Kill Me

Heidi doesn’t know how long the darkness enveloped her, but she senses it’s time to wake up when she feels a hand ghosting along her jawline.

Her blurry vision makes it difficult to recognize the face lingering in her front. Yet, his scent gives him away. 

Her senses can never forget that earthy fragrance and the feeling it stirs within her.

“Hunter,” she mumbles drowsily, only now realizing that her upper body rests on the man’s leg when he moves the hand cradling her head.

A smile spreads across her face as the blur clears, and Heidi’s eyes lock with the man her heart yearns for.

His squared jawline complements his chiseled cheekbones, the green color of his orbs piercing hers. She can’t help but be lost for a moment in their depths.

Even though Hunter stares down at her with the same expressionless face, it doesn’t bother her.

As long as he’s holding her, nothing else matters. 

But then, the events of the past few hours crash into her mind.

Heidi begins to compare the Hunter she knows to the one before her—the former would have his eyes crinkling at the corners with every grin, and his lips would stretch to a thin line.

Now he is a hard shell, devoid of emotions, with his warmth locked away.

Heidi snaps out of her reverie and flickers her eyes to the ceiling.

She tries to tilt her head to see what’s around her as she starts to mumble, “Hunter, where—”

“Shh.” The man places a finger on his lips before the hand behind Heidi’s head gently guides her face back to him.

His thumb and index fingers hold her chin, preventing her from looking away.

Without warning, Hunter leans down and captures her lips in a kiss that takes Heidi by surprise.

Her eyes widen. Her heart skips a beat, lips sealed by confusion, but his tongue presses against them, and they part instinctively.

His warmth fills her mouth alongside the rich taste of berries and lavender, the most intoxicating effect flooding her senses.

Heidi's eyes flutter shut as their lips move in sync. Their tongues meet in a sensual dance while matching the slow rhythm of their breaths.

A surge of tingling sensations courses through and mingles with an overwhelming, heady feeling of floating.

Just as she places her hand on Hunter’s jaw, he abruptly pulls away, leaving Heidi starved and longing for more.

Her eyes shoot open and she almost reaches to pull his head down. 

But she realizes that she has to be conscious of her actions.

“What was that for?” she whispers. 

She searches his emotionless gaze as a faint smile tugs at his lips.

Had she just shared her first kiss with Hunter?

And what is the meaning behind his sudden display of affection?

The thought leaves her both giddy and confused, but she puts her confusion and gently strokes his face with her thumb, watching him close his eyes to savor the touch.

When they reopen, his lips move.

“What?” Heidi asks when she doesn’t catch what he said.

“I need to use the bathroom,” Hunter repeats throatily, and Heidi shifts to let him move.

The force with which she sits up reminds her of the headache that lingered since the afternoon, only now it blossoms into a full-blown ache, throbbing behind her eyes.

As Hunter disappears into the bathroom, Heidi glances around the room. She realizes that they have been on the bed the entire time.

The room is large, but sparse, with the big bed as the centerpiece. 

Across from it is a couch, and beside the couch a small table holding framed photos of a toddler alongside other trinkets that she doesn’t bother to inspect.

She steals a glance at the bathroom door as she ponders on the questions that need to be asked—where they are, how she got here, and many others. 

One, however, weighs heavier than the rest.

Hunter soon emerges from the bathroom. 

He undoes his cufflinks and the first two buttons of his white shirt before he rolls up his sleeves to reveal veiny forearms covered in ink.

Then, he walks over to the full-length mirror beside the table and runs his fingers through his hair as he stares at Heidi’s reflection. 

The latter sits on the bed watching him, her fingers fidgeting on her thighs, nervousness invading her.

She doesn’t know why her heart is beating so fast—whether it is the serious conversation she is about to initiate or the lingering effects of their kiss. 

Or is it because Hunter stands in the same room as her, looking as devastatingly handsome as ever?

“Hunter, about the fact that we were… siblings…” Heidi begins cautiously, gauging the man’s reaction by watching his reflection, yet his expression remains unchanged. “…does it affect you?”

Hunter slips a hand into his pocket and turns to face Heidi. 

She looks at him through her lashes while biting her lower lip hard, anxiety knotting in her stomach.

He beckons for her to come to him and she obeys without hesitation. 

When she stands in front of him, he cocks his head and looks down at her before slipping the hand out of his pocket along with a rusted, iron penknife.

“Kill me,” he says dryly, holding the penknife out to her.

She stares down at the blade in shock then looks up at Hunter. “Huh?”

“Drive this blade through my heart, mama…” Hunter whispers, stepping closer until their bodies brush against each other. “…please.”

Heidi shakes her head. Her eyes well up with tears as she refuses to tear her gaze from Hunter. 

She can’t comprehend what is wrong with him, and for some reason, can’t find the words to ask. 

She just stands there, utterly confused, wondering what exactly went on with him in the past few hours.

“I can’t afford to hate you. I can’t watch you despise me either,” Hunter continues, then wraps Heidi’s stiff fingers around the hilt and guides her hand to press the blade against his chest. 

“Please do it; end it once and for all.” His other hand grips her chin before he leans down to kiss her again.

This time, Heidi feels his shoulders shudder. 

She reaches up with her free hand to cup his cheek, her fingers brushing the tears that slide down his face. 

Panic grips her. She tries to break the kiss, but Hunter holds her firmly.

“Wait,” he mumbles against her lips breathlessly before pulling back, just enough to rest his forehead on her shoulder.

Heidi can hear his sniffles; the shudder in his breath, and though she doesn’t know why he’s crying, her own tears begin to fall.

“Please look at me, Hunter.” She tries to lift his head. 

But he resists, his voice a broken whisper. “Hunter’s gone.”

“I don’t care. Hunter, why―”

“It’s Caryllix now,” Hunter growls. 

As surprise grips Heidi at the strange tone of his voice, darkness descends on her again, this time with Hunter truly gone.

When her eyes flutter open, she finds herself staring at the polished ceiling in a familiar room.

She turns her head to the side when she hears a slurping noise. 

Her migraine persists, but even more when she sees Saturn sitting cross-legged on the couch across from the bed, casually sipping nothing from an empty glass of smoothie.

She rolls her eyes and looks away, sighing, “Gods, I just had the weirdest dream. But waking up to your presence, I think I’d rather go back.”

Saturn giggles. “Fair enough. Did you have sex with my brother in the dream?” She emphasizes the words ‘my brother’, and her eyes sparkle with mischief as she says it.

Heidi blinks at her speechlessly. 

She can’t believe it is the first thing Saturn can think of. But then again, the girl isn’t far from the truth. Hunter did kiss her twice in the dream, which is strange given his recent behavior.

And… was he fucking crying?

“Gosh, my head hurts like hell.”

“You were out for a long time,” Saturn utters, earning a questioning look from Heidi. “Four hours,” she answers before Heidi glances at the clock on the table, noting that it is past one in the morning.

She sits up and palms her face, sensing the pain on it. 

“Is there something on my forehead?” she asks when her fingers touch something.

“Yep! A bandage.”

A bandage? 

“What happened? I can’t remember how I got here.”

“Apparently, you hit your head and Hunter carried you in through the back door. He brought you here, to his room. You’re one lucky bitch, you know.”

Heidi glances around the room. It looks like the one she saw in her dream. The bed, couch, table, and mirror all match too well, making the memory of her dream resurface.

Ever since they came here for the holidays, Dad Griffin gave them strict orders not to touch this room for any reason, now she knows why.

Yet, even though she’s pieced together that puzzle, the mystery of how she ended up here, with a fucking wound on her forehead, remains unsolved. 

The pain in her head isn’t helping matters either.

Heidi looks at the toddler’s photos on the table for a while. 

She doesn’t see any resemblance to Hunter except for the eye patch, which is the only common thing.

She can’t ignore the ache in her heart as she gazes at the photos, nor do the same for the nervousness gripping her.

For some unknown reason, it feels like she’s going for a job interview, with her instincts naturally expecting the worst.