A Deal With The Devil

Menacing eyes

Astra's POV

“I told you to wait, Ria,” the man muttered, frustration creeping into his tone as he tilted his head, his gaze darting around the shadows. “What were you thinking?”

My trembling fingers found his arm, desperate for the reassurance of his presence. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice scarcely audible. “What is your name?”

Peace was not too much to ask for, I thought, my fingers still trembling in Benoit’s hold. But what would happen next? What monster lurked in the shadows?

Benoit’s arms closed around me, his heartbeat steady against my back. “My name is Benoit LaCroix,” he murmured, positioning earbuds in my ears. His arms lifted, weapon trained on the darkness.

The eyes reappeared, their glint shifting from side to side before suddenly appearing in front of me, as if materializing from thin air. A scream died in my throat, my heart pounding like a jackhammer. Then, a soft laugh— my own—echoed through the darkness. Before I could react, Benoit yanked me behind him, and Bobba growled, his teeth bared in a vicious snarl.

“Benoit,” I whispered, gently touching his tense back. “It’s my wolf, Bobba.”

His head snapped towards me, eyes wide with disbelief. “Your wolf?” he echoed, slowly lowering his weapon.

Bobba padded closer, nudging against me, checking for injuries. The men joined us, their flashlights illuminating the previously dark scene.

"Benoit?" I whispered

The night air hung heavy with silence, each heartbeat a resounding echo in my ears. Benoit’s gaze burned into mine, each flicker of his eyes a silent demand for an answer. Swallowing hard, I clenched my fists, the truth scratching its way up my throat. “I think Bobba killed your man.”

A thousand apologies, a thousand excuses, danced on my tongue, but I swallowed them all. I couldn’t fix this, couldn’t change what had happened.

“I sent him to take the woods so he wouldn’t garner attention,” I said, my words laced with apology. “He probably couldn’t smell me, and came back here, saw the man…I’m sorry.”

Afraid to here his reply, I returned his jacket, trembling hands struggling to move. Every step was a drumbeat, beating out my failures. Nothing but a nuisance, a disappointment. I could picture Dad’s face, twisted in anger, spitting words like venom. “Good for nothing girl!” His voice echoed in my mind, searing like a brand. And now, Dad would kill me when I got home. Could this life not get any worse?

“Where are you going?” Benoit pulled me against his chest, his hand encircling my waist as he peered down at me.

“Back to my house,” I whispered, staring at our feet. His towering height enveloped me, his presence overwhelming my smaller frame. My heart shattered, the pain leaking from my eyes.

“At 2 in the morning?” Benoit’s fingers wiped away the tears, his voice tender.

"I'm sorry for causing you trouble, I'll take my wolf and be gone away from here, I'm not going to tell anyone about what happened today, you already know my name and have my information, I'm not going to look for you or say anything" I lifted my gaze to him, his head which was casted by the moon's light looked down on me.

Benoit’s eyes softened, he reached out, and his fingers brushed my chin. “Come here, Bambi.” He sighed as he grasped my hand, guiding me towards the car. My steps faltered, tiny compared to his confident strides, and he shortened his pace to match mine.

“Take the wolf to the mansion and make sure it sees the vet,” Benoit ordered his men, his voice firm and authoritative. “And remember, nondisclosure.”

The silence was thick, stifling. For what seemed like an eternity, neither of us spoke, the hum of the car the only sound to break the quiet. My thoughts raced, while Benoit was immersed in his MacBook.

His hair, now disheveled, fell across his face, contoured like chiseled marble. He was effortlessly perfect, a striking contrast to my troubled mind.

With a sigh, I leaned my head against the window, the dark night sky reflecting my thoughts. The realization that this might be the last time I saw Benoit washed over me like a wave, my heart sinking as it sank in. Our worlds were separated by too many unbridgeable gaps. Even if our paths crossed again, nothing could come of it.

“Bambi, what are you thinking so hard about?” Benoit’s voice cut through my reverie, smooth as honey. If he was trying to break down my walls, he was doing a damn good job of it.

“Nothing,” I murmured, avoiding his gaze. He was everything a girl could want, and I was nothing he’d even look twice at.

“Are you hungry?” he repeated, his voice unwavering.

I stifled a bitter laugh. 'Just leave me alone to wallow in self-pity,’ I thought, ‘and accept that this man is forever beyond my reach.' But even as I resigned myself to this fate, a small part of me whispered, 'What if…?' but in that second I let the part die there.

“Come here,” he said, and I turned to glare at him, only for his chuckle to draw my scowl into a frown. Before I could object, his hands had already unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled me toward him.

Like a delicate doll, he arranged me in his lap, my head resting against his chest. His fingers grazed my hair, a soothing balm for my frayed nerves. It was as if he were slowly working his way into my guarded heart, lulling me to sleep.

He’d break my heart; I was sure of it. And I wasn’t willing to give him the chance. I only had a small piece of my heart left, and I was determined to keep it for myself.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, my voice jumping with a start, my eyes wide as I met his gaze.

"Home," he said, pulling me back into his lap, those powerful thighs cushioning me against him. He was too handsome, too perfect to be real.

"What home?!" I demanded, my voice betraying the distrust that bubbled up inside me, leaving a bitter taste on my tongue.

His smile was enigmatic, his eyes like bottomless pools. “Just trust me, Bambi.” But how could I, when trust had only ever brought me pain?