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”Ash…”
”Don’t you see? By removing them, I get to them before they get to any of us. Before they get to innocent people like you.” I look up at Solange, searching for admiration in her gaze. "Am I not charitable for ridding the world of scum?”
Her expression is a mixture of shock and revulsion, her lips parting as if to speak but no words come. And then, in a desperate attempt to escape, she lunges for the door once more.
I react instinctively, seizing her by the waist and whirling her around to face me. I try to kiss her, to silence the questions and doubts that threaten to unravel us both. Our lips meet in a clash of desperation and defiance. It's not a kiss of passion or desire, but a battle of wills—one fighting for control, the other for freedom. Her hands push against my chest, trying to break free from my grasp, while my grip tightens around her, unwilling to let her slip away.
But she’s slipping through my fingers, despite my efforts.
”You don’t want to do this,” I grit between my teeth, my lips against her temple. ”I know you want me just as much as I want you. You’re just trying to deny it because your mind’s confused.”
”I’m not confused!” she whimpers, her eyes ablaze with helplessness. ”I’m stuck with a murderer!”
That’s all she sees. She can’t see anything else. Solange’s rejection still echoes in my mind, a bitter taste that I cannot swallow. She pushed me away, denied me the intimacy I craved. And now, I have to show her the consequences of defiance.
”You’re not even trying to understand me…” I rasp, my throat snaring, something cold spreading in my chest and I manoeuvre her down to the floor, tearing her clothes off and she looks at me in shock, her legs kicking as she screams and tries to worm away from me. ”You’re never going to let me love you again, are you?”
Her eyes freeze and then she starts that useless struggling again.
I grab a jar of honey from the kitchen counter, its sticky sweetness coating my fingers. I smear the honey over Solange’s exposed skin, watching as it glistens as her cries ring in my ears.
”Asher stop!” she sobs. ”W…what are you doing…?”
I yank her up to standing, holding her to me and grab a string of ropes before heading out the door.
Outside, the trees loom silently and I drag Solange towards one of these trees, the ropes in my hands tightening with each step. She fights against me, cursing me but I can barely make out what she sees. I refuse to listen to the lies coming out of her mouth. I only want to hear the truth. The truth where I’m her one and only.
“There are predators in these woods,” I tell her quietly, my voice a whisper. “Hungry predators.”
Her eyes widen with fear, the realization of her vulnerability dawning upon her. “You can’t do this,” she pleads, her voice trembling.
“But I can,” I reply, my tone unyielding. “And I just did.”
I tie her securely to the tree, ensuring she can’t escape. Her pleading intensifies, but I remain unmoved, my resolve unshakeable. I stroke her cheek with a gentleness that belies the cruelty of my actions, my thumb tracing the curve of her lip.
“I’ll release you,” I murmur softly, my breath brushing against her ear, “as soon as you let me love you again.”
With those words, I turn away and walk back towards the cabin.
”Asher!” Solange screams. ”Asher!”
Solange’s cries echo behind me, but they fade when I close the door behind me. Inside, I lean against the door, my heart heavy with conflicting emotions. Regret and longing mingle with the satisfaction of asserting our love.
Solange’s is going to come around. She’s going to remain out there in the wild and contemplate. Out there she’ll come to terms with her own vulnerability and realize how much she needs me. I will come to her rescue and her heart will be mine once more.
10.
Solange
I’m tied to a tree.
He tied me to a fucking tree!
My chest heaves with panicked breaths, my skin sticky and it smells sickeningly sweet. I’m naked and afraid. Every little movement sends shivers down my spine as I tremble with fear, imagining the worst possible scenarios. The scent of honey hangs heavy in the air, a sweet yet sinister invitation to any predator lurking in the darkness.
My eyes flicker towards the cabin, where Asher moves about inside, oblivious to my terror. He’s in there, preparing dinner as if nothing is wrong, as if he didn’t just tie me to a tree like some helpless prey. But he’s the predator, not anything else that haunt these woods.I squirm against the ropes that bind me, but they’re too tight, cutting into my flesh with each futile struggle. Panic claws at my chest, my thoughts racing in a frenzy of disbelief and horror.
How could I let him do this, how could I let myself fall into this trap? He seemed so sweet, so caring at first but all along something else lingered beneath his charming surface and tears prickle my eyes. I was falling for him. Tears pour down my face. Dammit, I was falling for him!
