Page 5

Tears sting the backs of my eyes when my screaming is met with nothing but heavy silence. When did the birds go quiet?

Worry that something might have happened to my friends gnaws at my gut. What if they are hurt? They could be mere feet away, and I may not be able to see them through the thick underbrush.

Deciding I can’t get more lost, I start searching through the bushes and brush, shouting and begging for my friends to hear me and answer. But there is nothing. As the last bit of daylight slips away, an icy feeling, like cold fingers walking up my spine, curls around me.

Spinning around, I squint into the darkness, half expecting to see a pair of reflective eyes staring back at me. Instead, I’m met with nothing but an ominous feeling of being watched, which is enough to catapult me into doing something I know better than to do.

Disregarding everything I’ve ever been taught about the outdoors, I run.

I choose a direction at random and put as much space between myself and whatever is out there. Almost immediately, the thing stalking me gives chase. The loud crunch of heavy steps and harsh animal panting is so close I can practically feel it on the back of my neck.

I scream my terror. Pumping my arms, pushing myself faster as I crash through saplings and bushes. My lungs burn, my toe catching on an exposed root, sending my body pitching forward?—

Even though I fall forward, I land on my back. Staring up at the inky black sky. When I realize the black expanse above me is completely lacking stars, I squeeze my eyes shut.

This isn’t real. It can’t be real.

A soft wuf comes from right next to me and when I pry my eyes open, I come face-to-face with a giant red wolf looming over me. It’s standing at my feet, staring down at me with strange yellow eyes. Black lips peel back from gleaming white teeth with a menacing growl.

My heart is beating hard enough to break through my ribs, but it freezes in my chest when the wolf begins to change.

Its snout shortens, its forelegs turning into arms that cage my body.

Long fingers tipped with sharp claws dig into the soft ground on either side of me.

It’s head— his head—changes to resemble something more humanoid. But not human. Not at all.

A high-pitched whimper squeezes past my throat when he leans down. He’s mostly shrouded in shadow, making it hard to get a good look at him, but his yellow eyes cut through the darkness. I watch his nostrils flare as he scents me, dragging those glowing yellow eyes over my body.

“Please…” I whisper.

It’s all I can think to say. Please… Please what? Please don’t hurt me? Don’t eat me? Let me go?

The monster presses his face against my stomach and growls, low and deep. My muscles tense as I anticipate his bite. But he looks up at me and his eyes flash from gold to an eerie blue.

“Mine,” he says in a deep, raspy voice.

He raises his hand, and four sharp black claws glint in the moonlight just before he slashes his arm down at me.

I scream and squeeze my eyes shut, expecting to feel the searing bite of his claws swipe across my flesh. Instead, the chill night air rushes over me as my clothes are sliced away, leaving me naked but otherwise unharmed .

At first, I’m too shocked to move. I lie motionless under him as he stares down at me.

His eyes are golden again, and a long tongue slides across his bottom lip as he slides his hands between my thighs.

Wet heat floods my panties as I snap my knees shut with a sob, but he wrenches them apart effortlessly.

A shocked cry leaves my lips as his shadowy face hovers above my spread legs, and I can feel each hot breath against my skin. A moment later his deep groan of approval vibrates against my sensitive center, before he rocks forward and strokes his hot tongue through my moist folds.

Oh! Oh, God!

My back arches like I’ve been hit with a livewire, and he growls softly as he laps at me.

Stroking through my folds and over my clit, he hums with approval when I moan.

Curling his tongue, he shoves it as deep into my channel as it will go.

Igniting sparks of arousal, making me forget my fear as I press my hands to the top of his head.

I sink my fingers into his thick fur. Pulling at him as I arch against him as he thrusts his tongue deep inside me. Much deeper than a tongue should go.

Lifting my hips with a whimper, I pump in time with his thrusting tongue. Pushing and pulling at him. Oh, God. I should be begging him to stop, not crying out for more.

More . Definitely more.

My mouth falls open and I moan as the first flutters of my orgasm ripple down through my belly. Suddenly he pulls his tongue from my pulsing channel. My head snaps up, and my fingers tighten around his thick hair.

“No,” I whine, trying to pull his face back. Needing him to finish me. “Don’t stop. I’m so close.”

He laughs, deep and low as he prowls up my body. His eyes stare into mine and his laugh turns to a growl that rumbles from his chest as he wedges his hips between my spread legs. One arm pressed beside my head, the other …

I drag my gaze away from his mesmerizing yellow eyes to look down my body.

His other hand is slowly stroking the biggest cock I’ve ever seen. It’s big and red and his fingers barely circle his girth, as his length extrudes from a foreskin-like sheath where it curls toward his stomach with every stroke of his hand.

My mouth goes dry, and I force myself to look back up at him. His mouth spreads into a wicked grin as he notches the spongy tip at my entrance…

“Oh. N-no. Nononono. That’s not gonna fi?—”

He cuts off my words with a firm thrust, sinking his huge cock deep inside my clenching body as he arches his back and roars his pleasure to the sky. He fills me completely, stretching me past anything I’ve ever had before. My head falls back, and I scream as an orgasm rolls through my body.

My pussy is pulsing around nothing when I jackknife upright with a strangled scream. I’m covered in sweat and my heart is pounding in my chest.

It takes me a moment to realize I’m back in our tent and tangled in my sleeping bag. Not in the forest and definitely not being ravished by a monster.

“You okay, Hana?” Amber blinks at me sleepily from where she’s peeking over Mateo’s curled up form. Her hair is a wild brown mess around her face and her eyes are barely cracked open.

“Yeah.” I scrub at my burning cheeks, trying to shake off the memory of the erotic dream while also wishing I could go back to sleep and finish it. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Amber makes an “it’s fine” motion with her hand and settles back beside her boyfriend. As soon as she lies back down, Mateo turns toward her and gathers her against his body before dropping back to sleep.

I’m more than happy for my bestie. She could not have found a better guy. Sometimes it’s hard not to be jealous. Especially after being left needy and wanting after that dream.

Holy shit, what made me dream that in the first place? I’ve had sexy dreams before, but I’ve never woken up mid-orgasm after dreaming of being railed by a literal monster.

What kind of head space am I in to even come up with that?

I’ve dated and done the app hook-ups, but none of those guys were ever able to meet my expectations.

Amber once told me Mateo never felt like a stranger to her and the way he made her pulse pound was how she knew he was the one.

I’ve never had a guy make my heart do more than a flutter.

Hell, more than half of them couldn’t even give me a decent orgasm.

But the monster in my dream had all my parts pounding.

I lie back to stare up at the canvas ceiling, wondering if my perfect guy is out there somewhere.

I glance over at the well-read copy of “Getting it on with Gargoyles” by Hazel Mack.

It’s set within a small town filled with monsters who know how to treat a girl right.

Ugh! I need to lay off the monster romance books.

Especially if they are going to give me those kinds of dreams. Except there was nothing sweet about the way the monster drove himself between my legs.

Rolling to my side to face the tent wall, I pull my sleeping bag up around my ears and force my eyes to close. Hoping sleep will claim me for the last few hours before daylight.