Maya quickly turns the corner. She stops abruptly, her moccasins silently skidding. Panting, she realizes this is as far as she can get. Then she hears it.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Metal.
Her heartbeat quickens as she crouches, her back against the cool stone wall. She has a habit of getting herself into hot water, but this was a first. She followed The Shadow too deep into the depths of his cave. He was enigmatic, cold, alluring. She was drawn like a moth to the flame, unable to resist.
She hears smooth, firm footsteps getting closer.
Thuck. Thuck thuck.
An ominous silhouette starts to grow next to her. She sees light cast by metal, the same sliver of silver she heard earlier. Slowly, she starts to shuffle to the right, away from the approaching figure. Swoosh. Long, sharp metal is blocking her way. She had never seen actually seen a sword before meeting The Shadow, but now she recognizes it even more than she recognizes herself in a mirror. The thought of it fills her with fear and excitement. Give someone a weapon, she thinks, and he starts acting like…
A strong hand grabs her by the cloth of her collar, and starts to pull her away from the ground.
The Shadow drops his sword, grabs her by the base of her sleek ponytail, releases her collar to extract the flask hidden in his waistband, and slides a warming, noxious liquid down her throat.
Glug.
A moment passes; the world seems to hold still. Suddenly, everything goes dark. Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Maya hears her heartbeat ringing in her ears, and nothing else. Thump-thump.
/
Sunlight pours in the room, waking Maya. Ugh. It's early.
She looks over at the window, the brightness blinding her. Her hands catch on rings of thick twine fastened around her wrists as she tries to cover her eyes.
The Shadow glides into the room and sits by her side. He reaches across her and slides his hand down her side, from her shoulder to her hip, barely touching her, but sending electricity through her every fiber. Suddenly, he stands up and turns away. Maya wants to beg him to stay, but the words won't escape her. She can barely hear him mumble something toward the door. Why can't I hear him properly? The liquid. What was that?
Her thoughts distract her from The Shadow's conversation and she can't tear her eyes away from her bed. Wait. She was on her own bed. How?
Maya's looks up and sees a woman she's never seen before. She is elegant and stunningly beautiful with classic features, but there is something sinister in her smile. She starts to kiss Maya gently. Maya feels herself getting lost in the moment, followed by a sharp bite on her lower lip. Blood. The woman flashes Maya a killer, seductive smile. Maya notices nothing but that smile until she feels the woman's knee separate her legs. She snakes her hand up Maya's thigh, pausing to trace circles over her hipbone before teasing the waistband of her panties. Her fingers are deft and experienced. Maya feels the like her blood is polarizing; she feels it rush to her head and to her core. Her hips buck in anticipation. Moments pass. Nothing happens.
Suddenly, she hears an otherworldly noise boom from the Earth itself.
Beep bleep. Beep bleep. Beep bleep.
Thank you for reading the first installment of this story. I would greatly appreciate your reviews and comments, especially since this is the first time I'm publishing in this format. More to come soon! Xx