A heart doomed by fate, p.10
A Heart Doomed by Fate, page 10
“Are you tired?” he rumbles and steps closer.
“Sort of,” I breathe and back up in the direction of the bed.
He reaches out and gently cups the back of my neck to pull me close. His mouth covers mine and the kiss that follows drives away all the dark thoughts of the movie. Warmth spreads through my veins and a tingling feeling ignites in my lower belly.
I can feel how hard he is when he presses against my belly. I want him and I groan into his mouth to let him know how much he affects me. My hands roam over his chest and I start to tug at the material.
I want to feel my hands on his skin and explore every inch of his body. Somehow I land backwards on the bed. A giggle rips from me and it’s cut short when I watch Hudson grab the back of his shirt to pull it over his head.
His lean chest is exposed for my eyes only. I felt the hint of a six-pack when I straddled his bike and wrapped my arms around him earlier today, but seeing it? Wow. My breath catches when his hands move toward his belt.
I start to peel away my own clothes to settle under the blankets. There’s no time to feel self-conscious, and even if there was, the heat in Hudson’s gaze would let me know that he wants me and more than likes what he sees.
He holds up something he pulled out of his wallet and I nod. His gaze stays locked on mine as he slides into bed next to me. I’m highly aware of my own body and I long for his touch and closeness. Just as much as I want to touch him, feel how hard he is for me in the palm of my hand.
The gentle way he cups my head and kisses me is completely enthralling. I feel special, adored, and completely safe with him as he covers my body with his. I gasp when I feel him between my legs and dig my nails into his back when he slowly enters me.
He stares into my eyes. It’s intimate and there’s nothing else in this world except us and the way our bodies connect. He starts to slowly move inside me, both of us groaning and gasping at the intense feeling our bodies create.
His lips find mine and our kiss becomes a way to communicate. Every emotion I feel I pour into the kiss and I receive the same in return. The moment is perfect and soon enough we share a pleasurable intimacy that makes my heart race.
It’s a building pleasure that needs to explode. I don’t ever want it to end and yet I want to experience the earth-shattering bliss I know is coming. He buries himself deeper inside me with each stroke and I urge him on.
My nails dig into his back and I cling to him. The overwhelming bliss hits me out of nowhere and I moan his name. His movements become erratic and then he’s exploding inside me. His lips are near my ear and he spills my name in adoration on a hot breath. Completely out of breath we cling to one another and our legs stay tangled.
He nuzzles my neck and murmurs in a raspy voice, “You’re perfect, Artsy.”
I close my eyes and let our special moment sink in along with his words. I let my fingers slide through his hair when I murmur in return, “It’s you who makes me feel perfect.”
We fall silent, but after a moment Hudson gets up to go to the bathroom. When he returns I quickly freshen up as well. We both end up in bed again, wrapped in one another’s arms. I never thought this would happen. Let alone find out that Hudson likes to cuddle. Minutes pass and worries settle in.
“Hudson?” I whisper, hoping he’s still awake.
“Yeah?” he mumbles, but keeps his eyes shut.
“Please don’t wander around. And if you do need to leave the room? Please wake me up first, okay?” I ask, hoping he’ll listen and won’t wander off.
Maybe I should stay awake and make sure? Except, I’m sleepy so I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to stay awake for long.
He opens one eye. “Scared of a doll, Artsy?”
The corner of his mouth twitches and I know he’s teasing me about being scared due to the movie. But this isn’t about the freaking movie; this is about my reality.
“Shut up. I mean it, Hudson. This house is scary at night,” I warn in the hopes it convinces him to stay in bed, or to wake me up first.
“Whatever you want, princess. Besides, I’m right where I want to be.” He sighs in contentment before snuggling even closer.
“Night, Hudson.” I smile, feeling happy for once.
I adore him and he sure makes me feel adored by him. After days filled with chaos and emotions it’s a relief to feel completely at ease in his strong arms. I’m glad I gave him another chance, even though I still have doubts, because my father could be right. I don’t want to believe it, but what if it’s true? This feels like a dream, to finally be with Hudson.
It’s scary because my mother had the same strong bond with my father before it all fell apart. Will that be our destiny as well? Is my heart doomed by fate? I glance at Hudson’s face who is completely at ease.
I don’t want to accept it. I need him. What we just did was special and brought our connection and relationship to a whole new level. My emotions are all over the place. I don’t want to lose what we have, but am I putting my heart and life on the line by being with him?
Sleep starts to claim me and I decide to trust Hudson and let go of my worries for tonight. I’m allowed to feel happy. To enjoy the safety and warmth of Hudson’s embrace and feel adored by him. I snuggle closer to Hudson, who is already asleep, and allow myself to drift off as well.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
– HUDSON –
I blink at the darkness of the room and stretch my arms out over my head. The curtains are still closed so I have no idea if the sun is up already. The soft body of Artsy shifts against me and I smile down at her. She’s amazing and sure felt perfect when I made her mine last night.
Smiling, I turn my head and glance at the clock on the bedside table. I frown when I notice it’s only two-thirty in the morning. I sigh and cuddle closer against Artsy. Closing my eyes, I get ready to drift off when I hear something. It sounds like it’s coming from the hallway. Was that a voice?
Shit. It must be the movie from last night messing with my head. I close my eyes again and try to get back to sleep. Except, I have a gut feeling that something bad is about to happen. Annoyed, I sit up and stare at the door as I hold my breath in an effort to keep things quiet so I might hear it better if the voice calls out again.
There’s only silence and I release a deep breath. Yeah, it’s definitely just me and clearly I need more sleep. I shake my head and let myself drop back down onto the bed. I snuggle closer to Artsy and cover the both of us with the blanket.
The second I close my eyes I hear the voice again. Someone is whispering and it’s coming from the hallway. This time it is much clearer. My eyes fly open when I hear my name.
“Hudson,” someone calls out, louder this time.
I jolt out of the bed and stare at the door. Everything inside of me is urging me to check to see what’s going on. I glance at Artsy, knowing I should wake her because she asked me to. Hell, the last time crazy things happened too. I might not remember and that right there makes it crazy things.
Though, Artsy is sleeping peacefully and I hate to wake her up. Maybe it’s just her mother who is trying to contact me again. Now that might have been weird as well, but it made sense somehow. Maybe I should check to see if it’s her? That’s safe enough, right?
I gently slide out of bed, careful not to wake Artsy, and reach for my jeans. Once I’ve put them on, I take my phone and shove it into my pocket. Opening the door, I take one last glance over my shoulder to make sure Artsy is still sleeping before I step out into the hallway.
“Hello?” I whisper and look left and right, finding no one there.
My heart is racing inside my chest and I release a deep breath. It was just my imagination. I definitely shouldn’t have watched a horror movie before we went to sleep. That’s probably why my nerves are all over the place.
Screw it, I’m going back to bed.
I’m about to turn when I hear a scratchy voice. “Attic.”
The attic. The place where it all went down last time. Well, there’s still a gap in my memory, and that’s where I found myself with a bleeding Artsy. But if it’s Artsy’s mom trying to get me to go up there, I have to go. Crap. Why does it have to be the attic in the middle of the night? Everything seems off and the gut feeling that something bad is bound to happen creeps up on me once again.
Gritting my teeth, I check on Artsy one last time and walk in the direction of the stairs. It’s dark and I have to use the flashlight of my phone to make sure I don’t stumble and break my neck. The door to the attic is open and a chill runs up my spine due to the memory of the last time I had to carry Artsy covered in blood out of there.
This is such a bad idea. A chilly gush of air flows over my back and I shiver. Steeling myself, I step into the empty room.
“Okay, I am here. What do you want from me?” I grunt and try not to feel as freaked out as I definitely am.
“Good to see you again, Hudson,” a female voice states and the lights come on.
A sigh of relief flows from me and I turn off the flashlight of my phone and tuck it into my jeans pocket. For a second there I thought I was going to face some kind of demon or a ghost or whatever.
Definitely too much movie time if you ask me. Though, some believe in it. The things I’ve experienced the past few days? I have to admit that I have no clue what to believe...other than knowing something more is out there.
“Are you Artsy’s mom?” I ask, just to make sure.
“Good guess,” she replies, and I now realize it’s the exact same voice I heard back in that cabin when she showed herself in the mirror.
“Why did you want me to come up to the attic?” I tilt my head and walk further into the room, feeling a bit more confident to know that it’s her.
“I promised to give you some answers if you were able to win my daughter’s trust back. You clearly did since you’re standing here. So, I am going to keep my promise as well,” the woman explains.
Her tone of voice sounds nice and honest. Though, my gut tells me that there’s something off about all of this. As if there might be consequences to the promise she’s talking about.
“Alright,” I carefully state, feeling unsure about the whole thing.
“Sit down,” she orders.
I find myself in front of the large mirror and sit down in front of it. My reflection is staring back at me and then there’s a woman coming up behind me. She looks like the one I saw in the mirror at the cabin. She takes a seat on the pillow beside me.
“Hudson. I know you will agree, because you want answers, but I have to hear you say the words. The information I’m about to give you is dangerous, do you understand?” Her tone holds warning and the stern look on her face shows she means it.
“I understand and I accept the consequences. I want to know what happened to me and what is going on with Artsy and this place,” I tell her and ignore the fact that she mentioned it’s dangerous.
I hate not knowing the truth, and I’m already in too deep when it comes to Artsy.
“Good. There is only one thing I didn’t tell you.” A grin slides across her face. “I wasn’t totally honest with you the last time.”
Her voice holds a mysterious tone to it and if I’m being honest? It’s scaring the crap out of me.
I clench my teeth and hiss, “What do you mean?”
“I promised I’d tell you the story, but you have to do something to make that happen. Something that will change your life and will pull you into the kind of danger that can easily rip you from this world.” Every word she says freaks me the hell out.
I should have stayed in bed with Artsy. Why did I check out the voice and come up here? Shit. I’m doing this for Artsy, and for myself to find out what’s going on.
Releasing a frustrated breath, I grunt, “What do I need to do?”
A bone-chilling laugh flows through the air, and then she says, “Play the Ouija board.”
I can feel my eyes go wide. There’s no way I’m going to play or so much as touch a Ouija board. I like horror movies just like any other person, but to get involved in that? Attract demons and shit? No way.
“Still want to know the truth? Or are you too scared?” she challenges.
Where I got chills up my spine earlier, I’m sweating like a pig now. There’s an internal battle going on inside me. On one hand I want to know the truth, and I have to push through whatever obstacles I might face. On the other hand? Ouija board. Not a game. Shit like that is as freaky as putting your life in the balance and seeing if you live to see another day.
“I can’t,” I croak and slowly shake my head.
“So, you don’t want to know the full background story, and figure out what happened the last time you were up here in this attic by yourself?” she challenges.
“I was up here by myself? I was here with Artsy,” I murmur and frown, wishing like hell I could remember.
“What’s your answer, Hudson? Yes, or no. It’s as easy as that,” she snaps, completely ignoring my question.
Though, the real question is...am I ready to play with my life and find out everything I want to know? Would it be worth it? Maybe it’s all in my head, a nightmare I’m gonna wake up from any second. Besides, the stuff in movies hardly ever happens in real life, right?
“What do you have to lose?” someone whispers beside my ear.
She’s trying to pressure me into doing it. Risk my own life to meddle in her daughter’s life. No. I can’t do this. Though, somehow the word “no” isn’t tumbling over my lips. Is the woman manipulating me? Or am I considering the possibility of submitting to her request?
Happy moments I shared with Artsy flow through my mind. It’s as if she’s giving me highlights to remind me why I need to do this.
“Yes or no?” she growls. “My patience is running thin.”
I need to make a decision. The movies I’ve seen of people playing with a board have experienced crazy shit, but I don’t think they died. Haunted? Yeah. Crazy stuff happening? Definitely. Though, if I follow the rules and play the game like it’s supposed to be played...it can’t hurt me. Right? Decision made.
“I’ll do it,” I tell her with a load of confidence. Yet, I instantly regret my answer.
“That’s what I like to hear.” The woman smiles with satisfaction. “The board is behind the box beside the mirror. You should hurry, someone could wake up, and the sun will rise soon.”
I nod and reach for the box. There’s a tension leaving my body, as if I’m no longer held hostage. A confirmation that she had some kind of hold on me, and when I shift my body there’s the same pull once again. A creepy thought enters my brain that I’m only free to move when I follow her orders, and otherwise I’d be trapped in this room.
I shake off the thought and open the box. I find the Ouija board hidden inside, just like she said. What the hell am I getting myself into? A mere few days ago I was just a guy teasing a girl. A change of heart had me stepping up and in a whirlwind I find myself doing shit I’d never thought I’d experience; I’m the guy who watches creepy movies, not plays the main part in one.
“I’ll give you step-by-step instructions. Although, I’m guessing you already know how to play, don’t you?” Her mysterious voice flows through the air once again.
Sometimes it feels as if she can see right through me, know my every thought. Either that or she’s manipulating me and pushing me into doing her bidding.
“Maybe,” I grunt and scoot back to the place in front of the mirror.
From the corner of my eye I notice a delicate rose, but I don’t give it a second thought because the woman is giving me more orders. “Now, you go to the other box on the left. There are four candles in there and a lighter. Grab those too.”
I get to my feet and do as she says, finding four red candles and the lighter.
“Now what?” I ask when I’ve placed the items next to the board and glance into the mirror.
“Turn the lights off and light the candles.” The voice sounds as if the woman is sitting right beside me, and yet it’s also like she’s inside my head.
It’s unnerving to say the least. I don’t exactly have a choice as I get up and hit the lights. The mirror holds a soft glow and I stalk back to the spot where I was sitting. I stare down at the Ouija board and the candles. This is a mistake. I need to turn around and get the hell out of here.
“Sit down,” the woman snaps.
Without thinking I drop to my knees and grab the lighter tightly in my hand. One by one I light all the candles until all four of them are burning.
“Good. Now place the board in the center to get ready,” she instructs me.
Every cell inside my body is screaming at me to stop. I shouldn’t get the board ready and yet I place it on the floor in front of me with the planchette on top and in the middle of it.
“Begin.” This time her voice is low and dark.
Like she is itching to become or do something evil. I don’t like this idea at all. With shaky hands I place my index and middle finger on top of the planchette. A gush of freezing wind enters the room and makes me shiver.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
– HUDSON –
I let a minute pass while my eyes glance at the clock that is hanging on the wall on my left.
“Three AM,” I read the time out loud on a whisper.
“Devil hour, perfect timing don’t you think?” The woman in the mirror smirks.
At this point she knows damn well what kind of danger she’s putting me in. I release a sigh and mentally prepare myself for this moment. I move the planchette over the board, sliding it three times in a circle until it hits the middle again.
“Ouija board, I’m here,” I whisper with a nervous tone.
My fingers are glued to the board, too scared to let go by accident. I swallow hard when I catch sight of the flame of the candles that are flickering without a gush of wind.
“If anyone is here, can you move the planchette to ‘yes’?” I question, following the instructions I’ve seen people do in the movies.
