Unnatural Instinct: Wish

Your trembling turns to shaking. You feel hot and not in a good way. He’s too close. He’s too much.

You pull from the bed, staggering to your feet as your knees buckle. ‘What do you want with me, really?’

‘Does there need to be a reason? Can I not covet what I want?’ His eyes glitter as you wait for an answer. ‘You intrigue me.’

‘What about the others?’

‘What others?’

’Other girls. Other women. Other readers. Surely other people have read this book and have wished just as hard. Why me?’

‘Because you need me as much as I need you. Despite the company I keep, I’m lonely. You, above all, understand that, don’t you? Loneliness? To be surrounded by people and never feel more isolated?’

‘Why have I missed out?’ you blurt as your throat turns hard and the tears swell in your eyes. ’Why don’t I have a family, a home, a life, like my brother does?’

His face turns blurry as you sniff. Wrapping your arms around your chest, you drop your chin. You jerk back as he touches your cheek. The sensation is so electric your teeth click together.

That same pain is in his eyes. That same sorrow. It makes the tears fall faster. You don’t like seeing him like this. Not him. Not someone as beautiful as he. The sobs grab at your throat as you try to hold them back. Then he steps in close to wrap his arms around you and they burst out of you in an embarrassingly ugly way. You try to pull free, not wanting to ruin his jacket, but he doesn’t let you, pushing your face into his shoulder.

You can’t believe it. You and the Dark Prince. It’s like a dream come true. He holds you harder against him. He’s quiet, one hand braced against the back of your head, the other wrapped firmly around your waist. You soon forget who he is and where you are. All you know is that you’re starting to feel better, like you’re drawing out a poison that’s been festering away inside you for much too long. It’s been a long time since you’ve cried, properly cried, and it’s exhausting and cathartic both at once.

Slowly, the tears ease. You stare into empty space as you rest your head on his shoulder, spent.

‘I’m sorry,’ you hiccough.

‘Don’t be.’

He loosens his hold. Giving him a weak smile, you wipe away your tears. You turn your back on him as you rake your fingers through your hair and try to fix yourself up.

‘I’m sorry. I must look dreadful.’

Taking your shoulders, he turns you around. ‘You look beautiful.’

It makes you feel uncomfortable. You’ve never been beautiful. Especially now when faced with someone like him.

‘You are worthy of love,’ he tells you, as though he can read your mind, which he probably can. In the book, the Dark Prince has abilities no ordinary man possesses. It is an eery, chilling thought.

His eyelashes sit thick and low over his mismatched eyes. You fill a heat building from your pelvis into your abdomen. Warmth shoots up your spine. Your heart begins to race. Why not? What’s stopping you? What will happen if you kiss him, touch him, feel his warmth? He’s just a dream. Your dream.

Your hand is shaking as you reach out to take his hand. You press it against your chest between your breasts and hold it there. The shaking intensifies. You can’t control it. Why can’t you control it?

‘It’s okay.’ He reaches up to touch your cheek, his fingers warm against your flushed skin. ‘We’ve got all the time in the world.’

His hand falls from your chest as he steps away. He turns and walks away from you. You desperately want to call out to him, to bring him back, but something seems to be clutching at your throat. He leaves, the door clicking shut behind him.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, you stare across the room in a daze. Somehow, you feel exhausted. Your eyes move towards the door, wondering if he’ll come back. Wondering if you should go after him. Clenching your fists on your knees, you stand, thinking you’ll do just that.

You jump at a loud knock at the same door.

‘C-come in,’ you call.

No answer.

‘You can come in,’ you call more loudly

You go over and open the door, but there’s no Dark Prince, only the hall of mirrors—it’s empty. It’s gloomy, the chandeliers only half-lit.

You walk down the hall, looking left and right, glancing at your reflection and beyond. Your footsteps seem so loud in the silence. It’s hard to believe now that it had once been filled with so much noise.

‘Is-is there anyone here?’

You pause to gaze into the closest mirror. It’s empty—no dancing couples, no white room and dance floor. Only yourself. You look different. Almost pretty. You touch your face where he touched you. You’re wearing make-up and your hair is neatly brushed and tied back elegantly.

Did he do this?

You turn with a start, your heart leaping in your chest, at the sight of movement in the mirror to your left. You stare for several moments, heart pounding so hard it makes you breathless. There’s nothing there. Perhaps you imagined it. Still, you turn and hurry back towards the door leading to the bedroom.

You stop as it swings shut. A quiet snigger makes you whirl around.

‘Who’s there?!’

No answer.

You shriek and whirl around again as you feel something tug at the end of your dress. A shadow scuttles across the floor. You don’t think—you run the rest of the way towards the door. In your terror, you almost slam into it. You try the handle. It’s locked!

You whip your head around at the sound of laughter. You turn your head towards another scuttling shadow.

‘Keep away!’

The creature stops in the middle of the hall and turns to look at you with a pair of gleaming green eyes and an ugly pig snout.