me, I ghost my lips against hers. “At least for tonight.”
Tendrils of shadows wrap around my waist, caressing me as they work up my body. A tingling sensation spreads through me, and my knees threaten to buckle. Her touch feels like a live wire straight to my heart. Her pupils dilate, black orbs now occupying most of her eyes. “If I lose control, it could be dangerous for you,” Lottie whispers.
“I’ll take my chances,” I reply, parting my lips as she drags a claw across them. I squeeze my thighs together to lessen the ache. If looks could kill, I’d be dead, but the fact does nothing to lessen how badly I need her.
“As you wish.” Lottie smirks, grabbing my hips and using them to guide me to the bed. I tumble onto the mattress, taking her with me as I put my lips on hers. Between her hands and the shadows, it feels like she’s touching me everywhere at once. I’m a sailboat caught in her tempest of desire, relinquishing myself to her.
Lottie looks up, giving me a moment of relief. She flicks out her forked tongue, curling it around my nipple and twisting. I gasp, pain and pleasure racing through my nervous system. She moves between my breasts, massaging and licking until my skin is burning with need. Her body seems to vibrate againstmine, and I raise my hips eagerly, searching for more friction. The outline of her figure blurs, like I’m looking at her through opaque glass, until the ends fray into more shadows. Lottie uses one of them to part my legs before circling my entrance in slow strokes.
“Please,” I whimper, rutting against the shadowy appendage. A moan escapes me as she enters me. My inner walls stretch to accommodate the expanding tendril until I’m panting. Another shadow breaks free to slide over my clit, rubbing against it in cadence with the other.
“Breathe, Shiloh,” Lottie commands, though her voice is gentle. I gasp, oxygen rushing inside my lungs as if she made it so. “Let your body mold itself around me.”
She pushes further into me in rhythmic thrusts, filling me until I can feel the pressure against my core. The tingling at the base of my spine spreads, consuming me as Lottie continues her motions. My back arches, driving her deeper, and I cry out in pleasure. My release crashes into me in bursts, each one leaving spots swirling in my vision.
When I start to shake, Lottie’s mouth closes around the tender spot where my neck meets my shoulder. The tips of her teeth needle my skin, barely piercing the surface. I moan as the sensation strengthens my waning orgasm. My inner walls grip the shadow still inside me, releasing another wave of bliss. I have only a moment to catch my breath before she sinks her teeth into my flesh. Fire ignites my bloodstream, making me squirm beneath her as the intensity of the pleasure and pain collide. “Fuck!” I scream, gripping the bedsheet until my hands ache.
Lottie raises her head, crimson lining her grin. She licks the remaining blood from my wound before the traces on her lips. The shadow slides from between my legs, leaving my body an ache of emptiness.
“Those berries were a nice touch, little morsel.” Lottie laughs, brushing the hair from my forehead. “You’re absolutely delectable.”
“You bit me.” I run my fingers over the mark. It’s no longer bleeding; it’s not even scabbed over. Instead, the holes look more like small scars, singed around the edges like burned paper.