Marks and Scars

Just a Human

I tensed up, ready to fight him off, but my resolve melted before I could fully process what was happening. It was as though, all of the sudden, I had been dying of thirst and his lips were sweet nectar. I raised my hands, laying them against his chest, gently curling my fingers into his soft black T-shirt. 

When I didn’t resist, he deepened the kiss, parting my lips gently. He slid one of his hands up my arm and cupped the side of my face, tilting my chin upward. 

Excitement sparked within me, dancing wildly along with the sensations his trailing fingers left on my skin. I wondered what was happening to me. This was more than just a bad decision following a night of drinking. This was something more, something that I felt deep down. I needed this contact, and not just for the reasons that Cathleen had implied. 

His kisses were warm and supple. Slowly, his lips left mine, making a trail along my jawline and down to my neck. When he reached the spot where the base of my neck met my collarbone, he paused, pressing his lips there firmly. I froze, barely able to contain the insane amount of pleasure I was feeling deep in my core. He opened his mouth, gently nibbling the tender flesh above my collarbone. 

A small whimper escaped my lips and he let out a loan moan, just before pulling away. He held me back.

I struggled to slow my breathing, looking up at him. I hadn’t wanted it to stop.

He backed away slightly and my body protested, leaning forward. 

What was that? I blinked, confused. Something deep down inside of me was stirring, awakening. It had been months since I’d even had a good date, but this was more than just cheap lust. I think. Or was that line of thinking just an excuse to put out?

Jeremy was staring down at me gently. His hand cupped the side of my face, his thumb drawing small circles on my cheek.

“Where have you been hiding?” he asked.

“Hiding?” I repeated, dazed, my face still tilted upward expectantly.

“I’ve been looking for you for years. I’ve had my pack searching all over- even past state lines-”

Pack? I felt my body go rigid, my thoughts racing. What is he talking about?

“Where have you been? What pack are you even from? Haven’t you been able to sense it? It’s been driving me crazy! For years...”

My eyes went wide. He was crazy. 

Oh great stars, he was crazy. 

He was hot as hell, sure. 

But he was crazy.

I forced myself to become grounded. I blocked out whatever animalistic instinct was inside of me, telling me to tackle him to the ground and claim his kisses.

It took a little while, but piece by piece, I felt reality come crashing back down on me. Panic and fear settled in my chest, replacing the white hot desire in my core, like cold water on a hot flame. Before he could notice my change in demeanor,  I shoved against him. 

Hard.

It caught him off guard and he stumbled back a few steps. 

“Kara?” he sounded genuinely confused. Maybe even a little hurt. But I didn’t stop to ponder it.

I bolted. 

I ran, my feet pounding the concrete of the sidewalk beneath me. I must have startled him because I didn’t hear anything behind me for the first few beats. My feet had decided my direction and I slowly realized that I was headed in the directions of B&E’s. My heart was pounding so loud that I could hear it in my ears. My breathing grew ragged rapidly and I struggled to keep my pace.

Dread filled me when I realized I’d left my coat and bag in his Jeep, but I couldn’t let it slow me down. Serves me right for trusting a complete wacko.

B&E’s was only four blocks over. Despite the hour, the streets were still crowded. I weaved clumsily through throngs of college students, club-goers, and tourists, coming close more than once to tripping and falling flat on my face. Some groups saw me coming and jumped out of my way, screaming curses at me when I continued running past. I wanted to throw out an apology over my shoulder, but it would only slow me down. 

When I rounded a corner to an empty side street, I quickly realized my mistake. But I still didn’t slow down. Suddenly, in the quiet of the alleyway, I heard the footsteps behind me. They were quick and light, and before I could stop to identify my pursuer, I was knocked to the ground. 

My head hit the stone beneath me hard and promptly began ringing. I lifted my face up, stiffly feeling my head for blood. Red hair blocked my vision like a fiery waterfall, hitting the ground where it was splayed out in front of me.

The color of it tickled my memory.

“You’re just a human,” she snarled in my ear.

The pressure on top of me was pure agony - it felt like she was digging her knees into my back to hold me down. She took her hand and gripped the back of my skull, forcing my face back onto the ground. I cried out when I heard my nose crunch. I couldn’t tell if the liquid on the ground was my blood, or puddles leftover from a rainstorm.

I grunted, struggling to hitch up one of my legs. 

“You’re just a human, and you have the gall to show disrespect to the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack? You think I’m going to let you get away with-”

I braced myself with my foot and kicked off of the ground, rolling over to the side and knocking her off of my back. I succeeded, but it was pointless. The next second, she’d already leapt right back on top of me, forcing my face into the ground with what felt like an elbow, and wrapping her other arm around my throat and squeezing. 

“That’s it, you stupid little b***h,” she growled in my ear as I gasped for air. “Sink into the darkness, it’ll all be over soon.”

“Vanessa, what are you doing!” I heard Jeremy call out. “Let her go!”

Vanessa ignored him, her arm tightening around my throat. I wiggled, trying to bring my arms up so I could pull her off of me, but they were trapped. Black stars erupted across my vision. 

“I SAID STOP!” 

His voice sounded different this time, wrong. It was deep like thunder and bouncing off of the walls on either side of the alleyway. Vanessa seemed to freeze, still letting loose a low growl.

“Let her go,” he commanded, using the same voice.

Vanessa snarled, but finally picked herself up off of me. I gasped, trying desperately to pull air into my lungs. Warm hands seized my arms, rolling me onto my back. Jeremy’s face hovered just over mine, his eyes taut with worry. 

“Hang on, Kara, it’ll be-”

But it was too late. The air I was trying so vehemently to breath in didn’t feel like it was traveling deep enough into my airways. I still felt like I was suffocating. The black stars spread across my vision, growing larger. It wouldn’t be long until I could see nothing at all. My mind seemed to float- and then it felt like I was falling. Just before I hit the bottom, I heard Vanessa snicker.

“They’re so pathetic, such weak-”

The arms holding me disappeared, and there was a loud, animalistic snarl followed by a high pitched yelp. 

Then total darkness.