I spend my days drifting around, feeling like my feet barely touch the ground.
I need something to make me come alive again and to relight the fire inside me. I used to have such passion for life. I used to want to do so much. And now, it feels like I’ve lost the will entirely. I don’t want to give in to this misery. My brother would never have wanted that for me. But if something doesn’t change soon, I fear that my life will continue down this dark path for eternity.
I swing the ax over and over. Soon enough, I’ve obliterated most of the wood, hunks of it prepared in a pile for the hearth. But I wish there was more to do. More to distract me. More to stop me from having to face my mother, to talk about how hard it’s been since we lost my brother, her son.
And that’s when I stand up and see the young woman looking at me. She’s not a local. I’d know if she was.
She looks like a deer in the headlights, her beautiful green eyes wide with something like fear. She stares back at me, and I can’t help taking in the curves of her body hidden beneath scruffy clothes. She looks like she’s been on the road for a while and seems tired, but nothing can detract from how beautiful she is. She’s the most incredible creature I’ve ever seen in my life. Long blonde hair spills over her shoulders, and I find myself wanting to run my hands through it. There’s something more, too. She can’t be older than twenty-one, yet she looks like she’s seen so much in her short years.
I growl under my breath before I can stop myself. She’s so enticing that she’s brought out this animal inside me that has never surfaced before. My cock hardens at the sight of her, and I realize that I need her.
I need her right now more than I’ve ever needed anything in my life.
I immediately know that she is the one I’ve spent all these years waiting for. She’s the one who can give me everything I’ve craved for so long. She’s the one who can change everything for me, to bring me back to life.
And now, the fire inside me reignites and is back in full force.
CHAPTER TWO
Olivia
When I leave my apartment in the middle of the night, all I know is that I need to get away as soon as possible. Far away, where no one will be able to find me….
Especially him.
There’s not much to leave behind, to be honest. This place that I call home is just a disgusting rental that I can barely afford to live in. Now, my landlord has kicked me out, and it’s almost a relief. I’m sad to be leaving New York City and all of its occasional excitement, but the further away from here I get the better.
I take a late train out of the city with just one bag in my hand. I feel like I haven’t slept in years, but I force myself to stay awake and alert. I never know when or where I might be followed. It always feels like there are eyes on me these days, ever since the stalking began. I know that someone can’t be watching me all the time, and yet, whenever I close my eyes, I’m certain that I’m not safe.
Maybe this fresh start is exactly what I need. Maybe I’m finally going somewhere that I can’t be followed. I barely paid attention when I asked for a ticket anywhere, so I just found my platform and got on the train without thinking. Wherever this train takes me, I’ll stay. I guess even if I don’t know where I’m going to end up, the chances are that I’m not going to be followed.
The train is due to arrive in the late morning, so my heavy eyes win the battle, and I fall asleep for a while. When I open them again, sunlight is streaming in through the window, and we’re just about to stop at a little town that looks idyllic as I watch it go by from the window. I grab my stuff and head for the door, feeling a pull to the place that I can’t describe. It seems like a good place to make a fresh start.
But as I step off the train, realization dawns on me. I have nothing. I left my cell phone in a dumpster to stop the calls from my stalker. I don’t have any money. My last paycheck was used to cover my rent before I was kicked out. I have nothing of value and nowhere to go.
Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all, but what choice do I have? I walk into the town with a heavy heart, hoping that maybe some good can come of this. Maybe I’ll find somewhere to stay just for tonight, and then I’ll be able to sort my life out from there.