Doll Chapter three

Rain pounded against the roof of our cottage. I sat on the bed, carving a picture of Corinne into a slab of wood I found in the woods. The knife made soft grinding noises as I scratched it against the slab. Corinne was sitting by the fire, holding out her hands to warm them. Suddenly, she spoke, filling the quiet room with her beautiful voice.

"I want a dog, Jasper, please."

I smiled at her turned face, and replied, "What colour, Doll?"

She beamed and looked around thoughtfully.

"Well, " she said quietly, " I don't know. A big dog, I guess. I don't really care what colour. And…maybe…a cat, too?"

I looked at her innocent face and melted. "Sure." I shrugged. "I'll see what I can do."

I looked at her, feeling her mood change.

"What else?" I asked, watched her face flush before she turned her face to hide it.

"I want to learn how to…jump. The horses, I mean. Will you teach me? Ohhh and can you show me how high YOU can jump, and how long you can go underwater without coming up for air, and how much weight you can carry?"

She grew excited, her eyes growing wide with every new topic.

Laughing, I said, "I've never jumped a horse before, but I'm sure we could learn. I can jump pretty high…a lot higher than a horse, mind you." I smiled, then continued, "I can go forever without coming up for air…I don't NEED to breathe." She gasped but let me finish.

"I could probably carry Ebony, if I wanted to."

---Last week of October

It was growing considerably colder, and I found myself running to the city a bit more often. Corinne was pleasantly surprised the day I brought her home a stray grey cat she later named Cooper, then again a week later when I brought her a large German Shepard that she called Jim.

She was coddling the great dog one night, oblivious to the train wreck going on in my head. I tried to focus on petting Cooper, scratching him behind his animated ears, petting his soft fur.

It was only once a month that this usually happened, when I forgot to hunt lately and I was so thirsty that all I could focus on was Corinne's tempting smell.

I tried to stop breathing, cut off my sense smell, but it felt uncomfortable to the point of where I had to take in a deep breath, and my body would be filled with her luscious aroma.

I finally snapped.

I got up with a growl of frustration, startling Cooper into a fit of spitting snarls at me before he jumped down and scooted under then bed. I ran to Corinne and grabbed her by her arms, pinning them to her side, lifting her into the air and slamming her against the wall, shaking the entire house. Her eyes where wide and her fear rolled off her and clouded my eyes. It made me angrier, not at her, but at myself.

"Jasp-" I cut her of with a cry of rage and frustration, she winced at me.

Jim was baying and howling at me, snapping at my legs when he dared to get close enough to me. "ARHHHHHGGGG!" I screamed, my eyesight starting to go funny. "FUCK!" I screamed.

"GO TO TOWN JASPER!" Corinne screamed at me.

I blinked stupidly, then everything clicked. I dropped Corinne to the floor, not waiting to meet her eyes as she looked up at me from her crumpled heap of dress and tangled hair.

I hunted as soon as I got to town, killing two people, a bum, and a stable keeper who enjoyed hitting the horses. I waited in the woods until afternoon of the next day to go back to the cottage. I was scared that it would be empty, the I had scared Corinne for good this time.

I knocked on the door quietly. There was shuffling around inside, then the door opened, and Corinne shot out and wrapped her arms around me.

I wrapped my shocked arms around her, walking us both into the cottage.

"Corinne, Doll, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of -" She lifted a finger to my lips and shushed me.

I lifted my arms and, carefully, pulled the tie in the back of her dress. It slipped off her shoulders to the floor, revealing purple and blue bruises on her arms where I had grabbed her.

I lifted her naked body up into my arms and brought her to a porcelain tub I had brought home one night. I set her down beside it and tossed her a blanket.

I ran water from the stream to the fireplace and in minutes, I had enough warm water to start filling it.

When the water was high enough, I picked her up and placed her in the tub.

"Look, Jasper, I know, ok? I know that it's hard for you, and I know that these things are going to happen. I'm ok with it, alright? I know that you didn't mean to hurt me."

I shook my head at her. "I can't hurt you again. I won't be able to forgive myself."

She gave me a knowing look, then dipped her head underwater to soak her hair. While she was bathing, I sat on the bed.

I was staring at the ceiling when I felt something crawl on my lap. I looked down at Cooper, whose curious and wary eyes stared at me as he slowly walked up my legs and into my lap. He put his paws on my chest, meowed softly and licked my face. I stroked his back, and he began to purr.

With a soft whine, Jim jumped up on the bed and wiggled himself between my legs, asking to be stroked.

I was so distracted with the animals that I hadn't noticed Corinne had gotten out of the bath until she jumped on the bed soaking wet and landed in my lap. I carefully tickled her, listening to her giggle, then finally squeal in delight. I stopped when she started breathing funny and wrapped her body in the blanket.

---

By Christmas, Corinne had gotten fairly well at jumping. I bought her a whole riding outfit for Christmas, and she made me a coat. I also bought each of our horses a blanket, Cooper a scratching post and Jim a couple chew toys.

Sometimes Corinne would sing by the fire, Cooper in her lap, purring loudly, Jim by her side, I on her other side.

One big happy family….right?