The Beast Within

The Visitor - Part 4

Selena froze in place - the sound of the knock still reverberating in the air.

She recalled the dense trees and secluded, treacherous roads that led to the cabin.

Maybe there was an accident. What if someone is in danger?

What if I'm in danger?  she countered herself.

Selena cast her eyes around the room, wondering if there was a way to protect herself. Beside the mantle there was a thin, iron rack with a set of fireplace tools. Her eyes rested briefly on a sharp-looking fire poker with an intricately twisted handle.

Get ahold of yourself, Selena. You're not going to need that.

She briefly considered pretending that she wasn't there, but the glow of the candles through the windows had surely given her away.

The knock came again, more insistent this time, and her heart hammered in her chest. Selena nervously wiped her sweat-dampened palms on the front of her jeans - her breath had grown shallow and ragged.

"Just...Just a minute," she called and inched her way to the door, hoping for a reassuring reply that did not come.

With a cold and reluctant hand, she turned the metal knob, opening the door a few inches and peering into the night.

The evening sky was marbled in shades of dark blue and grey. Voluptuous rain clouds now glided over the light of the moon, diffusing its opalescent glow. Shadows danced through the surrounding trees.

At first, all Selena saw was the outline of a black coat, growing shiny in the misting rain. Then, slowly, a man's face came into focus beneath the dark, leather hood.

She gasped softly as his piercing blue eyes met her own and a shiver ran through her body. Light brown stubble covered his strong jaw and graced the slight hollows beneath his high cheekbones.

His skin was smooth and lightly tan, and his thick eyebrows were knitted in an expression that was both serious and kind.

Selena's mind raced for something...anything...to say.

He could be dangerous. Out here, nobody would hear me scream.

She felt an unexpected warmth course through her body as the last thought echoed in her mind. She gently shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Is everything ok, Ma'am?" His voice was sensual and low. Something about its tone was alluringly familiar.

"Miss, are you alone out here?" 

The stranger gently raised his hands to show her that they were empty. Large and strong, they were clearly the hands of a man who worked the land. Selena was struck by the seductive beauty of his long, graceful fingers.

Though her thoughts chattered without pause, she remained outwardly silent. A gorgeous visitor had appeared at her door in the middle of the night and Selena couldn't muster a single coherent syllable.

His azure eyes explored her face and body with gentle concern, before looking past her into the candle-lit interior.

"I smelled the smoke from your wood burning stove and then I saw your car. There hasn't been anyone in this cabin for years."

The blue-eyed stranger paused for a moment, before continuing, "You must be Selena." He pronounced her name slowly, as if tasting it.

She felt her mouth drop open in surprise. How does he know my name?

She drew a deep breath and prepared to introduce herself when he interrupted, "Do you have enough wood?"

Whatever she had planned to say disappeared into a sputtering cough of surprise. She once again wiped her palms on the front of her jeans, her eyes accidentally drifting down his body.

Even through his coat she could see the strength of his broad chest, which tapered into a lean torso beneath. Rivulets of water ran in slow trails down the material, glistening and intersecting as they rolled down his body.

His lips twitched slightly in an amused expression and he briefly averted his eyes before returning them to her visibly flushing face. Clearing his throat slightly to draw her eyes back to his own, he added, "you'll need dry wood for your fireplace. This rain is supposed to continue all night."

Transfixed by the stranger and frozen by her own embarrassment, Selena managed only a slight nod to confirm her understanding.

"I could come back in a couple hours to bring you some...kindling." He briefly looked down as his face broke into a light-hearted smile, but his expression was serious once again when he lifted his gaze. "Would that be alright with you, Ma'am?"

"Ye..yes," she stammered before she realized what she was saying.

"Then, I'll come back around to check on you, Selena. You should shut this door tightly in the meantime - who knows what could be prowling around in the night." For a moment, his eyes sparked as if he was making a joke.

The handsome visitor touched the front of his rain hood, as if tipping a hat, and stepped back off her porch, disappearing into the shadows.

Unable to stop herself, she called out into the darkness, "I don't know your name."

From somewhere among the surrounding trees, she heard a low voice say, "My name is Callinan...Callinan Keane."

Selena slowly shut the door, her eyes still scanning the night for some trace of mysterious man.

Once the door was securely locked, Selena placed her back against it for support. Blowing out a hard breath from between her pursed lips, she struggled to still her pounding heart.

Selena's hand rose to her still-warm face and then slowly moved back over her neck and hair. The dark strands fell in tangled waves and she realized she hadn't looked in a mirror since that morning. Glancing down at her dirty hands, she rolled her eyes.

"I suppose I should get ready for that wood," she whispered into herself, breaking into a genuine laugh.

As she stood up straight, Selena's eyes came to rest on her grandmother's quilt, hanging on the far wall. In the flickering amber light, the black cat's coat appeared thick and lustrous, and its golden eyes glowed with an unexpected vigor. "Good kitty," she whispered, chucking to herself.

Though the distinct flutter of fear still lingered in her chest, Selena closed her eyes and allowed herself to feel, for the first time in an eternity, that her bad luck was finally starting to change.