The Book of Monsters.

The Chase.

Imagine... 

He was hideous.

Massive and muscular and made of thick pale skin, extra arms bursting out of his sides. His twisted body was covered in thick battle scars, his hands and feet blackened after so, so many centuries of roaming and fighting. His hairless head was the scariest part, mean features like black eyes and small, pointed ears and a small mouth filled with sharp teeth.

He was horrifying.

It was said that he was insanely strong but also quick and clever, using tricks and ploys to lure in unsuspecting victims to his mighty jaws. He had many strange and unusual powers, from mimicking the voices of loved ones to blending with the shadows, but his brute strength and powerful speed were his true skills.

Humans screamed in terror when they caught so much of a glimpse of him, his very image bringing nightmares and insanity to all.

He was evil. Wicked and wondrous, a beast of pure darkness.

The darkness was his domain. He was said to stalk the night and, as the stories told, snatch up unsuspecting humans for a little meal or two. The people whispered about mysterious disappearances that plagued the land, brutal murders that had never been solved. It was him, they said, the beast. They would tell stories of his thudding footsteps in the forest, the crunching of bones and gnashing of flesh between his teeth. The echoing screams of his terrified victims.

Children, and even adults, have nightmares of these stories. Nightmares of him.

He was a monster, a living terror, a dark creature born to bring only pain and misery to all earthly beings..

And he was right behind you.

As you ran and ran through the dark forest, your long nightgown caught on sharp branches and brambles. You raced between the trees, earning bleeding wounds and burning legs for your efforts...but was it enough? Would you make it? In the far distance, you could just barely catch a glimpse of pale, flickering lights, knowing that it's the lanterns that protect your village from the shadows, you ran even quicker.

Almost there! Almost...

Caught.

A mighty, massive hand wraps tightly around your waist, two more quickly grabbing an arm and leg rather roughly. You found yourself being snatched back into the trees, dragged into the darkness...and right into the embrace of a beast.

A terrible, burly beast.

His small black eyes glimmered darkly as he gazed as you, a strange look of interest and amusement twisting upon his pale face. Staring up at the creature, you could not help but give a small gasp as his gaze seemed to swallow you.

"Oh!"

He held you tight against his chest, smiling down at you as he did. You could feel his two hearts thumping wildly in a strong beat.

"Caught you, pretty one..."

His voice is a gravelly growl and it sent a strange shiver through your body.

Leaning low, the creature took his prize, from you. Teeth glinted in the moonlight as he smiled wide, leaning closer and closer...until he stole a kiss from your pretty little lips. A sweet, warm, wonderful kiss. It was only fair, after all, as the winner always gets a kiss. As you kissed your lover back, you considered what you looked like in this moment.

It must be a strange sight after all.

Nightgown dirty and torn, leaves and small twigs tangled in your long curls, a pale blue ribbon lost somewhere in the trees. You knew that you have had small cuts and bloody scrapes all over your body and you could not help but to smile, knowing that he would kiss every one of them.

You wondered what the villagers would say if they found you like this, all messed up and in the arms of the "Beast of Black Rock".

Oh, the scandal! The talk that would go around town!

You giggled at the very thought of it, pulling away from his lips for a moment.

"Are you taking me home, honey?" You asked.

He nodded, kissing your neck as he turned around. But he did not walk back towards your sleepy village, turning instead to the dark forest that was his own. In the heart of it all was his home, the place you were happiest.

But then again...any place was perfect if your monster was there.

Through the forest he ran and ran, with you safely curled in his arms, until he came upon his hidden burrow. This place was a large cave with tunnels leading down, down, down into the inky darkness and into his cozy home. He had made a makeshift bed of furs and stolen blankets and fluffy pillows all around, a bit of comfort between the dark and the cold.

Gently, he placed you down and hovered over you with a wide, hungry smile.

"My pretty one..." he growled.

"My husband..." you whispered.

He laughed and kissed you, taking your lips as he had so many times before.

You felt his many hands all over your body, caressing your legs and belly and breasts ever so softly. The impatience monster simply ripped off the gown and tossed it away, leaving you bare and excited. Just like you knew he would, he kissed every cut and bruise on your body.

You whimpered happily, running your hands over his scarred skin. And when his blackened hand slipped between your thighs, you moaned in excitement.

He was hideous, but to you he was handsome.

He was evil, but to you he was loving.

He was a monster and you loved him.

And you were most definitely not leaving your true home tonight...