Chapter 13

Rosemary

I wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened between Ethan and me, but the moment felt unfinished, as if we had reached some invisible line. Then, he bolted, leaving me there with more questions than answers. When he had come so close, I thought for a moment, hoped, maybe, that he might kiss me. But then he turned away, and the connection between us dissolved as quickly as it had sparked. Was it just the lingering rush of hormones from earlier, or was there something more?

Either way, I didn’t want to dwell on it. Not now.

Feeling restless, I went back to my room. The weight of everything I’d been through in the past week pressed down on me. It had only been a few days, but it felt like years had passed since my world had been turned upside down. I lay on the bed, mindlessly scrolling through my phone for hours. Eventually, I noticed the missed calls, unread texts - all from Nathaniel, checking in, ensuring I was okay. I glanced at the last message:

Headed away to dinner. I’ll save you some.

I missed most of my classes this week, and I’ll probably miss the rest of the semester. The thought hit me hard, and for the first time, I really let myself feel the weight of it all. I’d worked so hard for that scholarship, grinding away at my job to make ends meet. And now? Now I had some witch who wanted me dead, a past I never knew existed, and a future I couldn’t predict. Everything I thought I knew about my life had unraveled, and I was too tired to fight it anymore.

Tears welled up in my eyes before I could stop them. The exhaustion, the fear, the uncertainty - it was all too much. I cried myself to sleep, my mind spinning with questions I didn’t have answers to.

***

I woke up sometime later, disoriented; the room bathed in darkness. I checked my phone and saw more missed calls and texts from Nathaniel, but what caught my eye was the time: past midnight. My stomach growled loudly, reminding me I hadn’t eaten since… when? I couldn’t even remember. I changed out of my swimsuit and into jeans and a T-shirt, then headed downstairs, hoping to find something to eat.

The packhouse was quiet. The lights dimmed, casting long shadows across the walls. As I made my way to the kitchen, I heard the faint clinking of dishes, and as I stepped inside, I saw Ethan sitting at the counter, his back to me.

“Hey,” he said without turning around, as if he knew it was me.

“Hi,” I replied softly, trying to steady myself. “Just looking for something to eat. Don’t mind me.”

“Nate saved you some dinner,” he said, gesturing to the plate on the counter. “Join me?”

I hesitated for a second before walking over and sitting beside him. We ate in silence, the tension between us palpable. I could feel his presence, the heat of him sitting so close, but neither of us said anything. It felt like we were both lost in our own thoughts, dancing around whatever had happened earlier - or maybe what hadn’t happened.

When we finished, I started to gather the dishes, but Ethan took them from me, ignoring my half-hearted protests. He stood at the sink, washing the plates while I sat there, watching him, sipping my drink silently. The air between us felt heavy, like there were things left unsaid, things we were both too afraid to confront.

Finally, Ethan broke the silence. “I’m sorry… for earlier,” he said, his back still to me as he scrubbed the dishes. “It’s not like me to act that way. Running away, I mean.”

His words caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting an apology. I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of his words settle over me. “You don’t need to explain your actions,” I said, repeating the words he’d told me earlier in the day.

He laughed softly, a sound that was more self-deprecating than amused. “Touché.” He turned off the water, drying his hands on a towel before finally turning to face me. His eyes, those fucking piercing blue eyes, looked more vulnerable now, more open.

“Let’s go to sleep,” he said, his voice quiet, as if there was more behind those words than just the simple suggestion of rest.

I nodded, and we headed upstairs together, the quiet footsteps echoing in the dim hallway. When we reached my room, I turned to say goodnight, but then I saw the way he was looking at me. His gaze was intense, filled with something I couldn’t quite name but felt down to my core.

“What?” I whispered, my heart pounding.

And then he was on me.

His mouth crashed into mine - fierce, hungry, desperate. There was no hesitation, no caution. Just pure, unfiltered need. I stumbled back into the door, fumbling with the handle, his body pressed into mine, pinning me in place as his hands roamed under my clothes like he couldn’t get close enough. My mind was racing, but my body responded instinctively, meeting his kiss with equal need.

I managed to open the door, and we stumbled into the room, still tangled in each other. My shirt tore under his grip, the fabric ripping down the middle as he peeled it off me with a growl. His fingers unclasped my bra with one practiced motion, and then his mouth was on me again, teeth nipping at my lips, tongue stroking mine as I gasped into him.

I clawed at his belt, fumbling with the buckle, my hands shaking as I yanked at his zipper. I needed him - right then, right there. His pants hit the floor with a thud, and I moaned as I felt his cock press against me, thick and hot through the thin fabric of my panties.

“Fuck,” I breathed, and that was all the warning I had before he hooked his fingers into the waistband and yanked them down, baring me completely.

He lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around his waist, my back slamming gently against the door. His mouth trailed down my throat, kissing, biting, licking, marking me with every pass. His teeth grazed my collarbone, then lower, and I cried out, my hips bucking against him. I reached between us and wrapped my hand around his cock - hard, thick, impossibly big. He groaned into my skin, and the sound made my entire body clench with anticipation.

He carried me to the bed and dropped down, pulling me on top of him as I straddled his hips. I gripped the base of his cock and guided him to my entrance, already slick and pulsing with need. When I sank down on him, I screamed.

He stretched me wide, filled me completely, and I had to pause, breathless from the sensation. He was so fucking big. My pussy clenched tightly around him as I began to move, slowly at first, testing how much I could take. But the burn turned to fire, and I couldn’t hold back. I rode him hard, fast, my hands on his chest for balance as I bounced on his cock, the sounds of our bodies slapping together filling the room. His hands gripped my hips, guiding me, grinding up into me with each thrust.

My mind was a blur. I was losing it - losing everything but the feeling of him inside me, the stretch, the fullness, the pounding need to fall apart with him. He was close. I could feel it in the way his breath caught, the way his hands trembled slightly as he held me down and thrust up harder, deeper, hitting that spot inside me that made my vision blur. I quickened my pace, our movements growing more frantic, more desperate. And then I could feel him come inside me, and I followed right after, the two of us collapsing together in a breathless, tangled mess of limbs.

I pulled myself off him, my body still trembling. But before I could catch my breath, he flipped me onto my back, pinning me beneath him. He didn’t say a word - just slid his cock back inside me, still hard, still throbbing. I moaned as he filled me again, deeper this time, harder. The second time was rougher, more primal. He gripped my thighs and drove into me with a brutal pace; the bed creaking beneath us. Our moans rose together, filling the room, frantic and filthy.

When it was over, I lay there in the dark, my body spent and my mind spinning. I wasn’t sure what had just happened, but I couldn’t bring myself to think about it too much. Not yet.

When I woke up hours later, Ethan was already gone.