7

I haven't really slept much since that day, since meeting Shadeaux. My mind was thinking too much. The nightmares came and I couldn't stop myself from waking up in piles of sweat. My throat burned from screaming apparently. Axel has come over a few nights to check on me due to my screaming. We'd sit in the living room and talk for a bit. He'd tell me stories of his past some personal others about his job. I honestly would listen to anything if it meant not having to sleep again. Axel was a real laid back but mysterious guy. He had cool grey eyes that I could tell hid past trauma. Well now I had trauma and an even crazier story that I couldn't even tell him. Shadeaux, that creature was always the last thing I saw before I woke up gasping for air and panting.

The only slight relief was finding out from other coworkers that Gabriella was alive. She messaged some other people obviously and not the girl she went to the party with. I couldn't help but be upset with her for never reaching out so I knew she was alive. It would have been slightly nice for her to check up on me. But it was a wild situation with people dead, I was not about to be that type of person who only thought of herself. She was alive and that's what mattered.

But that relief ended as my mind traced back to Shadeaux. The alien hunter. I met an alien who left skulls on my bed because I sang to him. How old were those skulls? Were they innocent or not? Was he truly taken by my voice? So many questions that were blocked out by the nightmares I continued to have and I didn't even have anyone to talk to. I guess Axel counted as someone.

The news was going in circles for weeks now. No suspects have been found, but most are believing it was all just a shootout between the two rival gang members. I knew this would only cause more tension to rise between the two gangs. More bloodshed would come from this. How was I supposed to just go on living? How was I supposed to heal from the trauma?

Axel continued checking in on me helped some. I knew he wanted information about what happened that night and I did my best to tell him what happened, or at least what I knew he'd believe. If I told him the truth he would think I was crazy and maybe a danger to myself or others. He mentions that I was one of the few people close to the shooting and that from video footage it looks like I should have seen what happened. But it all happened in the dark ceilings of the club. I saw something but then I didn't.

By the next week, my life went on as usual as it could have. But Gabriella did not come back in to work and I had no idea why. Monday brought heavy rain to join with the heat making everything musty and hot. The day dragged on it seemed and once it was finally over, I fought the traffic home. It felt nice to just sit in my car for a moment knowing Pandora was just waiting for me. The rain was starting to get heavier so I quickly gathered my things and rushed up the driveway and hurried to the door.

I gave Axel's home a quick glance noticing his car wasn't parked out in front. I quickly unlocked the door and stepped in only to scream bloody murder at the large black creatures lying flat on my living room floor. Pandora was on the kitchen table scattering fast across the living room due to my sudden burst of energy and noise. I clutched my chest as I fell back against my door making it slam shut. What the hell was I looking at! My eyes couldn't widen enough at the sights before me. After the panic subsided a tiny bit, I saw static appear beside the three dead… bears. Now a familiar form stood tall beside them. It was him. It was Shadeaux standing there snarling almost with a long metal spear like weapon. I saw red on the end of it. My chest was moving up and down, as I tried to contain myself.

"Wynter." The mechanical voice replied. I tensed up quickly at the sound. I swallowed hard watching as he raised one of the large bears up. He had to be a very strong creature for this bear looked fully grown due to its size alone. Suddenly, the black blur is flying down at my feet and I scream out again and jump visibly turning my body to the door as if to hold it as the bear lands at my feet with a thud. I pant heavily once more as my heart is pounding hard in my chest.

Black bodies covered the floor and before I could think, Shadeaux was marching up to me and it only took him a few steps to get close to me. I jumped and leaned into the door wishing I could disappear into it and become one with it.

"What do you want!" I cried out. Shadeaux's mask stared down at me as he basically had me pinned to the door with his body alone. I could hear the low snarling beneath his mask as the long locks on the side of his head, if I could call them that, shifted down to the left and right of his head movements. He took a step back and looked down at the dead animal before looking up at me. I slowly did the same. Their eyes were lifeless, tongues hanging from the sides of their massive jaws. Blood was all over the floor!

Shadeaux shrilled lowly before placing his fists against his chest giving it two hard beats and letting out a loud bark. I stared at him wide eyed, shaking, eyes watering now as tears began to fall down my cheeks. I was scared out of my mind. Shadeaux hissed lowly and tilted his head looking down at the bears and then up at me. He then points to the bear and then points to me. I blinked slowly, eyes blurry some from tears sticking to my long eye lashes. Was this another gift?

He then puts his long spear down and then removes some strange looking knife. My eyes widened as I pushed back against the door as he moves up to me. Or I think it's to me. He stopped beside the bear and got down on one knee I watched as just pushed the blade into the top of the bears neck with ease. My mouth immediately dropped as I couldn't take my eyes off the sight of him just slicing the thick floor, causing more blood to pool out onto the ground at my feet. In seconds, Shadeaux is standing up again and raising the large head to me. He had to be kidding!

I couldn't touch this dead thing! Shadeaux now began to give another deep purr as he slowly began to move upon me with the head the only thing keeping us separated. I pressed my hands to the door, tensing more, my face even shriveling up with disgust at the bear. Finally, my head gave action as I shook my head.

"No!" I yelped out, looking away shutting my eyes tight. I was waiting for the pain to come, the smack, the punch, anything. In this case waiting for death for this creature was sure to kill me now that I denied his gifts twice. I'm sure he seems as some ungrateful human who should be honored or something to be given skulls and dead animals.

I could only hear my panting of fear not realizing the hiss of air escaping was sounding through the room. I peeked my eyes open and slowly looked at the tall and dark creature. He had put the bears head back on the bear's back and was now removing his mask. His fingers were bloody from the bear and I just watched as he removed his masks slowly revealing his face again.

Once more I was met again with the white eyes of this monstrous being. They were unlike anything I had ever seen before. Seeing the scar again on his rough features gave more personality to him. He too had stories I was sure.

"Wynter." he says with a thick, scaly tone now. I swallowed some trying to do my best to calm down. I slowly wiped my wet face away and looked up at him again.

"Shadeaux." I replied. The hunter shrilled lowly that transitioned into clicking as his head tilted left and right as he just looked at me. I guess this is as good as acknowledging each other was going to get. I glanced down at the headless bear before me then up at him. "Why did you come here? Why did you leave these bears here?"

Surely, they didn't attack him. He let out a another shrill and held his head up high before moving over to the other bears and pulling them now, leaving two other trails of blood behind them making my stress level sky rocket now. The room smelled so horrible now. He then dropped the other bears beside the headless bear before just motioning at me. I just jumped as they made a thud noise as they hit the ground.

"For… you." he responds. I stumbled over my words some as I looked from the bears to him to the bears again. I did this a few times trying to get out of the loop I was in. Now he started to mimic me as he looked at the bears and then to me and then the bears and then to me again. I just held up my hands some.

"Why though?" I asked the stress evident in my voice. Before I could think, I feel his large claws on my shoulders as our bodies are now one. I hear the low purring emitting from him once more. The vibrations move throughout my body like last time. Feeling as if I was stumbling from being pulled, I grabbed his arms for balance. Oh my God he was pure muscle! My fingers gently curled up a bit to feel. I looked down at this large body was I pressed against.

"Be…" Shadeaux starts grabbing my attention. I looked up into his captivating white eyes.

"Be… my… mate." he says and my eyes widen at the three words. Um… What?