Page 2 of Venomous Lies
“Promise me that you will not hide away. Behappy."
He didn’t respond, but the light of the moon illuminated the tears quietly sliding down his cheeks. There was so much love and heartache in his eyes as he stared down at the woman before him. In contrast, she was calm in the face of the storm before her.
I shouldn’t be here… But where washere? I couldn’t tell anymore. Looking around, I tried to see if there was a wayto leave, but it was as if the forest gathered closer, keeping me in the vision.
As I turned back to focus on the couple, a brisk breeze blew through the clearing. With it, the woman’s figure split around the edges. She began to glow from within, her body crumbling like ashen cinders and scattering like burnt pages tossed about into the wind. The man stood frozen, and my heart ached as he stared after the scattering of charred ash as it blew away.
His entire life was gone in the blink of an eye.
I wanted him to rage into the darkness of the night. Shatter the silence of the forest by yelling, lashing out... But no, his grief was so much more painful.
It was silent, creeping upward as he remained frozen in place, looking down at the hands that had last held the woman.
Tears slid down my cheeks, and part of me wanted to reach out to him.
But what could I do or say that would help him? Nothing would make the grief less or go away. I'd never understand... I didn't want to.
This was just a dream or vision… In reality, there was no one to comfort.
That reasoning felt hollow, though, as if I knew on some level that this was more than that.
Awareness started returning to me, the edges of the forest becoming lighter and blurry. I strained against the wakefulness that was pulling me at me. Even if it wasn’t real, I could not leave this man alone in his pain.
The harder I fought, the stronger the tugging sensation became. I couldn’t stay here forever.
Just as the world started to shift again, the man moved.Golden eyes pierced through his blurred features, turning to where I was standing.
He couldn’t see me though. This was a dream.
But then his eyes widened... A new emotion encroached on his pain.
Shock.
Then the forest disappeared.
Chapter 1
Echo
MONDAY
Ihave a mate.
That damnable sentence ricocheted in my mind until it threatened to rid me of the numbness that had taken over since I’d heard those words. No matter how hard I fucked the woman beneath me, all I could see washer.
Ihatedher.
Despised the hold she had over me, her ability to cause this much pain. We had just met, but it already felt like every moment was somehow less without her beside me.
The woman under me sobbed as another orgasm tore through her body. Long nails dug into my shoulders, desperately attempting to make me still, but I kept rocking into her, savoring the pain. The scrape of her nails into my skin made me feel something other than the emptiness plaguing me.
Speeding up my thrusts, I closed my eyes, imagining it was Isla under me again.
Flashes of the rut ran through my mind.
Wide hazel eyes holding just the right touch of fear.Black hair spread across the ground as Isla clawed to bring me closer to her. Lips and skin stained with rich, dark-red blood as she arched her back, calling out my name when she came.
A fleshy pop, then a warm gush of hot blood covering my cock and thighs.
