THE BEAST

7: The Big Bad Wolf

"Who are you?" I blantily asked, fear gripping my chest like a fist.

The man remained silent. His eyes, eyes that appeared to have an eerie glow to them, watched me haughtily. After a moment of both of us glaring at each other, the man braced his hands on his knees and willed himself up.

I scooted up until my back hit something hard, trying to get as far away from the stranger as possible. In a last minute decision, I frantically looked around the room to see that I was in a bed.

"Don't come any closer," I warned, my voice smaller than I liked it. "I mean it, I'll--"

"You hit your head pretty hard."

Wait. What?

"Out in the woods," the man continued, "you fell and hit your head."

"Well that would explain a lot," I muttered under my breath. I rubbed my eyes wishing that the lighting was brighter wherever I was at. "I hit my head and you let me sleep?"

The man gave me a look like he wasn't comprehending. Who was this man? A cave man? "What if I have a concussion?..."

Pure amusement shone on the stranger's face the longer I gave him a look of ridicule. "Well, you're up and chattering away so, I'd say you're fine."

I bit my tongue and tried to remain calm. "Where am I?"

The man decided at that moment to go silent and this made my head hurt more. I sighed and measured the distance between me and where the man decided to stop in the center of the room.

If I could just lean to the right I could grab the lamp and smash it over his head... Or maybe use the comb next to the lamp to cut his throat. In the worst scenario. I pinched my arm to wake myself up but when nothing happened, and I remained in the dark room, the conclusion that I was living a nightmare hit me harder than that wolf.

"Where is Dalton?" Is the first question to leave my mouth.

"You have always asked so many questions." The man moved closer to me and I found myself inching even further up the wooden headboard. He moved in a graceful manner as if he was stalking his prey, that prey being me. His sharp cheekbones shadowed most of his face as his eyes stayed narrowed in on me. His tall frame seemed to shrink the room.

"Where is he?" I demanded, ignoring the catch in my voice that was evidence of my fear. "I know you took him. You and that dog of yours."

The man laughed, a deep, throaty sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up to attention. My stomach twisted at the dark sound.

"Dog." The man scoffed to himself, his face turning sharper in the moonlight.

"Yes, dog--or whatever that was out there. You should probably hide that thing considering there are people out there hunting wolves. How did you find me? Why am I here?" I stood up and reached for the lamp, positioning it like a baseball bat. "Just tell me where Dalton is and I will be on my way. I want no trouble."

The man took another step closer to me and my hands clenched tighter around the base of the lamp. "Come any closer and I will knock your head off."

"Feisty." The man smiled, showing off bright white teeth that glinted underneath the hint of light. "I always liked that about you. Kept me on my toes."

I couldn't ignore how he kept making comments like he knew me. Trying to keep the lamp positioned above my head, I tried to calm my breathing. "Who are you? Answer me this time."

"Not your friend, Dalton." The man reached forward at an inhuman speed and snatched the lamp from me. His face, now fully in the light, was carnal, inhumanly beautiful to the point that I was sure I was truly dreaming. Nothing that beautiful lived in the world I knew. "But I am the dog."