For Rhuine Read online

  Trent and Melody have been dating on and off for the last two years. But Trent hasn't missed a single opportunity to flirt with me whenever her back was turned. It all started after the river incident:

  “Go Trent!” Melody shouted and clapped from the stands next to me.

  “Woohoo,” I shouted down at him on the football field. Trent lifted his helmet and waved it toward us.

  “God, he’s sexy,” Melody gushed on a little bounce.

  He really is. But I won't say that out loud. I was secretly jealous of Melody and the way she always got all the cool guys. They tended to flock towards her, like a bunch of puppy dogs toward a treat. Guys normally didn't spare me a second look in my metal t-shirts and torn jeans. The only person from the opposite sex that's ever paid attention to me, is the creepy guy with the black swirl tattoos. And I'm pretty sure he's a ghost. Or just a really lame imaginary friend from my childhood days.

  Trent jogged off the field and disappeared into the locker room with the rest of the team.

  “Are you coming with to the after party?” Melody asked, swinging her bag over her shoulder.

  I wanted to go, but what was the use? She and Trent were going to play tonsil hockey all night and I'd be stuck sitting by myself.

  “Next time,” I said cheerily. It was so fake, Melody saw right through it.

  “Come on Madi, pleeease?”she begged.

  Tonight's party was at the river campsite and I knew people were going to swim. I didn't even have a decent bathing suit. And I was also nervous because I've never taken so many clothes off in front of anyone.

  “I don't have a suit, Mel,” I whispered as my cheeks flushed pink.

  “Pfft, don't worry about that. We'll get you one,” she said excitedly, attempting to wave my worries away.

  Trent’s hot mouth on my skin brought me back to my current situation and I moaned in pleasure. He kissed me softly along my neck, stirring goose bumps with his eager lips. I clutched my hands in his hair and rubbed myself against him. It felt so good. My body throbbed and grew anxious for what was to come next.

  Mel squeals as we jump into her car and I pull the little black bikini from my bag. It's daring, it's sexy. It's downright hot! It's also stolen. The stupid owner of Masquerade really should pay more attention to her store.

  “Put it on in the backseat while I drive us to the river,” Melody said as she pulled into the road.

  I scurried over the seat and started stripping my clothes.

  Trent lifted my shirt over my head and stared appreciatively at my breasts. He palmed the soft flesh and gave it a gentle squeeze. My body tingled and I flushed from his deliberate stare. He brought his mouth down and peppered more soft kisses on the rounding of my breast. I whimpered and clutched his head harder. Too afraid that if I let go, I’d fly apart.

  “Come on, Madi!” Melody calls from the water. She’s waist deep with Trent at her back, kissing her neck. His wet shoulders glistened in the bright afternoon sun. Trent is a very sexy guy. Melody giggles and tilts her head back, offering him more of her skin. His hands reaches up and caresses her breasts over her bikini top. She laughs and slaps his hands away.

  “Come on, Madi!” she calls again. This time she sounds a bit annoyed.

  I pull my black Guns and Roses t-shirt over my head and shimmy out of my denim shorts quickly. Some guy behind me whistles and I drop my head to hide my blush with my hair.

  “Yeah Madi!” Melody calls when I walk towards the river.

  Trent lifts his head lazily from her neck and looks at me. His eyes widen a little and then his gaze turns hungry. I can feel his stare all the way to my toes as they curl deliciously into the wet earth at the river edge. Melody can’t see the way her boyfriend is looking at me. A secret smile creeps over her face and she looks at Trent coyly over her shoulder. He quickly averts his gaze to her.

  “Is that for me?” I hear her ask him as she does a little wiggle against his body.

  Trent's lip curls up at one side and he grins at her like the sexy bad boy he is. He swings her around and lifts her up his body. Her legs wrap elegantly around his waist and just before he leans in to kiss her, he looks at me. Melody wasn't the only one with a secret smile that day. Trent's was just way hotter.

  That was the day I knew Trent wanted me. I'm a selfish person, so here I am. My best friend's boyfriend is about to take my virginity and I want him more every second. (I never said I was a good person.)

  Trent ran the flat of his tongue around my nipple and I trembled.

  “God Madi, I love how innocent you are, but so fuckin’ wild. Here, feel how hard I am,” he said, putting my hand on him.

  And he was hard. And hot. He pulsated in my hand and I gave him a little squeeze. He drew a noisy breath between his teeth. My heart galloped wildly to have such an effect on him. I felt powerful, and it felt damn good.

  “Fuck that feels good. Hold up. I'll be right back,” he said, getting off the bed and disappearing into the bathroom.

  As soon as the door closed, I started unbuttoning my jeans. I've heard that's the hardest part of sex. Getting your pants off. I didn't want Trent to think I'm awkward. I lifted my bottom to slide my pants-

  “Madeleine. No.” The guy from the top rafter near my ceiling growled. He fucking had the nerve to growl at me!

  I dropped my bum back to my bed and glared at him. My cheeks burned hot. Not from embarrassment, I'm sure he's seen way more of my body than this, being the creeper that he is. But from anger that he would try to stop this. Who did he think he was?

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  “Fuck off,” I hissed between clenched teeth. I already knew Trent wouldn’t see the creepy guy and I didn't want to look like a lunatic.

  The guy jumped off his rafter beam and landed soundless on his feet. How does he do that? Make no noise. Show up out of the blue? He stalked toward me and my heart hammered in my chest. I didn't want to look at him. I knew exactly what'd happen when I met his eyes. I didn't want to get trapped in his stare-game tonight. So I focused on his black, shirt covered chest and the tattoos on his neck. He only had a few black tendrils snaking over his jaw bone then. It looked wicked as hell.

  Without another word he laid his hand on my chest. It was warm, so warm that it burnt my flesh. I flinched and my eyes jumped to his. The burning blue orbs trapped my gaze and a calm descended over me, even as my heart beat violently in my chest. It was beating so fast and hard that I was sure it would shatter my ribcage.

  His hand grew even warmer, searing my skin, but I couldn’t move. I was drowning in his liquid eyes and my blood rushed, deafening my ears. And then it went quiet. Just like that, nothing, not a single sound was heard when my heart stopped. My eyes were pushed closed by invisible fingers and darkness swallowed me, dragging me into oblivion.

  When my eyes opened again, I was in a place where I couldn’t breathe. There was no air and my lungs constricted and expanded futilely. Panic gripped the useless organs in my chest and I clawed at my throat. The guy from my room stood in front of me, watching me with his blazing blue eyes. He was totally unaffected by my blind panic. His hand still rested, unmoving over my dead heart.

  It was dark where we were, but it blazed with a stifling red glow. I looked around, searching for a way out and saw shadows moving off in the distance. Hunched over creatures that sounded like they were wailing and moaning. They were jumping up and down in excitement. I thought I died and gone to hell. Was that what this was, hell? It would serve me right for the life I lived.

  I tried to speak, my lips moved but no words could be heard. I looked back at the guy from my room and his eyes blazed a luminous blue. His face was expressionless. It felt like he was looking right through me, to a place so much deeper than my eyes. His free hand moved gently into my hair and he pulled my face closer to his. His breath was warm on my mouth. It wasn’t normal. It definitely wasn’t human. It was like he was on fire.

  His lips touched mine and I burne
d. Little licks of fire exploded over my skin. It was uncomfortable and I wiggled in his hold trying to get away. He tightened his grip on me and kissed me harder. As his eyes closed he let out a low growl like he was in pain and I was the source of his discomfort. The sound scared me but, deeper down, below the surface of my skin, my nerves danced with life.

  Little rays of blue slivered through his eyelids and bathed my face in blue. The calm slipped back and I relaxed even though my skin felt like it was being burnt off my bones.

  His tongue stroked my bottom lip and I welcomed him into my mouth. It was not a conscious decision I made, it just happened. His warm tongue stroked against mine. His mouth was perfect. His lips, wickedly soft yet pure torture. When his tongue touched mine again, my desire turned liquid. Threatening to turn me into a steaming puddle at his feet. The little licks of fire exploded into flames. Flames so hot I was sure he was going to turn me into dust. A slow tingle started in my lower belly and I opened my mouth wider, I kissed him back with all the raw need inside of me. My hands snaked around his neck and buried in his hair. The wailing and crying from the shadows got louder but the guy from my room didn't seem to notice.

  He kissed me harder still, sucking on my tongue and coaxing it into his mouth. A tiny moan rose up in my throat and died in his hungry mouth. He shivered from the sound of it and anchored me to him by my neck. I was flush against his body, his heat coated my skin as he seduced me with a flame dance. I was burning alive and the pain felt so damn good.

  He pulled his head away too quickly and my eyes snapped open, straight into his burning ones.

  “I am Rhuine, and you are mine,” he commanded.

  My body responded to the command in his voice and my hands twitched in his hair. He stepped back and ran his burning gaze over my body. I could feel his stare caress my skin as if it was his hand touching me. I looked down to see I was only dressed in my bra and panties, just like I was in the room before he interrupted me. But where were my pants? I didn’t take those off.

  A delicious shiver ran through me and I stared in disbelief at my panties. The sensation hit me again, this time so intense that I stumbled on my feet.

  “See how you respond to me. You are mine, Madeleine. Nobody touches what is mine.” Rhuine's voice was a hoarse rumble and the sound set a million butterflies fluttering in my chest. My head bobbed in understanding. I knew. For some unexplained reason, I just knew what he meant.

  I bound upright in my bed and gasped for air. My skin is hot and flushed red. I look around my room in panic but it’s just me.

  “Aw!” Trent calls from the bathroom. A second later he steps out of the bathroom naked, one hand on his cheek, the other holding a condom.

  “Stupid cat,” he mutters when Ranga does his cocky trot past Trent’s legs.

  Bile rises in my throat and I choke. What the hell? Just a minute ago I wanted to rip his clothes off? Now I can't stand to look at him. How long was I gone for? Not long by the looks of it.

  Trent walks over to me with a frown on his face. He reaches his hand out, the one holding the condom, but I scramble to the other side of my bed and jump off. I grab my black Metallica shirt and pull it over my head. Trent stares at me with a confused look on his face.

  “You should go,” I say, looking around for my pants.

  I bend down to look under the bed but they aren't there.

  “What?” Trent asks.

  “Just go!” I yell, pointing toward my door.

  Trent mutters something about a crazy cat and a cock tease, but I'm not really listening to him anymore. What the hell just happened?

  Trent sneers as he pulls his clothes on with angry jerks. He stomps out of the room and slams my door as he leaves. Where are my god damn pants? I look around my room. Ranga is standing next to a smoldering pile of ash. He bats a careful paw at it and tilts his head oddly when I stop next to him. I don’t like the look on this cat’s face. It’s almost like he is accusing me of something. I toe the remains of my favorite jean shorts and throw my hands in the air. Figures! Ranga bares his teeth at my sudden outburst but quickly loses interest. He turns his bored cat ass on me and walks toward my bed. A sexy chuckle fills the air, but Rhuine is nowhere to be seen.

  I yawn loudly and I almost drop my phone. I’m not sure if it’s the yawn or Evie’s crying that broke my concentration while reading Rhuine’s story, but I decide it’s definitely time to go to sleep. I've missed Luke coming by so I'll have to wait for morning for my toilet break. My bladder is not going to be happy with me. I place my phone on the bed side table and take a quick look around my room. There's no rafter here and other than my room at home, I've only seen Rhuine appear in two other places. Neither of those were Green Hill. I’m always hoping to see him, there in the corner, watching me, but it’s just me and the empty shadows tonight, again.

  When the telltale sound of a key rattling in the lock pulls me from my not so deep slumber, I'm not happy. I grumble out loud and hear old Stan chuckle from my door. Stan is a few months shy of retirement and he knows every patient by name and diagnosis.

  One day, when I was in a conversional mood, I asked him why he chose to waste his life as a security guard in the loony bin. His answer, “Who said I wasted my life? I met my wife here.” I couldn't argue with love. Love doesn't lose. Except to death. Death trumps love. Where did that thought come from? I'm not naturally suicidal. It was just that once, but I was so sure my plan was going to work, that when it didn't I just couldn't deal.

  Stan is use to my early morning grumble. I'm not a morning person, in fact, I'm not an any kind of person. As my brain slowly drifts into consciousness, I'm painstakingly reminded of my over-full bladder and I get the covers off with an even bigger groan. But this one is short lived, as my bladder threatens me with a shameful rebellion if I don't get myself to the bathroom, stat!

  In my hasty dash out of bed I struggle to stick my feet into my slippers. I end up hobbling along with one leg trailing behind me when the damn slipper just won't cooperate and attach to my foot already.

  Hello face, meet chest. Warm, good smelling chest. My arms wrap around him automatically and curl into his soft shirt. I almost snuggle my face deeper into the warm masculine comfort, but luckily Joey saves me from my stupidity with his amused chuckle.

  “I'm sleep walking on my way to the bathroom. Don't laugh!” I huff as I finally set the damn slipper on my foot. And then I walk away from Joey as fast as my little bunny warmers can carry me. How many more awkward moments am I going to have to endure with that guy? I blame it on last night's piece of my assignment.

  After my bladder is relieved, and no longer threatening to spill over, I wash my hands and fix my hair. The morning routine is fairly simple at Green Hill. First they uncage us, then they feed us and lastly they medicate us. That way, when we have our supervised showers, most of us are nice and calm and mostly co-operative.

  The walk back to my room is extremely uneventful, which is strange because normally people crowd these halls. But this morning it’s just me, the white walls and the cold. It’s colder than usual, so when I pass the single barred window in the passage I pause and take a step back. It's drizzling softly outside. Ranga is sitting under one of the awnings batting at the dripping rain drops. Silly cat. As if he can hear me, he turns his little orange head toward me and pins me with his yellow eyes. He stays dead still in that stare. His yellow eyes dueling with my blue ones. A fine spray of rain covers the glass of the window. The droplets are frozen in place, as if time itself has stopped and stuck them there. I tap lightly on the glass to see if they'll slip down, but the only change is the clicking sound of my nail against the glass. Ranga doesn’t move either. What the hell?

  The last time I had a frozen episode was with Rhuine. Rhuine? Hope flares bright in my chest. The change in feeling is so great, it pulls me forward and I hunch over, clutching the slow beating heart in my chest. It never speeds up anymore. Now it’s just the same dependable, even beat. No matter how excit
ed I get.

  A group of other patients round the corner on their way to the food hall.

  “Hey, Hey! Are you okay?” one of the guys ask me. I rise slowly, taking a deep breath, I straighten my back.

  “Yeah, I'm fine.” I don't look at the guy, instead I stare out the window and at the rain falling softly outside. Ranga is now staring in the other direction, at a rose bush filled with black roses. That wasn’t there before. I rub my hand over the glass again as if that will make the picture clearer, but the rose bush is still there. I blink a couple of times and pinch the bridge of my nose. Maybe I just didn’t see it the first time I looked? But I know that isn’t true, there’s no way I could miss a whole rose bush. What if? I crush the stupid expectation that Rhuine will show up and pinch my nose harder. I know Rhuine is gone. He’s gone!