The Bitten.

Hostage In My House.

"I don't know. I didn't mean too..." I lost my voice.

"It was an accident?" He almost looked insulted, and the audacity of that shook me. You tried to devour me! How dare you be offended that I bit you. I didn't know what any of this signified, or that he could become man. I thought he was an abnormally large rabid beast intent on making a meal of me.

I nodded. "Yes. I'm sorry. I had nothing to defend myself but my teeth, arms and legs. You were going to kill me." I tried to conquer my nerves to get my point across. Perhaps if I gave him answers, it'd be enough to get myself off the hook. We would settle our score, and he'd leave.

"You had seen me. I couldn't let you go."

"That's why I bit you. I wasn't trying to do anything but get you to let go so I could run. You weren't going to let me go. I didn't even want to hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me." He scoffed.

"I had to try." A thought hit me. "I wouldn't have seen you had you not attacked me. I'd have never known you were there." He showed me the most frightening grin I had ever seen.

"You are right. I wanted you to see me."

"So why did you do it? There are deer, bear, rabbits-"

"You found yourself a rabbit." It poured out matter of factly. I shuddered. I didn't want to remember what I had done.

"Why go for me? Why not catch something less troublesome?"

"Bear have claws and are much stouter. Deer are much faster. Rabbits are much smaller, and I'd have to catch several. You were meaty enough. Slow enough. Weak enough. No fur. Why would I not settle on you? Easy prey." He slides down the door and sits. Even sitting down he intimidated me.

"If you were me, what would you have done? Just died? I didn't know I wasn't supposed to bite you. I didn't know you were a man."

"I'm no man."

"What would you have done?" I was displeased with how pitiful my voice became.

"What should the rabbit have done?" He proded. "There was never anything it could have done. Or you could have done." He admitted. "Do you know what you did?"

"I know now. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

"Tell me what you did." He raised his chin and pierced me with his unusual eyes. I felt like an ant under a magnifying glass, and when he told me to sit, I did. I settled down feet from him, like a child and I stared down into my shaking hands. I couldn't handle his gaze.

"I bit your throat. The kid said it was a mark...I'm sorry..."

"It was. You've claimed me. You didn't even look at me when I had come to your door. You claimed me, then abandoned me. Bound me to yourelf and just left me." I didn't know if resentment or amusement laced his voice. I found I didn't want to know. I was confused. If he was amused, what was the deal? I thought the bite was the whole reason he despised and wanted to torment me.

"I didn't mean to-" He narrowed his eyes.

"You don't want me?" He challenged. Tjick veins in his neck jumped, and his knucles were white as he awaited my response. I drew my knees in and waited for something terrible to happen. What, I didn't know. I was so sure some type of hell would break loose.

"It's not like that." I tried. Thinking on the spot was never my strong suit. Now, when I really needed to think on the fly and keep a golden tongue, I was aware of how important a skill I lacked. "I didn't mean to do anything so severe to you. I didn't know the significance of what I had done." He sighed.