It All Started with an Apple. Subtitled: Lucifer's forbidden fruit

Chapter 3 Aelia

  "Shit," Aelia shouts, sitting up in her bed, all drenched in sweat from her strange dream. She runs a trembling hand through her dampened perspiration hair with a deep breath. Her body is tense from the memory of the strange yet tantalizing dream when she stands slowly from the mattress of her bed. As she begins to walk across the cold tiles of her hallway floor, Aelia must admit she is tempted to run back to her bedroom and hop back into the bed. Her toes curl at the cold, but she treads on as her stomach grows hungry. Once in the kitchen, she opens her refrigerator, grabbing the bacon and eggs. After laying it all out on the counter, Aelia reached over to turn on her kitchen radio; music made things go faster and smoother. Dancing to the song's beat, she finishes gathering everything for breakfast. Relaxing, she momentarily forgets the dream that awakened her, the music taking full effect on her until her hips sway to its rhythm.

Aelia glances at the kitchen table in awe, realizing she has cooked enough for an army without meaning. She contemplates calling Shelby or one of the other dancers from work to join her for breakfast. After a few moments of telling herself most of the girls were not morning people, she decided to remain alone. Grabbing a few slices of bacon and an egg, she eats her meal, her mind returning to the dream she had experienced. The creature in the dream made her feel so many things she would rather not admit. All she wants is to forget all about him. It seems her lonely meal is doing nothing to calm her nerves. She cannot dismiss the feeling this was more than a dream. Shaking her head, she finally decides she is just letting her imagination get the better of her. Yawning, she stretched a few times before sliding from her chair to walk stiffly back to her bedroom. After lecturing herself for a few seconds, she returns to bed. Turning down her silken sheet, she slides onto the mattress and covers up. Silently, she prays for the world of dreams to take her somewhere nice and comforting where evil, sadness, and disappointment cannot touch her. As she slowly drifts back into sleep, Aelia catches the faint erotic scent of fruit.

Aelia opens her eyes to find she is no longer in the sanctuary of her bedroom or the softness of her bed. She is standing in the very center of a large Rose Garden. She is completely nude but strangely not alarmed by it, feeling a sense of utter contentment and peace among her favorite flowers. For a while, Aelia walks among the beautiful roses, basking in the wonderful feelings her dream is bringing out within her. She touches each of the roses, letting their petals' cool softness caress her fingertips. The air was fresh and cool, making her feel calm until she felt him, the presence of her mystery dream man behind her. He knows that she is here with him and that much Aelia can tell as he makes a noise that is not quite human- feral and dangerous. Suddenly, she felt as if a fierce masculine animal or beast was hunting her, and without so much as a thought, she ran. At first, she thinks she's running out of fear, but soon, she realizes she's truly running to provoke him. Aelia wants him to chase after her- catch her, and she is unsure why. In truth, she does not care. She continues to run naked, laughing, feeling like she's playing around with a longtime lover or friend.

Aelia revels in every huff, every growl made by this being or whatever he is who pursues her. Her fun is short-lived as she suddenly trips and falls, her heart pounding as she expects the hard ground to crush her. She is relieved and bewildered as she finds herself cushioned by rose petals, thousands upon thousands of them. Every inch of her naked body feels alive and caressed or kissed by their softness. As the fragrance dances with her senses, Aelia cannot help but close her eyes, letting the sensations wash over her, when suddenly her dream man's hands replace the rose petals, stroking her naked body- moving from her breast down her stomach, traveling to her thighs. He caresses her exactly as she touches herself in private. It's like he somehow could tap into her dreams and know her secret fantasies and desires. Everywhere he touches her, she's on fire.

Aelia instinctively pulls him to her, and he feels thick- strong- incredibly big as she runs her hands up and down the width of his shoulders and arms. He moans in her ear, except it's not a moan, at least not a moan a human would make; it's a low, deep growl that goes on and on. She knows that it should scare her, but it does not. She knows she should be running and fighting, but that horrible, wonderful, beastlike sound excites her until she feels like she would die if she could not have him- all of him. Aelia reaches up to meet him, filling his massive erection as it grinds against her- finally, he speaks. His voice is like nothing she's ever heard. It's not human, but not an animal, either. The sheer power rumbles through her, and suddenly, it is as if she can hear him within her mind and soul.