The Call of the Woodland Spirit

Chapter 33

"Hey, now. Where are you off on a rush to?"

James gave me a grin as he jogged up to me. My eyes started burning. I turned and gave him a hard glare. "What do you want from me?" I asked, confident as I could be. Although, I hated to admit it, I was trembling under his unnerving hazel eyes. Standing up, he was taller than me by nearly a foot. He pouted mockingly at me, and the cold rushed up to my spine.

"Just a name, baby." he said slowly, looking me up and down lewdly. I tried to move back, anything but stay under his eyes, but my feet were frozen to the ground. I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything except stand there. My breathing became hard, and my voice was choked when I spoke.

"N-Nomi.." I whispered unconsciously, hoping then that James didn't hear me because I couldn't stop myself. But.. he did. His brown eyes immediately went from lustful to deep interest. He looked me up and down once more, leaning back to examine me thoroughly with his horrifically suggestive eyes. My face heated up as his eyes lingered on some specific areas (specifically my chest and my thighs), and a slow smile spread across his twisted face. "Nomi~ what a pretty name." he said, his tongue swiping out to wet his bottom lip as he took a step closer to me. "Reminds me of someone I knew."

I kept my head down, and he gave a small tut. "Aw, are you scared of me, gorgeous?" He then took my waist and tugged me flush to his chest, emitting a squeal of protest from my mouth. I could feel his toxic breath on my face, and I gagged slightly. I was getting very uncomfortable with this position he was confining me to. Our chests were pressed tight against each other's, and his fingers were playing nonchalantly around my back, even going so low as to tug teasingly on the bottom of my jacket.

"There's nothing to be scared of." he breathed, sliding one of his cold fingers down my back and then pressing his hand flat against my flank. I flinched, and my breathing became harsh and choked. I opened my mouth in surprise as his fingers danced down my hip, and rounded the curve of my behind.. until I pushed hard against his chest and took several steps back.

"Don't touch me." I hissed. James just looked at me with amusement, as if I hadn't just pushed him away at all.

Then, he grinned. "Why not?" he asked casually. "Usually the ladies don't mind if I—"

"Yeah, well, I do. So knock it off."

I sped away without a backward glance. I didn't run, but walked as quick and far as I could until I was positive he wasn't behind me anymore. I then sighed, my chest was hurting from the cold air I had taken down my lungs in the heat of the moment. I pressed my hand to my heart, and all I could feel was it thumping wildly against my palm. I exhaled, wiping my sweaty forehead. It was over. He was gone.

I looked around, just now noticing where I had ended up. I was in the middle of the same street I had walked through so many times. With Arashi, with everyone else I knew. But, everything seemed so.. unfamiliar all of a sudden. All the people that walked past, I had never seen them before. I looked down at my shoes as strangers passed me, saying nothing and only speaking to those they knew. I turned a corner, and screamed. My heart nearly jolted to the other side of my body.

There he was, leaning casually against one of the small wooden houses, looking at his nails, looking bored. Even before he looked at me a snarky grin replaced his dry expression.

"Must you be so loud, dear? You'll eventually tire that pretty mouth of yours." he said, his eyes slowly meeting mine as a smirk sunk into his face. My eyes widened like saucers, and I frantically looked behind me, trying to impossibly look all the way back where the bar was. How did he end up following me without me seeing him?

I took a weary step back, but he didn't move from his spot. "H-How did you get here so fast?" I said, trying not to let my anxiousness leak through my voice. James's smirk only grew.

"What can I say? I have a knack for these kind of things, darling—"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT. Just.. leave me alone, okay?"

I nervously rubbed my arm as he looked at me. I felt his gaze resting uncomfortably on my body. His eyes traveled up and down my form several, slow times. It was agonizing. I felt.. bare in front of him, as though he could set those eyes straight through my clothes.

James stopped leaning on the house behind him, and crossed his arms, looking almost mockingly at me. "Baby, don't be like that." He stepped closer, and I took a hesitant step back. He laughed at that, and I wrapped my arms around myself. His eyes met mine. They were twinkling mischievously. "For your own good, you'd want to listen. It's not every day you get a chance to have the time of your life.."

He instantly leaned in to kiss me. I yelped and pushed him away.

"That's disgusting!" I cried, finally slapping him. Hard.

He stood frozen for a second, his bristled cheek growing slightly pink from the blow. I instantly regretted doing it. Although it felt very nice to put him into his place, his eyes turned darker, and it scared me. He gingerly touched the area where I had struck him, and his smirk had long turned into a grimace.

"..So that's how it's going to be, huh?" He said quietly. His eyes turned to me, and I began to tremble. My mouth opened unconsciously, trying to form some sort of apology. It never came out, and his scowl only deepened.

"I was playing nice, darling."

His fingers latched onto my shoulder, and I screamed. He pulled me against the side of the house, blocking anyone's view of us. A hand was immediately slapped to my mouth, muffling my protests. His palm was grimy as it pressed hard against my lips, causing me to sputter but to no avail. His other hand that previously clutched my shoulder began to travel slowly downward, making me struggle even more under his grip. His chest was to my back, and both my hands were caught in between our bodies.

His mouth was to my ear. Warm, stale breaths fanned my lobe. I shivered, and he only chuckled darkly. "You're so pretty. Why would you choose to hide this body from anyone?"

His hand then took a firm grip on my behind, and I lashed out.

Without thinking, I bit the hand that was pressed up against my mouth, causing him to shriek and withdraw his fingers. Blood spewed from his skin, and he instinctively let go of me, biting back howls of pain. I took that chance and ran.

Right into the winter forest surrounding the town.

~o~o~o~o~o~