He was fast. I had run track in high school and I could confirm with some level of expertise that he was agile too. Twisting around bends and bounding over small boulders with ease. I followed his shadow at first, and the sound of him crashing through the underbrush. I felt the trails beneath my feet sloping downhill as we neared the beach and welcomed the sand under my sneakers as opposed to the broken twigs and rocks that had had me tripping.
As the forest opened up to the ocean, the sound of our pursuit was replaced with the waves crashing on the shore. I had expected to at least see him on the long stretch of beach and briefly wondered if he had turned back and was now gaining traction in the opposite direction through the forest. I decided to push forward, there wasn’t anywhere else in the woods to go except back the way we came. I pushed myself to run harder, faster, I didn’t notice Roy until I was right next to him.
“Clara,” He exclaimed. Roy was a townie and someone I had known basically since birth. Just like everyone else in this town, I hadn’t seen him for years. He had no disdain in his eyes, just delight at my reappearance, I couldn’t say the rest of the townies would share his reaction. His fishing pole rested against one of his shoulders. He reached under his bucket hat to scratch his graying hair. “What a surprise!”
“Roy, hi!” My voice shot up an octave, instinctively. “How are you?” I asked, jogging in place. “Have you seen a guy breeze past here? Like just now?” I asked before he could answer.
“Can’t say that I have, Miss Clara.” He replied.
“Alrighty, I really gotta jet but I’ll see you around, Roy!” I said, already bounding across the sand.
“Come by the diner soon! Would love to catch up with you!” He called after my retreating figure.
The only structure in view was the old dock that was even too worn for the fisherman to enjoy. It was held up by tall concrete pillars. With a newfound certainty, I walked towards them. I could feel him. He was close. Hiding behind one of the barnacle-covered structures. Instead of searching for him, I paused. I listened.
A slight shift in the water. I had him. I launched myself behind the pillar, with no plan in mind. I found myself grabbing his collar, sending both of us crashing into the shallow water. We thrashed for a moment, I straddled him, trying to get him to stay still.
I felt his strength as he sent me flying. I hit the sand with a thud and gasped for breath but was on him again in an instant as he tried to run past me. I didn’t play fair either, I pulled his hair, scratched his arms. Finally, I secured my knees on either side of his waist and hoisted myself above him, pinning his wrists above his head. I was aching for breath but when I caught sight of his expression, he looked… resigned. Like he had just given up. His stomach was hard beneath me. Toned. I couldn’t help but readjust myself and felt his body beneath me again. My cheeks flared.
“Stop!” I shouted when he seemed ready to send me flying again. I could feel it, his wrists beneath my palms, how easily he could break my grasp. He stared at me with defiant, dark eyes. He almost didn’t look real. I was struck again with his beauty. It had me frozen. “Hi,” I breathed before I realized what I was doing. He cracked a grin, a real one this time. As if we had just been caught in an awfully awkward predicament and I had called attention to it.
“What can I do for you?” He prompted so casually that for a moment I forgot I was pinning him down. That we were both soaked and caked in sand. That he was the demon I had just summoned from Hell itself.
“Now you’re asking?” My tone hit like a whip, sharp and solid. Tinged with annoyance. If he was going to be so polite, could he have chosen to just avoid the struggle. He wiggled slightly and I tightened my legs around his waist. It felt something else beneath me and pretended that I didn’t, feeling my cheeks grow warmer. He paused and failed at suppressing his smirk. I cocked an eyebrow.
“Do you have a name?” He asked. I paused before deciding that I may as well answer.
“Clara.”
“Pretty name.” I held his wrists tighter.
“And you?” I prompted.
“Rosier.”
“Rosier?” I confirmed. He gave a curt nod and after a beat he continued.
“Do you think we could have this conversation from a more civilized standing? You're leaning on my manhood.” I knew that. I could feel it. I prayed he didn’t notice my already severe blush grow warmer in the dim light. I nodded slowly before releasing him. I stood and took a tentative step back, making sure he wasn’t preparing to flee again.
“I summoned you and I need your help.” I stated plainly. The statement felt dull in my mouth. Like I was a LARPer forced to present a half-baked quest.
“Which would be?” He prompted rubbing his wrists as if there had been cuffs on them.
“We’re bound- I summoned you.” I clarified. I didn’t have the authoritative tone that I had hoped to possess when saying this but I swallowed my uncertainty and held my ground. “There is someone I need to find. If you play the role of my muscle and help me find them then I’ll let you go. Otherwise, I’ll just send you back to Hell. Got it?” The last sentence came out as a squeak, I mentally facepalmed myself. He stared back with pursed lips, trying to hold back laughter. I watched as the wheels spun in his head and he actually considered my proposal for a moment.
“Seems like it could be interesting. Who are you looking for?” He inquired. I hadn’t prepared for questions. I had thought this would be simpler. He would appear, I would explain my terms, he would accept. I didn’t think he would weigh his options.
“Don’t worry about that, you just follow my lead,” I assured him.
“C’mon, what’s the motive here? Give me something to work with…” He stepped forward, narrowing the distance between us. He was much taller than me, and I stared up at him. I wasn’t intimidated. I’m not sure it came off that way but I wasn’t. I sucked in a shallow breath.
“My sister.” I gave up. “We’re looking for my little sister.” He nodded, contemplating my answer before loping into a circle around me, looking me up and down. Drinking me in. Although I was soaked now, I was wearing a white tank top that had probably gone transparent. I pulled my olive green jacket tighter around my frame. My jeans must have been caked in sand. I felt a shiver ripple through me. My dark hair was plastered to my neck with sweat and ocean water. It occurred to me that the way he circled me wasn’t unlike a lion circling his prey. This wasn’t what I had expected at all.
“How did you know how to summon a demon, hm?” He asked suddenly. I chose to stay silent on that one. He continued around me, his stride slow and loping. “Are you part of the occult?” He continued to circle. “A satanist, maybe?” Another few steps. “No…” When he stopped, clapping his hands together in front of himself, I knew he had it. “Angel.” He grinned wickedly. I met his gaze with the same solemn defiance I would wear if he had held a sword to my throat. “Brilliant.” He exhaled, his eyes alive with excitement. “This will be fun.”
Comments (0)
See all