Authors: Casey Elliot
*****
Scarlett opened her eyes slowly.
What on earth am I doing here?
She thought, as she realized she was still in the movie room. The end credits of the film played, giving off the only light in the room, her eyes struggling to focus.
Finn
, her thoughts returning to what had happened or was about to happen before the beast came into the room. Fear seized her, her heart hammering in her chest, her throat dry.
The beast, don’t be silly, Scarlett,
she scolded herself.
It was just a dream.
Scarlett sat up and looked around, but Finn was nowhere to be seen. She was relieved, she couldn’t believe what an asshole he had been,
he must have given up and gone home
. Scarlett lay still for a few minutes, rolling onto her back.
Adrian,
she suddenly thought,
it must be after 10 P.M.
From the corner of her room, she heard a low growl, her head swiveling around to look in the direction of the sound. In the corner, she could see a large shape.
The beast
, she thought…
it wasn’t a dream.
It stepped toward her, and she could see from the dim light of the television that it wasn’t a beast, but a large gorilla. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The gorilla continued to come slowly toward her, its eyes watching her intently. She clawed at the back of sofa, trying to gain purchase, so she could pull herself up, but it was of no use. She was too scared for her limbs to coordinate. It moved slowly, as if its intent was not to scare her, but to tell her something instead. Its fur shone in the light, and Scarlett could see it was huge, definitely bigger than any gorilla she had seen on television. She collapsed back onto the sofa, watching it approach slowly, there was nothing she could do now. Arriving at the sofa, the gorilla sat on its haunches watching her for a few minutes before laying its head on her chest. It made no move to attack her, and Scarlett found herself returning its gaze. There was something so familiar about the gorilla, his eyes boring into Scarlett’s soul. The gorilla’s eyes were a deep soulful brown, and Scarlett could see the pain the gorilla felt.
“Adrian?” It couldn’t be, could it? Was this beast in front of her, Adrian?
But how?
The beast nuzzled into her chest for a moment before pushing itself off of her and heading toward the door. The gorilla hesitated in the doorway, but it didn’t turn back. Scarlett watched him leave, but made no move to follow.
Am I going crazy?
People didn’t just turn into animals at night, did they?
*****
Scarlett woke the next morning in her own bed. She didn’t remember coming down the stairs and climbing into bed, but she must have. Her thoughts flew back to the events of last night, a tangle of Finn, Adrian, and the gorilla.
It was just a dream, wasn’t it?
Scarlett tried to tell herself, but she knew it wasn’t just a dream. Everything that had happened last night was real. Rolling over, she caught sight of the clock, it was after nine A.M.
Adrian
, her thoughts immediately returning to him. Was he okay? Throwing back the covers, Scarlett swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet sinking into the soft carpet.
“Relax,” a voice whispered from the corner. Scarlett jumped, her head turning in the direction of the sound. She would know that voice anywhere.
“Adrian?” She said, sliding from the bed and padding over toward the sofa where he sat. He looked terrible; a dark five o’clock shadow marring his face. Scarlett stood in front of him in a t-shirt and panties, aware of how naked she was in front of him, but she didn’t care.
“It’s okay. You can come closer to me, Scarlett. I would never hurt you.” Scarlett realized that she wasn’t scared. It was a different emotion; one that she couldn’t quite place. She padded over to where he sat, sliding onto the sofa beside him.
“I know,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving his face. He look defeated, his shoulders slumped, exhausted. “What happened, Adrian?” He didn’t look at her, his eyes staring out the window at something only he could see.
“It’s happened to me my entire life; human by day, beast by night. It’s the family curse, passed on from generation to generation.” He started, “I don’t even know when it started. It’s always been part of me, but now, I can’t control it; it controls me.”
“Are there others?” Scarlett found herself asking, “apart from your family?” Adrian nodded.
“There are others; not many, but there are.” Scarlett drew in a sharp breath, she had always thought there were more things in this world than she knew of, but to have it confirmed, to have witnessed it for herself was something she had never considered.
“Do you… become this gorilla… every night?”
“I used to be able to control it better. I would change for fun or when the pull was strong. But now, now I change every night whether I want to or not.” Scarlett wanted to reach out and hold his hand and tell him that everything would be okay, but she knew they were empty promises. She knew nothing of his world. “It’s taken everything from me, “Adrian continued. “I can’t leave the house because I fear that it will overcome me while I’m in the outside world. Could you imagine what they would do to me if anyone found out?” He laughed bitterly. Scarlett took a deep breath and nodded, she knew.
“What happened last night?” Adrian sat quietly for a moment before turning to face her, his gaze meeting hers.
“I dealt with it. Well, my people did.”
“Is he dead?” Scarlett was afraid to ask, but deep down, she already knew the answer. Adrian nodded slowly.
“I’m afraid of myself, Scarlett; afraid of what happens when I lose control.”
“I’m not scared of you, Adrian. I’m sitting right here in front of you, and I won’t leave.” Scarlett leaned forward, her lips finding Adrian’s. It was impulsive, it was reckless, but Scarlett didn’t care. To her surprise, Adrian returned her kiss with passion, encircling her waist with his arm and holding her tight.
Scarlett moved her tongue across his bottom lip, tasting salt and early morning whisky. Adrian growled in response, a deep primal growl that was neither human nor beast. Sliding her down the sofa, Adrian lay on top of her, careful not to crush Scarlett with his full weight. His hands slid up the side of her singlet, so he could feel her warm skin under his hands, he needed to feel something real after the events of last night. Adrian’s kisses moved, from her lips, down her jaw, to the hollow of her throat.
His kisses were hurried, Adrian wanted nothing more for his skin to meet hers, to feel the warmth of a woman again. His passion excited Scarlett, as he lifted her singlet over her head leaving her chest bare, his hands exploring every inch of her. Adrian gently nipped at her nipples, taking each into his mouth in turn. His senses heightened, all he could smell was the scent of Scarlett and sex and it drove him wild. Adrian was close to losing control, but he didn’t sense fear from Scarlett, only excitement.
Pushing her panties down, Adrian slid his hand in between her legs to find that she was already wet. Scarlett smiled at him, the secret smile that a woman kept for her man. He knew then that she was his, and that she wanted this as much as he did. Scarlett’s hips rose to meet his touch as his hand stroked her gently, her moans urging him on. Adrian kissed her firmly, tongues intertwined, their bodies connected. Firmly, Scarlett pushed him until he was sitting up, with her straddling him. Tugging at the bottom of his t-shirt she lifted it over his head, revealing the most perfect set of abs that she had ever seen. Scarlett ran her hands along each curve, feeling the indents of his muscles, the heat from his bare skin. Kissing him, her hands worked at his belt before slowly slipping inside his trousers and taking his cock firmly in her hand. Growling, Adrian returned her kiss with fervor.
Scarlett smiled, she had him right where she wanted him. Sliding gently onto the floor, Scarlett slid his trousers and pants down over his hips leaving his cock free. The sight of his cock thrilled Scarlett, he was huge and perfect. Sliding her hands up and down his cock, her eyes never left his, she loved the way he watched her, his eyes burning with hunger. Holding his cock firmly in her hand she guided the tip into her mouth, her tongue teasing him. His cock twitched in her hand, growing firmer with each touch. Taking him as deep as she could, Scarlett worked his cock, her hand grasping him firmly, creating gentle friction. Her other hand slid between his legs and with feather light touches she teased him even more. Adrian moaned underneath him, his cock straining.
Pulling him out of her mouth, Scarlett straddled him, her lips meeting his. Guiding his cock into her, she felt Adrian shudder with pleasure underneath her as he slid gently into her tight pussy. His hands found her hips, and he watched her intently as she rode him, slowly at first then faster, urged on by Adrian’s touch. Adrian explored every inch of her as she rode him, with his hands and mouth as hiscock strained inside Scarlett. He could feel himself growing close to coming, a primal growl tearing through his throat.
Holding her tight with one arm he flipped her onto her back. Her legs encircled his waist, pulling him deeper inside of her. Leaning down Adrian kissed her passionately, Scarlett’s breaths coming in short pants as she too grew closer to climax. The small size of the sofa kept their bodies tight together, the top of Adrian’s cock stroking her clit with each thrust. With a loud moan the first waves of orgasm washed over Scarlett, her eyes half lidded in ecstasy. Adrian’s eyes shone as he watched her underneath him, in the throes of pure ecstasy. Her pussy tightened around him as she came, enticing his own orgasm. Thrusting himself tight into her, he came as Scarlett rose from the sofa and kissed him. Collapsing against her, they lay connected for several minutes, neither of them saying a word. Rising from the couch, Adrian picked Scarlett up in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her towards the bed. The look in his eyes told Scarlett that this was only the beginning.
*****
Stretching out, Scarlett's hand sought out the comfort of Adrian's body, but her hand connected with nothing but air. Opening her eyes, she could see the imprint of where Adrian had lain only hours before, but he was nowhere to be found. Images of last night flooded back to her, and she smiled. The way Adrian had held her, as she fell asleep showed a tenderness that she had never experienced before. Swinging her legs over the side of her bed, she reached for her robe that lay on the chair in the corner of her room and wrapped it tightly around her.
Heading out of her room and into the hallway, she saw and heard nothing, the house was eerily still. Looking at the large grandfather clock that stood at the center of the top of the stairs, she could see it was seven P.M., too early for Adrian to have retired to the vault. Knocking on the large wooden doors that led to this wing, she called his name out softly. There was no answer. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the doors open.
"Adrian?" she called again. This part of the house was forbidden to her, and she felt like a trespasser.
I have to know he’s okay
. Stepping into the hallway that ran down the middle of the wing, she could see nothing but devastation all around her. Broken furniture lay in piles and the portraits that lined the hallway were tattered and torn. Scarlett reached the end of the hallway before she found Adrian who sat slumped on a tired old daybed.
"Adrian," Scarlett called out, hurrying over to him. She knelt in front of him, as he held his head in his hands. He slowly looked up at her. It was if he held all the weight of the world on him, his face sagged and his eyes revealed nothing but pain.
"You have to go," he whispered hoarsely.
"Okay, will you come back to my room then?" Scarlett said, thinking that he meant out of his apartment.
"Get out of here!" he said, rising to his feet and pushing Scarlett to the floor with his sudden outburst. Adrian walked toward the window, staring out at the garden below.
"Wait, why?" Scarlett said, frantically scrambling to her feet.
"Because I can't control it, Scarlett." Adrian spat venomously, turning his attention back to her. His eyes flashed, but Scarlett pushed down the fear that threatened to rise.
"I'm not scared of you," Scarlett said, stepping toward him. Adrian watched her approach, his face softening.
"If anything happened to you, I would die." Adrian said, crossing the distance between them. "Please, go," he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. Scarlett returned his kiss, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Please," he whispered once again before breaking away from her and heading into a room off the lounge, shutting the door firmly behind him. Scarlett stood and stared at the door for a few minutes, defeated in this battle, before she headed back to her room to pack her things.
Scarlett sat on the end of the bed, her bags packed. She had nowhere to go. She certainly couldn't go back to Carrie's house, and she didn't have enough money for a hotel.
"Are you ready?" A voice called from the doorway. Scarlett looked up and saw Adrian standing in the doorway.
"I have nowhere to go, Adrian." Scarlett shook her head sadly. "Please don't do this. I want to be here, with you."
"Scarlett, I can't risk hurting you." Scarlett stood and walked toward Adrian, her eyes never leaving his.
"I moved to New York for adventure, to escape my old life, and I found the adventure I was looking for; here with you." Adrian said nothing, his eyes searching hers. He was looking for something, something that only he could give himself, he was looking for forgiveness. "My life without you is nothing. You've given me hope, friendship...love," Scarlett continued. Adrian drew back, straightening.
"I will make arrangements for you to be taken care of, Scarlett, but you are never to return here, ever." He watched her for a moment before turning his back on Scarlett and walking down the hallway without looking back. Tears slid down her face, as she watched him leave, and she knew she would never see Adrian again.
"Are you ready, Scarlett?" The sound of Walter's voice broke through Scarlett's daydreams. Wiping the tears from her face, she rose from the sofa and turned toward him. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but bit his lip instead. Picking up the two duffle bags that contained all her worldly possessions, Scarlett joined Walter at the door of her room. Wordlessly, Walter took her bags from Scarlett and led her down the same hallway that Scarlett arrived in.
"I've arranged for your own apartment in Brooklyn for the time being," Scarlett's eyebrow rose. That was fast, she thought to herself. A driver waited for her in the reception. Taking her bags from Walter, he nodded toward Scarlett, tipping his hat.
"Goodbye Walter. Thank you for everything," Scarlett said, giving Walter a warm hug goodbye.
"Goodbye Miss Scarlett, take care of yourself." Scarlett followed the driver out to the waiting car. She didn't see Adrian at the window watching her leave nor did she hear the sound of his heart breaking.