Taming the Wicked Rogue

Surrounded

One black van and one silver Volvo of the latest model were hot on our heels. I eyed the man beside me with a contemplative frown and couldn’t help but turn to Olah.

“Does he have a lot of enemies?” I whispered, genuinely curious. The car swerved again, and this time I hit my forehead on the dashboard. That one felt like we were close to toppling over.

“Well, yes, but the ones following us are not after him.” Olah looked unbothered and immovable by the swerving car. I had no idea how she could do it.

“Then they are your enemies?” That was surprising. How could a beautiful woman like herself have so many enemies? Olah chuckled. I caught his lips quivering on the sides, but it might also be my imagination. I hit my head quite hard. I could feel a bump.

“Those are after you.”

I blanked for the nth time. “What? I’m not that sought after.”

This time Olah shook with laughter. “Silly! Those are after you, not in the romantic kind of way.”

“You mean in a we-want-you-dead way then?” I cringed at her beaming face. Great. “What did I do exactly?”

“You tell us, what else did you?” The silver-eyed man whose name I still did not know asked, his voice cold. I pressed my lips in a tight line. “What do you mean what I did? I didn’t sleep with anyone else!”

I was hurt. Didn’t he know I was a virgin? Even my ex-fiancee hadn’t touched me before. Our skinship was limited to hugs and hand-holding.

“Then we can officially cross out that they must be lovers.” He mocked. I rolled my eyes at him. Screw his name. He could forever just be the silver-eyed man to me.

“Think deeper.” Olah’s voice took on a serious tone. “Those in the car are not human.”

Who else would want me dead? After being betrayed by my fiancée and mocked by acquaintances, I had left the town. If it was someone who had a grudge against anyone, it would have been me.

I turned away from both of them. The reflection of my eyes from the car window stunned me. My eyes fleeted to the rear view mirror. I hadn’t seen myself in weeks.

I froze. In fact, sleeping with the silver-eyed man was not what started it all. It was the force within. In fact, there were two more times that the ‘she’ had taken control of me. I could only remember blurry flashes, not as clear as what happened that night. What happened those two times? What did “she” do?

I turned to Olah, intent to divulge it all, and let her give the judgment whether I was going crazy or there was really something going on. After all, they were inhuman. Surely they would know the difference between delusional and fantastical reality. But the moment I parted my lips, an excruciating pain stole my breath away. I doubled over, unable to breathe.

“s**t, what happened? Is it the baby?”

The pain radiated from my abdomen until beads of sweat lined my forehead and trailed down my cheek. I instinctively knew then that I wasn’t allowed to say anything. The force wouldn’t let me do it. As sudden as it came, the pain disappeared. I leaned back slowly in my seat. The car had driven into a dark tunnel. I could faintly see my pale face and bloodless lips from the reflection on the windshield. I took a deep breath to steady my breathing.

“It’s fine. I was nauseous again.” I said hoarsely. The man sharply looked at me but didn’t comment on it. He had successfully lost the pursuers, but the car’s speed remained near the limit.

“The ones following us, what are they?”

“I smelled witches, just like the woman from the apartment.”

I think my face paled even more. I shouldn’t have asked. Shifters, pregnancy, then witches. Pain throbbed in my temple. “You should probably rest for now. Ask questions later. “ Olah suggested kindly.

I nodded. My eyelids had started to feel like cased in cement. There was too much information to digest. To sort out everything, I needed sleep. I placed my hand on my abdomen. If what they were saying was true, there’s a life within me now. That thought calmed me, and the sleepiness surged up.

I was awakened by the urge to pee. I turned to the side and was greeted by a handsome side view of the silver-eyed man.

“I don’t want to keep calling you silver-eyed man. What’s your name?” I asked

His brows raised. “You don’t remember?

I frowned back at him. Was I supposed to know?

Annoyance flashed in his eyes. “Rhys Casimir.” He bit out. I didn’t know why he sounded upset. Unexpectedly a memory from that night surfaced in my mind.

Gold orbs stared down at me with a terrifying intensity. “Call out my name Lillian.” He ordered as mind-numbing pleasure spread through my limbs. His movements were slow, sensual, and torture.

“Please-“

“Call my name” He stopped moving altogether.

“Rhys.”

I groaned in embarrassment, feeling my cheeks burn. If only the earth could open up and swallow me so I could disappear. The urge to pee made me shiver and eased my desire to fade from shame. “Can we stop for a bit? I really need to relieve myself.”

“We just passed the gasoline station two minutes ago.” He said coldly.

“You can just park on the side, or do you want me to do it here?” I spat and immediately felt guilty for being snippy. It was a defense mechanism from the embarrassment eating me up inside.

His glare intensified. With jaws clenched, he turned the car back around without another word. As soon as the car stopped, I slipped down the car and hightailed it to the restrooms. I was faintly aware that Olah was immediately on her heels after me. That was reassuring. I scoffed. Why would I run when I know some other creatures want me dead?

There were no cubicles. The room was only large enough to fit in a toilet and a sink. I quickly closed the door and sighed in relief. As I looked up, my full reflection in the mirror stunned me. My skin had become pale. Dark circles around my eyes spoke volumes of the exhaustion I was feeling. A feeling of weightlessness overcame my body like a tide. She straightened up and leisurely washed her hands. Then, she looked up and smiled, placed a finger over her lips, and the world turned black.

When I came back to myself, I found myself driving a truck. ‘She’ did it again. I had no idea how she could get away from Olah and Rhys. I looked around at the thicket of trees on both sides. It was still dark now, and I had no idea how much time had passed. Why would she escape? I had no clue where I was or where I was headed, but the road was only one way, and I had no other choice but to drive straight.

The road was pitched black. The only lights were the road reflectors. The truck’s engine sputtered, the speed slowed, and the overhead lights flickered twice before it died down.

I felt my heart jump in my throat as darkness enclosed me on both sides. Unable to see anything, my other senses were on high alert. A plethora of sounds seemed to surround me. I heard the rustles of the branches of the trees and the cooing of nocturnal birds. I stared in fear as I caught movement on the right side. Another motion was detected on the left. I breathed shakily and locked the doors until I noticed that the windows on the back seat of the truck were shattered. Great!

My movements froze entirely as I saw a huge shadow step out of the inky darkness. Golden orbs peered from the darkness. My breathing hitched as countless inhuman, silver eyes shone in the darkness.

The huge shadow stepped closer, and it was only then that I recognized its form. It was an enormous black wolf. Its height could have reached my chin if I stood next to it. It stopped prowling a foot away from the truck as if waiting. The roar of a car engine broke the tense silence. I immediately recognized the approaching black Maserati, but it was Olah who came out of the driver’s seat.

“Lillian?” Olah called, cautiously approaching. I noticed that she was alert now, as if she was expecting me to bolt away.

“Hey, I-It’s me,” I said but didn’t dare move as I could still feel all the beasts looking at me. As if one wrong move and they will pounce at me.

“Get down the car slowly.”

I swallowed and glanced around, making downy hairs rise on my body. There were more eyes now. Such a huge number of beasts completely surrounded me.

“Calm down. They won’t hurt you.”

“I-I’m trying,” I said breathlessly. Just then, a movement caught my eye, and I found the huge black wolf had now reached the side of the truck.

My heart beat slowed down as I gazed into his eyes. The familiar scent of sandalwood and evergreen dispelled the nervous energy coursing through me. The wolf stepped back, and I slipped down the truck. Yet almost immediately, my legs gave away under me. I was held by a warm body in a blink of an eye. Disgruntled, I looked up and met Rhy’s silver eyes. There were specs in gold in them that were slowly fading. It only then came to me. Rhys was the black wolf. And then I blacked out.