Tethered in the Dark - A Love Story

The Ride into the Unknown

The rain had softened into a steady drizzle, but the roads were still slick, shining under the weak glow of the moon. The bike waited just beyond the broken fence of the abandoned house, black and gleaming even under layers of water, as though it belonged in the storm.

I hovered in the doorway, clutching his jacket around me like armor. Every bone in my body screamed to run, to get away, but my legs wouldn’t move. Not because I trusted him—God, no—but because I was too spent, too frayed, too afraid of what waited if I was left alone again in the dark.

The biker slid his helmet back over his dripping hair and swung a leg over the motorcycle. The machine seemed to mold to him, like an extension of his body. He glanced at me, visor tilting.

“Get on.”

My pulse stumbled. “Excuse me?”

“You want to sit here all night?” His voice was impatient, clipped, like he wasn’t used to people questioning him. “It’s a five-minute ride. Safer than walking miles in the rain.”

Five minutes. It sounded short enough, harmless enough, but I stared at the monstrous bike like it was some kind of beast waiting to devour me.

“I’ve never…” I faltered. “I don’t know how.”

That earned me a low chuckle, almost inaudible over the patter of rain. “You don’t need to know how. You just sit, hold on, and try not to fall off.”

I bristled at the casual arrogance. “Wow. Comforting.”

“Not trying to comfort you, sweetheart,” he said. “I’m trying to keep you alive.”

My teeth clenched, but the exhaustion pressing down on me left little room for pride. I took a hesitant step forward, my sandals squelching in the mud, then another, until I stood next to the bike.

“Here,” he said, shifting slightly forward to make room. “Swing your leg over. Sit behind me.”

My entire body resisted, but I obeyed, awkwardly pulling myself up onto the leather seat. The bike was higher than I expected, forcing me to cling to his jacket just to balance. The heat of his body radiated through the soaked fabric, startling against my cold skin.

“Hold tight,” he instructed, his voice rough, commanding.

So I did. Hesitantly at first, my arms circling his waist with the barest contact.

He let out a short laugh that vibrated through his back. “If you’re going to sit there like a scared cat, you’ll fall off the second we move. Tighter.”

My cheeks flamed, but I tightened my hold, my fingers brushing the hard ridges of muscle beneath his soaked shirt. I tried to ignore the way my heart hammered in my chest, tried to pretend this was purely survival, nothing more.

The engine roared to life beneath us, deep and growling. The vibrations shot up through my legs, rattling my bones, making me clutch him harder on instinct. He didn’t say anything, but I could feel the faint shift of his chest, as if he were amused.

And then we were moving.

The bike surged forward, gliding smoothly onto the slick road, tires cutting through puddles. Wind tore at my hair, rain stinging my face as we picked up speed. The world blurred around me—trees whipping by, shadows darting, the road gleaming silver in the moonlight.

I buried my face against his back, squeezing my eyes shut, every nerve in my body alive with fear and something I didn’t dare name.

It wasn’t just the danger. It was him. The steadiness of his body beneath my grip, the way he leaned effortlessly into each curve of the road, absolute control radiating from every movement. He rode like he was part of the storm itself, untouchable, unstoppable.

My fingers dug into him tighter when the bike leaned into a sharp turn, my stomach lurching. He didn’t comment, but I felt the shift of his body again—like laughter, like a man silently enjoying my panic.

When I finally dared to crack my eyes open, the landscape had changed. The road wound deeper into the woods, shadows stretching tall on either side. My pulse spiked.

“Where are we going?” I shouted over the roar of the engine.

“You’ll see,” he called back, voice muffled under the helmet.

Not an answer. Not a real one, anyway. My mind raced, imagining every possible outcome—him dragging me to some hidden den, some nightmare place where I’d disappear forever. Yet, despite every fear clawing at me, I didn’t let go.

The ride stretched on longer than I thought five minutes should feel. Maybe the storm distorted time, maybe my nerves did, but eventually, he slowed the bike, pulling onto a wide paved drive.

Up ahead, through the trees, light spilled into the night. A house came into view—not a shabby cabin, but a sprawling lakeside cottage. Massive glass windows gleamed golden against the dark, music pulsed faintly from inside, and laughter carried across the water. I could see figures moving beyond the glass, shadows of life and warmth, the complete opposite of the storm we had just left behind.

My breath caught. This wasn’t what I expected.

The bike rumbled to a stop at the edge of the driveway, just far enough that the voices inside were still muffled, but clear enough to know this wasn’t some lonely hideout. This was… something else.

He cut the engine and pulled off his helmet, rain dripping from his hair. He turned his head slightly, those piercing grey eyes catching mine even in the shadows.

“See?” he said, voice rough but almost lighter now. “Told you. Safe.”

Safe. The word echoed in me, even as my instincts screamed I had no idea what kind of place this was—or who exactly I had followed here.