The Key (Heartfire) by Celeste Davis Page B

onto his shoulders for dear life. She didn't need to though. His grip on her was strong but gentle. She knew he would not drop her.
    Still, she didn't really appreciate being treated like a sack of potatoes and told him so.Her vision was limited to the pavement of the walkway, then the tarmac of the stadium parking lot, then grass, and then the leaves and brush of the woods of the nature preserve behind campus.
    She banged on his back to get his attention and he shifted her so that he carried her in front of his body. It happened so fast she barely had time to blink. She wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes as he ran so fast through the trees she thought they were flying.
    Finally he stopped. It felt like they'd been running forever even though she knew it had been less than an hour. They were deep in the woods with no lights nearby. Nobody could hear what they had to say all the way out here.  
    The thought was both reassuring and frightening.
    He lifted her so that she slid down his body until her feet touched the ground. Dylan was breathing heavily, his erection pushing against her insistently. He ducked his head, kissing her neck roughly. His hands were busy with one sliding down to her bottom and the other pawing at her top.
    She arched her back, letting him touch her. She was overtaken by the moment, reveling in the feel of him. His hands felt good through her clothes. It felt right.
    The next thing she knew the ground had risen up to meet her back. Dylan had carefully lowered her down without breaking their kiss. She looked up at him as he began pulling his clothes off, staring at her with that same hungry, animalistic gaze.
    There was something else happening to him as well... his muscles seemed to ripple in the moonlight. To grow. The hair on his arms was darkening. She blinked, having trouble believing her eyes.
    Was this really happening?  
    And then he was on her, pulling her legs apart roughly, grinding into her through her jeans. She gasped at the raw sexuality of it. At the same time, it felt good. As long as he didn't try to take her virginity in a pile of leaves...
    Of course, he didn't know she was a virgin did he?
    "Dylan! Dylan, wait! I'm a virgin."
    His head snapped up and he stared at her, his eyes seeming to glow in the darkness. He didn't stop the heavy rotation of his hips. His breath was raspy against the tender spot on her neck.
    "What?"
    "I- I've never done this before. Please- you are going too fast!"
    He cursed and let out a howl. Her blood turned to ice as he lifted his head to look down at her. Dylan was gone. A monster had taken his place.

HEARTFIRE
    Book Two
    The Hidden

    Coming soon from Celeste Davis and Pincushion Press

Dylan
    ◉

    "Stay away from me."
    Dylan's eyes fluttered open. He was laying on the ground. Above him faint light filtered through the trees. It was early in the morning from the looks of it. And it was freezing.
    "What the-"
    "I said stay away from me!"
    He turned his head to see Kaylia kneeling on the ground with a long pointy stick pointed at him. Right at his chest.
    A very pointy stick.
    Her big brown eyes were wide with fear. Her back was pressed up against a tree trunk. She looked like she was shivering. From the cold or fear, he wasn't sure which.
    "Kaylia?"
    "Don't!"
    He ran his hand through his hair and brushed the leaves away. He grimaced, expecting to be stiff after sleeping on the ground all night. Instead he felt good. Really good.
    In fact, he felt fantastic.
    "What the hell happened?"
    She whimpered and waved the stick menacingly. He almost laughed. She was about as threatening as a kitten. He grabbed the stick and tossed it away playfully.  
    That's when he noticed her eyes were filling up with tears.
    "Hey... it's okay Kaylia. I'm not going to hurt you."
    She scrambled to the side and was on her feet in an instant. He reached out and grabbed her just as she started to run. It was like taking candy from a baby. He realized that she was