THE BEAST

9: Tricks and No Treat

"That's not possible," I repeated for what felt like the thousandth time. I think the strange man had started to ignore me.

He had walked over to a large oak desk and opened the top drawer. His back was to me but I wasn't really watching. I was still freaking out that the man in front of me had turned into a wolf!

"Please don't make me shift again, Red. It's rather tiring." When he turned around, a small dagger was poking into his middle finger, drawing blood. He didn't even flinch. But I did.

He laughed at the look of horror on my face. "Relax. I am not going to hurt you." He smirked again and I couldn't get over how wolfish it was. "Unless you piss me off. So don't do that." He looked down at the drop of blood the pointed weapon had drawn.

I watched in curiosity I haven't felt in a long time. I was scared, don't get me wrong, but there was something so strangely familiar about this man in front of me. That familiarity calmed me some. Or maybe I was beginning to feel numb with fear. Either way, I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

It was probably from my own primal instinct.

"Doesn't that hurt?" I asked after he continued to press the metaled point into his skin.

"I tend to have trouble feeling pain when I am in my human form. Animals have more empathy than humans. Even the Beast. It's still fascinating to feel the difference even after the handful of times I have gone out of wolf form. I like to keep count. Think of it like science."

Wow. He was nuts.

"I would like to go home, please." I decided this might end better for me if I was nice. I am sure he wouldn't be so compliant if I dropped him to his knees with a solid kick to the groin. Though it would be therapeutic on my part.

He blew air out of his nose and shook his head. A grin pulled up as if on a string on one end of his lips. "Not gonna happen."

I gritted my teeth together and tried to calm my breathing. "If you would please, point me to the way I came, I would greatly appreciate--"

"You can't leave, Poppy." His eyes, a dark blue, like the shade of the sky when the sun was about to set, daggered me like the point of his knife.

The way he said my name made my breathing catch in my throat.

"How do we know each other?" I finally asked, letting my knees hit the back of the bed and allowing me to silently crash down. "I feel like I know you. How is that possible?"

Once again, the stranger grew silent. He sheathed his dagger and scratched his arm. He probably had fleas.

I nearly growled with frustration but instead of alarming my kidnapper, it just made his smile grow founder and his dark blue eyes grew darker as if the sound aroused him. My whole body became hot but it wasn't because of hormones, no, it was because I was growing even madder.