Forest Flame
Sounds in the distance made her muscles tense and her skin prickle. Why was she suddenly reminded of every horror book she'd ever read?
Okay, you need to stay calm, she ordered herself.
To change her focus, Maura stared into the fire. She watched the flames rise, licking high into the sky, and lighting up the trunks of the trees around her. Warmth fanned around her face and neck as she listened to the snaps and pops the fire made. So spellbound by the tiny sparks that floated up and disappeared, she almost missed the mesmerizing coal black eyes staring back at her from the flames.
At first she worried it was an animal out hunting for its evening meal, but when she looked again, the eyes had changed. So had everything else. A figure formed of a man, a man made of fire.
Flames danced about his body, and wrapped around his thick, muscular thighs. They stroked his hard abs and the smooth planes of his chest. His long, black hair trailed down his shoulders and flickered out behind him. She couldn't get passed his eyes, or the way they seduced her.
Maura snickered softly to herself, impressed with what her imagination cooked up this time. Had he been a stranger, she'd run away, but a man standing in the flames, definitely a daydream. One she wasn't in a hurry to blink away.
Forest Doe
Reilly stopped and rested his hands on his knees while he tried to catch his breath. Off to his right he heard the sound of water. He followed the sound until he reached a river. The deer he'd seen earlier stood with its legs spread, drinking. It was a white doe, majestic, with a bright glow around it. Between his hunger and thirst, the thirst won out and he knelt on the pebbles. He stretched forward and cupped the water in his palm. The cool liquid worked wonders on his parched throat. After several gulps, he gazed at the luminous animal.
"You win for now, but I suggest you run. The next time we meet, I will kill you."
The doe stopped drinking and turned to him. Violet eyes stared with a look of amusement. He felt a strange stirring inside. Soft voices sang in his ears and his body swayed.
You need rest. Why not rest by the fire?
He wanted to ask what fire, but he heard a crackling sound behind him. Over his shoulder Reilly saw a sleeping bag next to a small stick fire. The flames beckoned to him with tiny finger-like motions. They taunted and teased until he couldn't resist.
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