Blood Legacy Chapter 98: 96. You're not real

*You're not real...It was just a dream...*

Those two sentences kept repeating themselves in my mind like a catchy tune, over and over again.

My entire body shuddered, woken to life by a cold sensation licking at my arms and shoulders.

I was cold. Why was I so cold?

My legs moved and I could feel that restricting material haphazardly wrapped around them, holding me down.

A searing headache started to pound at my skull, making me moan out and I instinctively brought my hand to my forehead, feeling the touch of something heavy and cold wrapped around my wrist.

My eyes snapped open, noticing that silvery band circling around my wrist. My brows furrowed, curiously staring at it as I flipped my hand on both sides, wondering how the hell it got there.

But it was annoying the crap out of me so I tried to take it off, surprised to notice that it wouldn't budge. It was obviously wide enough for me to be able to easily slip it off of my hand but for some reason it just wouldn't come off.

"What the fuck?" I suddenly sat up and tried harder, growing angrier by the second as it simply wouldn't come off.

"It's not going to, unless I do it myself,"

My body startled as if being zapped by an electric current at the sound of that masculine voice, my confusion being quick to morph into utter horror as soon as my head snapped to the side, towards the source of it.

"Yh...y-you're..." I struggled to swallow, the tiny hairs on my body standing on end with pure apprehension and aversion.

And before I could every try to control myself a loud and blood-curdling scream erupted from within my throat, the sharp sound painfully bouncing off the walls around us.

"No, little doe, I-"

My eyes widened as I watched him try to approach, all reason leaving me and giving in to that crippling fear.

This was a nightmare. It couldn't be real!

I clumsily scrambled off of that plushy surface I was sitting on, my hip flaring with pain as soon as I unceremoniously landed on the hard floorboards with a dull thud.

I let out a pained noise, my eyes trailing up to his advancing and intimidating form. He was coming straight for me! I didn't waste time and started to crawl myself backwards, whimpering and uttering small pleas, like a cornered little prey my heart pounding with such urgency inside my chest.

I didn't want him to come anywhere near me! He was going to hurt me, exactly like he did in my last vision. I didn't want to feel that crawling sensation of his hands on my body, that crippling pain I knew he'd inflict upon me.

Why was he here? Why was this happening? Was it even real? Or was this just another vivid vision? Why was it not ending? Why wasn't Nathan shaking me back to reality?

Why was I alone in this space, trapped with him whilst wearing this stupid wedding dress? What kind of sick, twisted vision was this?

"Please...Don't hurt me..." I weakly begged, hot tears blurring my vision. They spilled down my cheeks, my chin trembling as I watched him abruptly stop right in front of me.

A muscle feathered in his defined jaw and I let out a choked sob, gathering the puffy skirt closer to me with shaky hands, ready to stumble up to my feet and flee, should he continue his advance.

His hands balled into tight fists at his sides, those black eyes regarding me in such a frightening way. His broad chest heaved, my throat producing tiny sobs and whimpers as I continued to stare up at him, too scared to look away.

Scared that he will grab me and do god-knows what to me. I didn't want to find out. I wanted to stay in this little corner, and make myself as small as possible.

My breath hitched within my throat the very moment he made a sudden move, startling me. But instead of reaching out to grab me he turned around and left with rapid and furious strides, my brows furrowing right before a loud, shattering sound reached me, followed by the most terrifying roar I've ever heard.

I whimpered like a beaten dog and crouched, covering my head with my arms as I braced myself for the possible pain I was so sure I was soon going to feel, gently rocking myself as I cried like a scared little child.

What was going on? Where was Nate? Why wasn't I waking up already?

I continued to cry and cry as I waited and waited, holding myself huddled in that little corner and shaking like a leaf, torturing myself like that for what felt like an eternity until darkness finally took me away from that nightmare.

I jerked awake with a startle, pain roaring to life in my bones and muscles as I sat up, groggily taking in my surroundings.

Where was I?

I cluelessly flittered my gaze from the large and comfy-looking leathered couch sitting just a few steps away to the blackened stone fireplace encased in the wall to my right, the entirely wooden floorboards and walls giving the spacious living room a cabin-in-the-woods vibe. It looked familiar and yet...unfamiliar at the same time.

Why was I fucking sleeping on the floor though? I couldn't help but wonder, wincing in pain and letting out a small groan as I shakily got up to my feet.

I was also still wearing that stupid wedding dress Nathan's mom forced me to try on, my lips escaping an angered growl as I uselessly pulled at the puffy and annoying skirt.

Stupid piece of crap.

I took a step forwards and felt my foot slip a little against the smooth wooden flooring, my hands immediately pulling at the skirt to reveal my feet and noticing that I was only wearing a pair of socks. No shoes. *Great.*

I huffed with annoyance, letting go of the skirt and trudging my way through that unfamiliar area, the obscene amount of material audibly swishing around me with every step I took.

"Hello?" I tentatively called out, peering around the place. No one answered.

I crossed the enormous living room and stepped into a foyer, my gaze falling onto the shattered window of a door right across from where I stood, a sudden sense of impending doom and apprehension gripping at me.

Something was not right. I needed to get away from here.

I didn't waste another moment and immediately found the exit, dashing into the night like a damsel in distress.

I was off of that wooden porch in one second, feeling the damp soil beneath my flimsy socks as I started to run, heading straight towards that tall and darkened conglomeration of trees awaiting me barely a few yards away.

I didn't know where I was going. I had absolutely no clue. But that didn't seem to matter. I just knew that I needed to get away from there and that as fast as possible.

So I held onto that idiotic dress with everything I had and ran, my breath coming out in fast and harsh pants.

I knew that it was kinda cold outside; I could feel it nipping at my arms and shoulders, but I didn't care about any of that.

I needed to escape first.

*Escape from what?* My own mind seemed to question itself, about to slow down when a terrifying growl sounded from somewhere close behind me, followed by heavy and thundering steps.

That.

I immediately let out a horrified scream, pushing myself into a faster sprint through the creepy forest, branches and leaves slapping at my arms and face as I ran with everything I had.

The soles of my feet ached so bad, sure that I already had so many wounds and blisters, my socks obviously doing next to nothing to protect them from the unforgiving forest floor. If anything, they seemed to make my job harder as they kept constantly slipping and sticking against anything in my path to escape.

But I didn't stop. I couldn't. Because I somehow knew that if I did, I would be doomed.

So I kept going, moving as fast as I could in that constricting dress, its puffy skirt getting caught in branches and thorny bushes, slowly ripping to shreds after every snatch and every tear.

Until a bigger and sturdier branch caught it, pulling me back and keeping me pinned to the spot as I desperately pulled and pulled at it...to no avail.

No no, no no no no!

I started to whimper and cry, trying so relentlessly to free myself from that tricky shackle whilst constantly peering over my shoulder with fear and anticipation.

I knew it was close. It must've been. But I didn't give up and tried and tried, using every single ounce of strength left within me. Yet it all turned out completely useless as just as I'd finally managed to free myself a pair of arms wrapped around me like steel bands and we tumbled to the ground with me screaming like a banshee.

We rolled over in the dirt after the body holding my own took the brunt of that fall, and I started to scream and thrash as soon as I was laying on the ground on my back, desperate to keep the danger away from me.

I slapped and scratched and punched with everything I had, successfully evading that pair of hands that kept trying to contain me for a few times. Until an angered and mighty growl resounded, reverberating through my very bones as those hands finally managed to restrict my movements by pining mine over my head.

I breathed fast and hard, barely able to see the face of my hunter as it was so dark, but I could make out the outline of his beautiful face.

"Nate?"

His grip on my wrists faltered and I easily slipped out of it, my arms wrapping around the back of his neck instead.

"Oh my god, Nate!" I cried with relief and pulled him closer to me, smashing my lips against his into a hot and demanding kiss.

I nibbled and licked at his lips, so desperate for contact and the soothing warmth of his body. And so I pulled him closer to me and wrapped my legs around his waist, searching for his hardened length through all that shredded material of my dress.

I knew that he was naked. Because I could feel his scorching hot skin, wherever it made contact with mine. And I wanted him to take me. I wanted him to take me, and have me, and kiss that fear and angst away. I wanted to feel safe in his arms, and cry out his name as he filled me, over and over again.

"Fuck me...please..." I moaned out as soon as his lips left mine, reaching out between us to take his rock-hard cock in my hand.

He let out a strained grunt as I stroked him once, his hand suddenly putting an unexpected stop to my sinful actions as he wrapped his fingers around my wrist and pulled it away.

"I would gladly do so, but I don't think you're ready for that,"

I instantly froze in my spot, feeling like a whole bucket of ice cold water has been dumped on me at the sound of that faintly familiar and sensual voice.

"Do I seem real enough to you now, little doe?"