Selling Myself To The Hunter

Chapter 2

Dahlia

It's going to be fine. Nothing is wrong, not this time. The doctor will have good - no - great news. I let out an uneasy breath. I hated these visits. I let my legs swing out beneath me, trying to dissipate some of my nervous energy. How long have I been here for? I looked at the clock, only five minutes. God help me.

It's been a year to date, a year since I got my kidney transplant, the one that saved my life. The first, my body rejected, and I nearly died, but thanks to an anonymous donor, the second took, and I was given another chance at life. I spent years suffering, the causes unknown. I was a healthy person, took care of myself, ate clean, exercised. Imagine my shock when I turned twenty-three and went for a routine visit and my blood work came back with concerning results. I was referred to a nephrologist, who basically told me my kidney didn't want to be a kidney anymore, and had me start dialysis and a slew of medications, both of which eventually failed.

But it wasn't until I turned thirty that things escalated, and I was put on a transplant list. The first kidney I received was from a stroke victim. Unfortunately, after only a few months, my body rejected it. After that, I practically lived in the hospital until the second one came along. If I had to guess, it arrived only days before I would have died without it. The surgery went well; recovery too. Now I just had to hope for good news today.

"Good morning Dahlia, how are we feeling today?" Doctor Lohr said, bursting into my room.

After years of treatment and two surgeries, we were practically on a first-name basis. He was a middle-aged man, with short hair just beginning to gray. He had a wife and two daughters—seventeen and eleven—and in the summers, they loved traveling to Venice together. They also had a cat named Darcy.

"Hey Dave." I said, forcing a smile. "Do you have good news for me?"

"No." He sighed. My heart stopped beating. "I have great news!" He quickly followed up. "Your labs look wonderful, you are the picture of health." He smiled.

"Oh, thank god!" I laughed, letting out the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Yes, it's wonderful news." He smiled. "Keep up the good work. Drink plenty-"

"Plenty of fluids, healthy diet, no alcohol or smoking, and keep taking my medication." I nodded in understanding.

The anti-rejection medication I took was never forgotten. Never. I couldn't afford to not take it. I don't know what I would do if I had to go through this a third time. I don't think my luck would be that good to get a third kidney.

"You got it." He beamed. "I'll fill your script for the year, and don't want to see you back until you need a refill." He winked.

"Thank you!" I squealed, jumping off the table and giving him a bear hug.

"One year." He reminded me.

"Uh-hu!" I nodded, bolting out of the room.

News like this calls for some celebration.

- - - - - - - - - - -

My mom, Mindy, called me before I had even gotten to my car, asking how my appointment went. She met me for lunch immediately after to celebrate. We went to my favorite little bistro and had lunch out on the patio, enjoying the crisp spring day. It was the first time in a while that I didn't need a jacket, but might have enjoyed wearing one to ward off the slight breeze that came sporadically. Summer was just around the corner, and I couldn’t wait—I loved the sunshine and warmth it would bring.

"Cheers to good health!" My mom said, raising her ice tea.

"Cheers!" I beamed, clinking my glass with hers.

"So, tell me what else is new in your life. How are you and Toby doing?" She asked.

My mom and I were...friends, though we didn't always agree on things, and frequently butted heads. When I turned eighteen and went off to college, our communication died off, but it wasn’t until I fell ill that we began to reconnect. She cared for me during that difficult time, but tragedy struck again when my father suffered a freak accident. His death took a hefty toll on my mom; they were nothing short of soul mates. Since then, she hasn’t been the same. She took a sabbatical of sorts, traveling the world in search of something—peace, perhaps?

I met Toby soon after my dad's passing, and we’ve been together ever since. I owe him my life; had he not stepped in to help me during my darkest moments, I honestly don’t know where I would be right now.

Probably six feet under.

"We are good! Now that I'm better and working again. I think wedding bells might be on the radar soon." I smiled widely.

"Oh, you would make the most beautiful bride." She hummed, a far-off look in her eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just...just make sure Toby is the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. You deserve only the best." She said, grabbing my hand and giving it a squeeze.

I frowned. Toby and I have been together for almost three years now, he was there for me at my worst. He was there for me when she bailed. If I should marry anyone, it should be him. Sure, we are a little stale right now. I'll give her that, but I plan to change that soon.

"How are things with you?" I asked, pulling my hand back and changing the subject.

"Good, good, I'm thinking of starting a vegetable garden soon."

"I like tomatoes," I hinted.

The rest of our lunch went along smoothly. My mom was doing well and so was I, finally.

I felt like I was on cloud nine, the news was such a relief. I decided to treat myself in celebration, and went to the store and bought a cake. It had balloons on it, and was probably meant for a birthday, but I didn't care. Nothing could ruin this day. Nothing.

When I got home, Toby was in his game room, probably betting on some fantasy team or playing a co-op game or something. He didn't like it when I bothered him while he was in his game room. In fact, he never even let me step foot inside, but today was a good day and I wanted to celebrate my good news with him.

"Toby?" I called, knocking on his door. I tested the knob next.

Locked.

Not surprising, he did like his privacy. I thought it was funny at first, but we've been living together for almost three years now, and it's hardly the weirdest thing he does.

"Not now." He yelled from the other side of the door. I nearly rolled my eyes. I hated it when he yelled through walls.

"I have news," I bellowed through the door.

"I'll be out soon."

Fine. It was fine. I could get dinner ready for us at least.

That was my role: I handled all the cooking, cleaning, laundry, and dishes—doing everything I could to earn my keep, so to speak. After being so sick for so long, I was on disability for a brief period, which meant everything fell on Toby and my family. But that’s changed now. I’m working part-time at an outdoor sporting goods store, gradually getting back on my feet. Toby took on the financial responsibilities by working nights. I’m still not entirely sure what he does; I think it has something to do with cleaning. Or maybe it was security. He has changed jobs a few times now. Either way, he slept through the day, so often we only saw each other in passing, which contributed to the growing distance between us.

But today was different. Today I had the day off, had good news to share, and Toby was awake already. I quickly got to work, throwing dinner together, a kale salad with grilled chicken and mushrooms. Nice and healthy and oh so delicious.

I had just finished plating everything and was soaking a few dishes when Toby came into the kitchen and sat down.

"Hey-"

"Chicken, again?" He frowned.

"It's good for you," I said, joining him at the table.

He let out a heavy sigh. He would much rather have red meat, but I was the cook and on a strict diet and, therefore, so was he. Thankfully, I had something to sweeten the deal.

"I have a surprise for dessert." I smiled, going over to the fridge.

"Dessert? I didn't think you knew the word." He snorted, picking at the kale.

I stuck my tongue out at him and grabbed the cake, placing it on the table in front of him.

"Our anniversary?" He frowned.

"No." I scoffed, a bit hurt that he didn't remember. I was only stressing over this all week. "It's been a year since my transplant, my doctor gave me a bill of clean health today." I smiled again, the news too good to keep a frown on my face.

"f**k, a year already?" Toby said, dropping his fork and running his hands through his shaggy blond hair with a long exhale.

I frowned, trying not to let his disappointed tone get to me. But it did.

"Sorry my good health is such a problem for you." I scoffed, scooting from the table and throwing my dish in the skin with a nasty clank.

"Of course I'm happy that you are healthy." He said, beckoning me to come sit on his lap. "Time has just slipped away from me."

I flopped down on him harder than necessary, and he started running his fingers through my long, raven black hair.

"This weekend, let's do something." He mumbled.

"I have work." I sighed. "Maybe the following week?"

"Maybe." He agreed.

- - - - - - -

It took three weeks, but Toby and I managed to work our schedules out, so we could finally have a date night. Toby said he would plan everything, and I was so excited. So much, in fact, that I even went out and bought a sexy new nightgown for later tonight. It's been a while since we were intimate. I think Toby was afraid of hurting me after my surgery. I've had plenty of time to heal though, and I'm more than ready for him to rock my world.

"Babe! Are you ready?" I called from outside his game room.

"Huh? For what?" He called.

"Um, our date night that we have been waiting three weeks for?!" I hissed, my hands instinctively landing on my hips. "The one you said you would plan?!"

"Oh. Right. I'll be right out."

I shook my head, feeling more than a bit pissed off, and headed down the hall to the bathroom to finish my makeup. I never used much, my rich caramel skin left me glowing, but I did put on some mascara and lipstick. A blur of movement caught my eye, and Toby was standing behind me wearing a blue suit that made his dark blue eyes pop. His blond hair was neatly groomed, making him look like eye candy. Toby was always good-looking, he was tall with a good physique. I didn't know how he maintained such a good form when he never worked out and ate crap all the time. I guess he was just one of those people, blessed with a metabolism that worked overtime. His skin was very pale, especially when compared to my sun-kissed glow, but considering he was hardly ever out during the day, it made sense.

"You did remember." I sighed in relief.

"Of course." He smiled, giving me a quick peck on the cheek. "We should leave in ten minutes."

Toby took us to a fancy Italian place. Unfortunately, they lost our reservation, but thankfully they had another table available after a forty-minute wait. I got the chicken, and Toby a steak so rare you could probably bring it back to life with a little jolt of electricity if you really wanted to. It grossed me out a bit, but to each their own. I wasn't the one having to stomach it.

We took a nice little late night stroll after our dinner and then went back home. As soon as we got back, I snuck into the bathroom and slipped into my skimpy silk nightgown, eager to keep the night going. Toby caught me as I was giving myself a once over in the mirror, a playful smirk pulling at his lips. I turned to face him, a sultry look in my eyes.

"What's this?" He asked, his fingers trailing the bottom of my nightgown.

- - - - - -

"How was that?" Toby asked as he caught his breath.

Was he referring to all three thrusts it took for him to come undone?

"It was...yeah." I nodded, and that was good enough for him. He was asleep in seconds.

I slipped out of bed a minute later and cleaned myself up, readjusting my silk nightgown that got a bit ruffled in our quick encounter. It was better than nothing, I suppose. Our intimacy was never top-notch, but used to be better than that, in my opinion. It's probably just going to take time to get back into the swing of things. Tonight was a start. That's what mattered.

- - - - - -

I got up early the next morning, deciding to make a hearty breakfast for us before I had to go to work. Toby might not like being woken up, but he shouldn't mind as much once he sees the spread I had planned. Bacon, eggs, sausage, hash browns, pancakes, the works. A nice treat to wake up to. I was flipping the last pancake when a loud 'boom' sounded and the house shook.

I dove to the ground, my first thought an earthquake—it was California, after all, and quakes were a frequent occurrence. But then I heard Toby sprinting toward the living room, and I caught sight of another body from the kitchen. Someone was in our house. A cold sweat washed over me as my blood ran cold. Did they break down the door? Was that the noise? Toby skidded to a halt when he spotted the figure.

"S-Seraphina-" Toby's voice trembled.

"Time's up." The woman purred. It sent chills up my spine.

I could hardly see what was going on, but I caught a glimpse of Toby on his knees, begging her for mercy.

"P-please, please-"

"A deal is a deal." She laughed darkly. "And now, you are mine."

"Toby?!" I called, crawling towards the living room where the quarrel had begun.

Toby ignored me, or perhaps he didn't hear my cries, his eyes wide with fear, taking in his captor who had her hands around his throat like a vice, her sharp nails digging into his skin. She looked like she had a rash on her arms, and wore a deep green dress that hugged her luscious curves, leaving little to the imagination. And her eyes...they looked like those of a predator, sharp and cunning. It sent a fresh wave of terror through me. What the hell was she?! Everything happened so fast. I dove towards Toby with the intention of ripping the mystery woman's hand from his throat, but then I was free-falling into a heavy darkness.