▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥The brush in my hand was slow and deliberate, moving over the mane of the injured horse with a tenderness I didn’t feel inside. Each stroke was meant to comfort, but it did little to soothe the knot tightening in my chest. The soft swish of the bristles against the horse’s coat was the only sound in the barn, and I wondered if the silence made the weight of the moment heavier. My mind had been racing all day, thoughts like wild stallions tearing through my head, refusing to be tamed. The farm—the ranch—had always been my sanctuary, but today it felt like it was closing in around me, the walls growing tighter with every breath I took.I glanced up at the horse, her dark eyes watching me, patient but knowing. They always knew. Animals, they didn’t need words to understand when something was off. It was like they could sense the shift in the air before I even fully realized it myself. My hands, stiff from the tension, gripped the brush harder, trying to make the st
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥As expected my seven-hour walk around the entire land, there was nothing I could find. Nothing that helped me figure out what was going on with the land. The grass looked as green as they were gonna get, everything on the surface level looked good. But the crops are dying slowly, the cattle too, and now I know one of my horses is suffering from an injury I can’t explain, the others might suffer from the same issue. It would take me longer if I wanted to speak to everyone in the pack while also carefully looking through... god, I’m tired. I can’t even mentally check myself into any conclusion because this land is becoming less beautiful. I might be panicking, to be honest. My head sometimes switches when something goes wrong... with my animals, and the pack who who need this land to survive. It’s how they make their money, and how they live their lives, this pack is where they raise their children. I’m tired. I know I shouldn’t give up, and I won’t but with no
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I couldn’t sleep that night.The conversation I had with Tom lingered in my head, replaying in loops like a broken record. His lack of remorse gnawed at me, not because he didn’t care—he just didn’t feel the way I did. He didn’t know my father, didn’t grow up under his shadow, didn’t watch the slow, aching unraveling of a man betrayed. Tom had the privilege of distance, the safety of time. He had years to come to terms with the fact that he fell for a married woman, that he stood by while she tore a family apart.I couldn’t wrap my head around it.The sheer indifference of it all stunned me. My mother and Tom had moved on, built a life, never looking back at the wreckage they left behind. They never thought about my father, my siblings—never cared about what it did to us.The anger burned deep in my chest, too thick and heavy to let me rest.I pushed the blankets off and swung my legs over the bed, the movement too fast, too careless. The moment my foot h
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Colon waited until the sun rose before ushering me to come to Darcy’s lab so we could share what we discovered. I wasn’t able to wake up clearly, but after a shower and breakfast, I was able to muster some energy to go speak with Darcy at her.... botanical garden. Darcy was not happy to see me. “What is she doing here? The last time she was here she asked if I bought my degree at the dollar store.”Colton turned to me, his eyes flashing for a second before he turned away. I shrugged, I’m not sorry. She was being a complete bitch the last time I was here. She wouldn’t listen to me at all. So I said what I said. Was it rude? Who the fuck knows?“I don’t want to speak to her.” “She was right, Darcy.”the woman froze, and I peaked over Colton’s muscular body to wiggle my eyebrows at her. “What? But I-”“She ran an experiment using two fishes. The one in the contaminated water died. Within two days. There’s something in the water that’s killing the animals
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★After the discussion with Darcy, I met up with Colton back at his house. It was a long hot walk there. I’m grateful he’ll be driving me into town rather than me having to cycle there. Which I can’t do because I broke my bike. He did not look happy. I’m not surprised, he seems to be dealing with pressure poorly. I’m sure this is the first time he’s had a threat to his farm that he couldn’t see. I can’t imagine dealing with that. I checked my phone to confirm if the woman, Margaret’s sister had responded to my message.And voila! Yes, she has. I shoved the phone back into my pocket. “You good, cowboy?”He snapped from his thoughts. His eyes darkened for a second. “No, I’m not good. But there’s nothing I can do about it.”I fought against my instincts which said to just ignore the sadness in his eyes, the slump in his shoulder and just go meet with Miss Holloway. Those journalistic instincts wanted me to put this story first. After all, it was my source o
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 When she started stripping, I was struck. Just staring at her. My eyes couldn’t leave her body, the fullness of her, the desire it unlocked within me. My heart was pounding. Racing faster than it has ever before her. Everything I feel right now has not happened. I had my face in high school when I gave in to the lures of meaningless sex up until I got my first girlfriend. That first relationship, coupled with watching how my parents expressed their love, made me wish for something like that. So I composed myself. For years, I went by having zero problems. Only for me to run into the greatest temptation. In the form of a city girl with a distaste for small towns. Once Vanessa was completely nude, she dove into the water while I stood there following her outline in the lake. She popped her head back up, swimming backward. I spotted her gorgeous tail. Sometimes I forget how many of us are on the planet. Most are werewolves and vampires, and coming close are wit
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★We dressed quickly after setting the rules, barely able to keep our hands off each other. Every glance, every brush of skin, felt like a promise neither of us could wait to keep.We set rules, so we’re good. And I’m not turning down sex.By the time we reached the house, the tension between us was unbearable—thick enough to smother every rational thought.The moment we crossed through the door, Colton yanked me into his body, stealing my breath before I had a chance to exhale.His lips crashed against mine, a devastating collision of heat and hunger, raw and desperate. He didn’t hesitate, didn’t waste time easing into it. He took. Claimed. Branded. Such fire, isn’t he supposed to be a lover boy?My back slammed against the door, a startled gasp slipping from me, but he swallowed it, turning it into something deeper, something I felt in every nerve ending.His hands were everywhere at once, gripping my hips, sliding up my spine, threading into my hair. I c
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★The drive into town was suffocatingly quiet. The kind of silence that creeps under your skin, making every small movement feel louder than it is. I couldn’t bring myself to say anything, and Colton seemed content to let the stillness settle between us like an old, worn blanket.When he pulled onto the familiar street, I felt my stomach tighten. The houses looked the same, yet they carried the weight of too many memories. He shifted in his seat, flicking his hat up with a casual ease, though I caught the way his fingers hesitated. He’d added sunglasses since the last time I saw him, and somehow, they made him even more infuriatingly attractive.What is wrong with me? It was one kiss. The animal part of me seems far too interested all of a sudden. He finally spoke, his voice low and steady. “This is the same spot I dropped you off a few days ago. Why are you here again?”His question was reasonable. Hell, I had asked myself the same thing more than once on
★。\|/。★ VANESSA DAVIS ★。/|\。★ After that shocking statement, I decided to calm myself. Sip my coffee, then say something. “Kyrie, how did you find out about me?” She stirred her cup and looked down, unable to meet my eyes. “I was curious about my parents' love story. They never talked about it to us because Dad always looked weird. I know that look is guilt now, but back then, I had no clue.” She took a pause, then continued. “One night I cornered my father and asked him why he won't talk about how he and my mum met. That was when he admitted that she had been married. It didn't bother me, I assumed she was in a toxic relationship for him to have gotten intimate with her.” Kyrie cleared her throat. “But he corrected me. Admitting that in fact, her husband had just been through something terrible and she had three children. I remember just freezing and looking at him weirdly.” She lifted the cup, and drank a big gulp. She looked nervous. Perhaps it has something to do with the w
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★The rest of the day passed uneventfully, and by the next morning, I could finally borrow a horse to take into town. She was a sweet, chestnut-colored mare with big, curious eyes and a habit of nudging my back like she expected me to sneak her a treat. I had no idea what her name was, but she felt like a Daisy, so that’s what I called her as we made our way down the winding dirt road toward Dusty Creek.The ride was smooth, if a little slow, and the morning air was crisp against my skin. I made it into town just as the sun was beginning to warm the streets fully, and my first stop was the post office. The clerk was a stocky man with a long beard and an even longer drawl. He took one look at my package and squinted at me like he was trying to determine if I was a troublemaker."Sending somethin' delicate?" he asked, tapping a meaty finger against the box."Yep. Fragile as can be. If this breaks, I'm suing."He let out a slow chuckle, shaking his head as he
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I leaned back against the headboard, my laptop balanced on my thighs, scrolling through an endless list of chemical compounds.It was like trying to find a single drop of water in the ocean.Chemicals existed in everything—water, soil, the air we breathed. And each one had variations, different combinations of elements that could alter their properties just enough to make them untraceable to the untrained eye.If Darcy had still had her research, this wouldn’t be so difficult.I sighed, rubbing my fingers over my temple. My eyes flicked to my phone screen lighting up with a message.RACHEL: Vanessa. Call me back. Now.I ignored it.Rachel was going to be my brother’s soon-to-be ex-wife. And lately, all she did was call when she needed something. I used to help her. Used to get involved.Not anymore. Lincoln was right. I gotta choose, and if it’s between my best friend who cheated or my brother who was cheated on.... the answer seems like it was written i
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 I had a list of things I wanted to tackle today. A damn good list, too. The kind that should’ve kept me busy from sunup to sundown, handling the animals, checking on the new foals, and making sure the workers were staying on top of things.But before I could even get started, I ran into Catia.She was lingering near the barn, arms crossed over her chest, bottom lip tucked between her teeth the way she did when something was eating at her.“Everything alright?” I asked, wiping my hands on my jeans.She hesitated before saying, “I wanna go fishing.”That was all she said, but I knew what it meant.Dusty Creek might look like it was in the middle of nowhere, but on my farm, it felt like the heart of everything. The land stretched wide and welcoming, the fields golden under the sun, the trees whispering with the wind.Sure, a witch-like crystal was aiding our crops, buried deep in the soil by some ancestor long before my time, but magic alone didn’t keep the farm r
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Darcy began slowly explaining what happened to her on the day of the attack. She had gotten some word back from her friend in the city who had collected the package earlier than she had thought. Yes, she took my advice to send some samples over. He explained that i was right about some odd chemical being there. And he tested it on a frog, as well as a hamster. Appalling but he figured it wasn’t that harmful. The frog died instantly, and the hamster was gradually falling ill. He explained that he has no clue what the chemical is but it reacts differently with each person. I listened attentively as Darcy went on.“I was curious. Most people drink from this. The crops, animals, all the lives lost, what if the town is suffering for it too? How long has this chemical been in the rivers?” She huffed. “I was reaching out to someone after the call when I heard a sound. I pretended not to hear it to avoid alerting the intruder. Just in case it turned out to be s
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★Breakfast went by smoothly. Too smoothly. The kind of smooth that made my brain itch with questions.Colton had made sure I had coffee, slid a plate in front of me before I could protest, and even pulled out my chair like some old-fashioned gentleman. He was attentive in a way that wasn’t suffocating—just enough to make me notice.And then, just like that, he was up and moving, brushing past me to grab his hat and keys. I barely had time to open my mouth before he leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.A kiss. On my cheek.A very sweet, very platonic thing.But do casual people do that?I sat there for a full thirty seconds after he walked out, processing the strange little ritual we’d somehow formed. Breakfast together. Quiet conversation. A lingering moment before he left for work.This is weird.I mean, it’s not weird-weird, but it’s… something.With a deep breath, I pushed away from the table and started my slow, painful trek up the stairs.
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★I woke up to the bright rays of sunlight peeking through the curtains. The worst kind of wake up call. I could hear chickens in the distance. I’m kind of surprised. This is my first time hearing them. Colton’s house is nowhere near the major parts of the farm. I wanted the noise just to stop. My body was aching, and I can’t even remember why. Why does it feel like a truck ran through me?I rubbed my eyes, groaning at the sight of the sun. I was enclosed in a warm embrace from the back. I didn’t need to look down to know whose arms were tightly curled around my ribs. Colton. Yeah i don’t have a crazy hangover but i do remember staring in a porno titled how long can two people fuck?The answer is a blur. My jaw aches, my thighs ache, i think my vagina is officially on time out. Cause no. I’ve fucked enough to last me a week. Or longer. I don’t know how long I stayed staring at the streaks of sunlight, but eventually Colton moved his body from mine. I let
▄︻デ══━一 COLTON HAYES💥 The best kind of hell is the one Vanessa Davis is putting me through. Even while drunk she’ll do as she pleases. Even if that means I get to sit back and watch it happen. Yes, I’d kissed her first. Throw all the blame you like, it will never make me feel guilty. I couldn’t help myself. I gave into that urge to kiss her senseless and it was amazing. To have her in my lap, moaning, making all the lovely sounds that went straight to my cock. I inhaled, letting my lungs fill up with her scent as she rode me.She was naked, my hat was the only thing she had on and she looked divine in it. Clutching her tits, teasing her nipples as our hips bucked against each other. God, I can’t stop looking at her. I can’t stop touching her. Feeling her ass as she bounces on my cock.Her insides are warm, wet, squeezing, and taking my ability to think about anything but her. I watched as her eyes rolled, this was our second round. We’d fucked fully clothed before, pressed up again
★。\|/。★VANESSA DAVIS★。/|\。★After munching on the pie, and having some more conversations with my new favourite person. Laia. I think her husband doesn’t deserve her, and it’s likely her choice under his coercion that she decided to quit her job. I’m just saying. After drinking some more moonshine, and chatting with the sisters. Colton decided it was time for us to go. Laia told me she’d contact me the next morning. I stumbled out of their house with a bunch of food she insisted i take, and another pie ashley said she makes for guest. Not gonna lie, i do enjoy their hospitality. Though some people *cough* Samson *cough* don’t like me, but that’s fine. Hostility never bothered. I know, people should be more confident, just like me. The drive back to the house was a blur for me. The funny thing is this moonshine didn’t make me feel drunk or like I’d be sick the next day. I felt nothing but easiness, and i felt loose. When we got to the house, i hopped out of the massive behemouth