Teaser Tuesday

 

 

And the Big Bad Wolf Came to Huff and Puff and Blow the House Down....

 

Wild Moon

by AR DeClerck

The world became nothing but pain. Her shoulders screamed in agony as her weight dragged on them. Her legs shook with the effort it took to hold herself up, and she felt blood on her wrists as the rope bit into her flesh. The contractions were closer together, and when she could think she timed them out at eight minutes apart. She gave up trying to stay quiet, and she screamed when the rolling cramps swamped her. She felt the weight of the baby deep against her pelvis and she knew it pressed against her, ready to be born. She resisted the urge to push, doing everything she could think of to stall the process.

We do not have much time. The child comes.

I know. I’m trying to stop it.

There is no stopping this. We must be prepared to Merge. Why are you so afraid?

I don’t want to be a monster like Dyer. I want to be me. I want to be Jessy.

You are not like Dyer. You have to let go of this fear, Jessy. We must Become to save the child.

She knew her beast was right. The villagers wouldn’t help her, their fear of Dyer was too strong. Yalla was hurt, or dead, and she begun to realize that Bas would never find her in time. They were too far north, deep in the arctic tundra where only the caribou and the native Sami dared to roam.

You have always feared me. It is time to let that fear go.

Tell me how.

Let go. Trust me.

Jessy felt the tears on her cheeks but she didn’t remember crying them. They crystallized in the cold, and she blinked to get her lashes off her cheeks. The pressure against her pressure grew, and she bit her lip, drawing blood, to stifle the screams. She knew Dyer was nearby, enjoying every tormented sound she made. The contractions were closer now, less than five minutes apart and she knew the baby was coming. She had no choice but to do as the beast wanted.

I’m ready.

Trust me, Jessy. Let me in.

I trust you. I’m ready.

It was a tidal wave of his consciousness as it swept over her. She struggled as it threatened to push her under, drowning her in his strength. She was so tired that she gave a moment’s thought to simply letting go.

Don’t give up. Take control, or you will become like Dyer. The moon rises soon.

His warning snapped her out of her complacent drowning. She fought harder, pushing against his instincts as they wrapped around her mind. He was smart and cunning, able to lie in wait for hours for his prey. He could see farther, run faster than she’d ever dreamed. He hungered for the chase, and it made her a little sick, but as she began to Merge with him she saw that it was the same wild nature that made him want to run against the wind and howl at the bright silver moon. It was simply a part of who he was. Of who she was Becoming. She could temper that hunger with her own thoughts, her own human nature. She was still Jessy, but she was better. Smarter, faster, stronger.



 

 

Available November 27th from Raven's Seduction Press

www.amazon.com/author/ardeclerck