“I did,” Lottie confirms, kissing where her teeth were seconds before. Her voice quivers, and her shadows melt away. “I marked you, so when you leave, a piece of you will always remain with me.”
“What happens now?” I ask, finally breaking the silence. Our bodies are intertwined on the bed, but Lottie feels worlds away. Unease slithers down my spine while I wait for her answer.
“I can’t ask you to stay,” she sighs after several moments, looking toward the window instead of at me.
“I’m lost out here anyway.” I laugh a little, trying to lighten the weight of her sadness. She winces, inching away from mine.
“What if I could help you find your way back?” she asks hesitantly, like she’s unsure she wants me to answer. “What then?”
The question strikes me, an arrow to my heart. I hadn’t thought that was a possibility, but now, I’m torn between my feelings for her and my primal need to survive. “I don’t know,” I reply honestly, drawing my hands to my chest. “There’s no one out there waiting for me to return.”
“Your life is, Shiloh.” Lottie rolls to face me. Mist surrounds her, covering her body as it morphs back into her human form. “To walk these woods with me is to walk with death.”
“The curse,” I whisper, and she nods. I suck my lower lip between my teeth, chewing on it until a metallic tang coats my tongue. Lottie sniffs the air, grinning when she recognizes the scent. She leans toward me, brushing her mouth against mine. Her tongue gently traces the wound on my lip, and she groans before pulling away.
“The sun is rising,” she states, lifting her head toward the window. “Put on your clothes, and I’ll show you the path home.”
Tears fill my eyes, fracturing my vision until it’s nothing more than blurred shapes. Tension builds in my chest, expanding until I can’t breathe. I want to scream at her, throw myself on the floor and kick my feet, but I stay silent. The only sound in the room is the rustling of my clothing as I dress.
As I finish the last button on my flannel, Lottie reaches for my hand. Her skin is cold, soothing the raging fire beneath mine. Our eyes meet briefly before hers flit away. “Come, my love,” she murmurs, guiding me out the door.
The morning sun stings my eyes, and I blink furiously against the light. By the time my vision clears, Lottie is gone, but I’m standing on a well-worn trail. There are fresh footprints in the dirt, and men’s voices drift from up ahead. My heartbeat races, legs moving me faster—closer to the voices.This is it. I’m finally going to be rescued. It’s not elation pumping through my veins, though. Instead, the slow poison of regret spreads through me, strangling me with doubt.
A hiker appears on the path, stopping me in my tracks. His eyes widen, and he turns to shout at the man behind him. I can’t make out his words over the pounding of my pulse in my ears. The man quickens his pace toward me, but I dart into the woods off the trail.
“You’re my path home,” I whisper before disappearing into the trees and heading back to the cabin.
About the Author
Ash Redd is a swamp demon pretending to be a writer. She drags her readers into her Southern Gothic fever dreams of the supernatural and the horrific. Each tale will leave her readers hauntingly unsettled as they explore the depravity of humanity and the darkness inside us all.
Be sure to join the Hellflower Reader’s Discord for updates and sneak peeks of future projects!
True Confessions of a Vegetarian Wolf
RK Munin
Blurb
On a quest to save a stray dog, Beatrix meets Arthur and immediately falls in lust. When Titan from a local rescue shows up to collect the dog, there’s instant heat between the three of them.
It doesn’t take any convincing for her to agree to both of them. The night is one she’ll never forget, but the next morning’s light reveals secrets she’s unprepared for.
Can Titan and Arthur convince her that they’re not mythical monsters but men who are desperate to love their fated mate?
Tropes
Insta-lust
MMF (Her boyfriends are boyfriends)