Page 8 of Unmasking Her Shadow

Someone needs to lock me up and throw away the keys because I have officially lost my fucking mind. I plug my phone in and squeeze my eyes shut. This night needs to end because tomorrow my wet dream is going to become reality.

* * *

I check my phone for the umpteenth time today, swiping away the notifications I don’t care about. Still no messages from Shadow. My shoulders sag when the thought that this was all a joke to whoever was on the other side of the conversation digs its claws into my mind. I’ve been a ball of anxious energy today. My mind struggled to stay in reality, constantly flickering to the possibilities of tonight. If I so much as dry-humped my pillow, I would come. The unknown and excitement have caused me to change my underwear twice already today.

“You can take off,” I tell Jade. “I’ll mop on my way out.”

“Have fun on your date tonight,” she replies, wiggling her fingers in a wave on her way out the door. We had such large classes today that we teamed up for our sessions. I grab the spray mop and work my way backward toward the door. I’m not sure what else to call getting railed by a stranger, so I told her I had a date. Citrus and pine float through the air as I mop as quickly as I can so I can get home with plenty of time to get ready for Shadow. That’s what I’m calling him. If this date is a bust, I’m going to be so pissed. I haven’t looked forward to something this badly in an awful long time. I hang the mop on the hook next to the door and grab my bag, locking the door behind me.

When I get home, I head straight to my shower, placing my phone on the back of the toilet so I can reach it in case my…my what? My fling? In case my fling messages me. I’m in the middle of shaving my legs when my phone goes off. I jump, nicking my shin with the razor blade. “Shit,” I hiss. A trail of blood slithers across the shower floor towards the drain. After drying my hands on a towel, I swipe up on my screen. He sent the location. Relief and anxiety battle for dominance. He sent me the location. It’s really happening.

I have to be there in less than two hours. I finish shaving and wash everything twice. Why I think I need to smell and feel extra amazing for someone I’ll likely never see again is beyond me. I lather on my favorite lotion and spritz myself with jasmine and sandalwood-smelling perfume before I pull up the location on my maps. Zooming in, my heart pounds as if it’s attempting to escape my chest to flee. Flee from this madness. The pin is in the middle of a large patch of woods with zero houses anywhere near.

My hands tremble as I finish getting ready. He said to wear running shoes, so I might as well pair that with leggings and a tank top. I put my hair in a high ponytail and grab a piece of paper, scribbling the location with a note that says If I go missing, this is where my body should be, and place it on top of my pillow.

I pull a zip-up hoodie from a hanger in my closet and head towards either my dream come true or a nightmare under the moonlight.

6

Kioni

I’m sitting on the ground with my back resting against a tree within the shadows, where I’ve been for over half an hour. If my little wolf came to play early, I’d be ready for her. One reason I wanted to do this tonight is because it’s a full moon. The main reason being I can’t wait any fucking longer. The sky is clear, allowing the stars to glitter above us and the moon to illuminate our paths. It’s a perfect night for a safe chase in the woods. Something I’ve been dying to do since the first time I saw her. Closing my eyes, I listen for her footsteps, sorting through the sounds of hoot owls, crickets, and all the other critters scurrying around noisily. She’s close. Adrenaline is rushing through my veins. I finally get to have my girl. I finally get to taste her and feel her fall apart only to put her back together and do it all over again…and again. I’ll give her all her forgotten orgasms.

The glow from her phone lights up her face as she follows the map that is leading her directly into my sights. I lower my mask, pick up a rock, and get to my feet quietly. When she’s facing away from me, I toss it. She jumps, her hand going to her chest as she spins around, searching the shadows. To anyone else, she would appear terrified. But me…I know what is going on inside that pretty little head of hers. I know that if I would slide my hand down her leggings, her cunt would already be dripping. She walks a few more steps, stops, double-checks her phone, and then pockets it. X marks the spot.

I bite my lower lip and smile. This is going to be so fucking fun. I flip the switch on and blue light radiates from my eyes and mouth. I take a step forward, not worrying about staying silent. When she whips around, I let the arrow fly, and her scream soars through the night.

Run, little wolf.

7

Sam

My heart is pounding in my ears so loudly I can’t think straight. I have no idea where I’m going, but I have to run or I’m going to die. The first arrow narrowly missed my head. All I saw was a blue light coming straight for me. I didn’t know what it was until I saw the glowing arrow lodged in a tree. Another arrow lands in the ground next to me. Rushing to turn the other way, I slip. Sticks and rocks dig into my knees and the palms of my hands. It’s a red light this time. The same color as the flags I apparently love so fucking much.

Red.

Say red and everything stops.

I leap to my feet, wiping away the dirt from my hands onto the front of my hoodie. He skids to a halt and raises the bow with another glowing neon arrow knocked and aimed at me.

“Red,” I shout, bracing myself for my final breath. Immediately the bowstring is relaxed, and the arrow is pointing towards the ground at his feet. I let out a strangled sob, and a tear runs down my cheek. This is just part of the game. A smile creeps across my face as I stare at the blue X’s covering Shadow’s eyes. His head tilts when I start laughing. “Green,” I scream and take off on a sprint again.

I’m terrified, and I love it. This is real, and this is happening. Now that I know I’m not going to be murdered, just hunted, I can enjoy the thrill. One wrong move and I could still end up dead or at least with an extra hole in my body. I dart behind a large tree, making myself as small as possible so I can have a couple of seconds to catch my breath.

Thunk.

Pieces of bark pepper my neck and cheek, and pain burns my shoulder. I try to run but I can’t. My eyes widen to the size of the moon above us when my shoulder brushes against something and I catch sight of the arrow pinning my hoodie to the tree. I yank my zipper down and jerk my arms out of the sleeves. Blood coats my fingers when I press my hand to the top of my shoulder where the burning sensation is radiating from. It’s just a scrape, but my mind is still telling me I’m in danger. The wires get crossed somewhere down the line because my feral kitty is moaning yes, yes, yes.

A part of me is begging to call out red or yellow, but the other part of me wants to see how much I can take. Another challenge. I could be sitting in a beautiful restaurant in a dress drinking champagne with a nice guy in a suit and tie but noooo I choose a man in a mask with a bow that is currently shooting at me with pretty arrows while I run for my life. A psychiatrist would have a field day with me.

I dodge two more arrows before I land in a clearing. One glance at the cabin up ahead tells me this was the whole point. To guide me here. I hesitate. Red fucking flag, Sam. I could run in there and very well be stuck inside it for the rest of my life. Before I can decide for myself what my next move will be, I’m face down on the ground with a knee in the middle of my shoulders and my arms yanked forcefully behind me. Any attempt to wriggle out from under him is pointless. The speed at which he wraps and ties the rope around my wrists tells me he has done this many times. And now my body is sending mixed signals again. I’m scared. Truly. But the way my body reacts is deranged.

I gasp for air when the weight is gone from my back. My hands are crushed beneath me when I’m rolled over to face him. The organ in my chest is screaming at me. He was always several yards away from me until now. Now he’s hovering over me, and this game is coming to an end. Or is it just beginning? I scramble to kick my legs, but it just makes it easier for him to dig his fingers into my thighs and push my knees to my chest, securing them there with the excess rope he had lying on either side of me connected to my wrists. The rope burns my skin when I try to fight him, and he tightens it even more. When I’m completely helpless, a tear falls without permission and runs over my temple.

“No, no, no!” I shriek as the dark figure kneels beside me, bringing a lime-green cloth to my eyes. Taunting me. Why am I not screaming red? I cannot move, and now I’m swarming in darkness without even the stars to keep me company. My body jerks when a finger drags up my center, stopping on my clit. A moan slips from my lips, and my leggings are stretched away from my body, and then cool air brushes over bare skin. When a ghost of a touch brushes over my panties, my skin prickles. And then that material falls away too. I don’t need to see to know I’m exposed.

He doesn’t remove his gloves before a finger dips inside me. “Get off me,” I breathe, the rope digging into my skin when I do my best to move. Shadow hesitates only for a brief second before adding another finger. I didn’t say the right word. The word that seems to have disappeared from my vocabulary. Teeth scrape my clit and my back arches off the hard, unforgiving ground. The more I writhe, the faster Shadow’s fingers move. His tongue remains steady, dragging my orgasm from my depths until I come, waking the dead because I don’t have to be quiet out here in the middle of nowhere.