If You Love Me...

"Do you love me?"

The girl coyly nods. "Of course, I do."

"I know it's only been three months, but I already feel like we're so connected," the boy says, planting a kiss on her forehead as they lay in the grass and night gathers itself around them. "I just love everything about you and how you are with me. How you treat me. I've never had someone like you. I really appreciate you."

The girl feels her cheeks burn, a chill in the air partially disrupting the heat between them. He notices her shivers and pulls her closer to him as their bodies become aligned, sided by side. He slips his arm around her waist, pulls her into him until they are firmly glued to one another. He sprinkles kisses on her cheek, her other cheek, and then her forehead again. The final kiss he presses against her lips, soft and warm.

He pulls her beneath him, his body covering hers as the kissing intensifies. His tongue slips in between her lips, joining with hers as the dance turns them from innocent lovers to a near-mating pair.

His hands roam over her body, her feeling his fingertips teasing her arousal over her clothes. She pulls his bottom lip in between hers. He moans, and his hands climb inside of her shirt. The feel of his skin on hers jolts her back to her senses as she pulls away from his longing lips.

"Wait, we can't do this," she tells him, gently pushing him off of her. He moves, giving her the space she physically asks for.

Frustrated, he sighs. "What's wrong? I thought you loved me."

"I do," the girl snaps. It takes the boy by surprise. She shakes her head, noticing that the night has blanketed them. "Look, I just think we need to go now. I'm sure my mom is worried about me."

"Yeah," he agrees. "You're right. I should get you home. Let's get going."

The girl reaches for his arm and holds onto him. "Hey, don't be mad, okay? I just don't want to do it out here. I want it to be special when we do it. The right way."

The guy nods, faintly smiling. "I understand. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you. I just got so worked up. You just... you do that to me sometimes. I don't know what it is about you, but you just bring this deep, animalistic desire out of me. I can't help it sometimes."

"I know we've come close many times, but I really mean it when I say I want it to mean something when we do finally... when I finally give myself to you. I promise, it'll mean so much more for us when it does happen," she reassures him.

He believes her. He helps the girl stand up from the blanket they laid on the grass only a few hours before, folding it. The young man takes the folded blanket and holds it in one arm. The sky darkened, the stars the only light in the all of that darkness. The moon was only waning, not yet full. It was coming, but it was not nearly enough for the couple to use as light. As they made their way back to his truck, he put his free arm around her shoulder. She held onto his waist as they walked back in comfortable silence, back through the wooded area that took them to the dirt road from where they came. It was a short walk, but it left her feeling eager to be free of the surrounding trees. Too many scary movies, she thought to herself as he opened the passenger side door for her.

She slid inside as he closed the door and walked around the vehicle, throwing the blanket into the back of the truck. Once inside, he starts up the engine, the glow from the headlights showing the road ahead that led back to town.

He places his hand on her thigh nearest to his seat. "I'm really glad I met you, Tracy."

"Ditto, kiddo," she says with a giggle. He kisses her on her nose before he pulls off into the road, and they make their way back to town. All the while, Tracy watches the bashful waning moon, happy to escape the night and return to the safety of her home.

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A week later, Tracy found herself at a party in the very woods she and her love had been. The wooded area didn't feel so intimidating to Tracy any longer, the beer seeing to that. Her inhibitions were drowned by the alcohol her friends kept feeding her. She only stopped because she knew if she hadn't, she was sure to be the party pooper, vomiting everywhere if she was not careful.

"Where's your lover boy?" her friends teased.

She rolled her eyes, drunkenly cackling. "He said he was coming. He should be here soon, so leave me alone!"

"We will not," her friend told her, barely able to form a coherent sentence as they all laughed. They all had too much to drink, and the evening had not gone on long yet.

"Look, I don't want to do this tonight, so let's just be nice to one another, okay?" Tracy slurred and the ladies all laughed. Tracy joined in.

She looked up, and in between the naked branches of autumn trees, she saw the moon full and high. It glowed over the party, even with the enormous bonfire the party goers started. It kept them warm, and Tracy was feeling terribly hot standing near it. Her clothes made her uncomfortable, pulling at her denim jacket to tie around her waist, leaving her wearing her thin T-shirt. She couldn't feel the cool winds anymore, just the heat from the flames as she made her way to the group of boys her boyfriend was normally seen with.

"Have you guys seen Brad?" Tracy asked his best friend, Will.

"I texted him and he said he's running late, but that he'll be here soon."

Tracy thanked him, feeling her stomach become jumbled in knots. She turns to go back to her friends when a dimly lit path shows itself to her, leading away from the party and the people in it.

Tracy absentmindedly follows the glow of the moon marking this path, wondering if it was real. No one else around her notices, lost in their own entertainment and drunken state. As she walks to whatever mystery was out there, the crunch of dead leaves in the path let her know that she was getting far enough away from the party. She keeps moving forward as thin branches scratch at her face, tug at her shirt. She places her hand in front of her face to ward off anymore of them and hopes she wasn't being silly, walking out there on her own.

The path was finally widening, no more branches to grab at her to leave marks on her skin. A clearing came into view, the moon's light shown over it, casting an eery glow over the forest floor. Tracy looks up and the moon appears larger than it had back at the party. Goosebumps raise all over her body, feeling her heart race.

"Tracy! Tracy!"

She looks behind her, and there was Brad, jogging towards her. She looks up at the moon again, pleading.

Brad slows down once he reaches her, catching his breath. "Hey, what are you doing out here? Everybody is looking for you."

Tracy tries to smile. "I just needed a moment to myself."

Brad grins, pulling her to him. Tracy hesitates, but his warmth feels so good. She rests her head against his chest, hearing his heart beating—loud and strong. She closes her eyes and listens to that rhythm. She wraps her arms around his waist as they sway in the empty space of forest. She nuzzles her face against his chest as her blood hastens in her veins. Her hands clutch his sweater, gripping it. She holds him tightly against her.

Heat flushes across her cheeks. Brad finally lifts her chin, raises her face to him. "I love you," he whispers against her lips before meeting them.

His lips meet hers, sweetly at first, then Tracy proceeds to take control. She kisses him furiously with lips and tongue and teeth. Brad's hands smooth along her body, groping her, holding her against him. The warmth rises to a fever pitch between them as they make their way to the forest floor. Tracy straddles Brad as he lays on the ground, not caring about the dirt and the leaves sticking to him. He is lost in Tracy's lips and hands.

She pulls up his sweater, smoothing her hands along the flatness of his toned stomach, up to his chest, and back to his stomach. She pulls at the button of his pants, tugging at it.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Brad guffaws in surprise.

Tracy leans into Brad and lays rough kisses on him, pushing her tongue inside of his mouth. Brad's hands pull her down onto him and then rolls her over, placing himself on top.

"I thought you wanted to wait," he tells her. "I thought you wanted it to be special and not out in the woods like this."

Tracy looks past Brad's face and stares at the moon. "Tonight is special."

"Are you sure?"

Tracy reaches up and grabs his face to bring him into her lips again, answering his question. Brad forgets about her protests from a week ago and leans into Tracy for another kiss.

Tracy lifts Brad's sweater, caressing his skin. She clenches her teeth as a trembling rises from her. The trembling causes her to grip Brad's skin, raking her nails along it.

"Ow, Tracy! Don't scratch too hard!" Brad pauses.

Tracy ignores Brad, kissing furiously and holding onto him. Brad gives in to her kisses and embraces her in the middle of the forest, forgetting all about the roughness of Tracy's attention. The kissing intensifies as the young couple continue to be distracted by one another, but something has a hold of Tracy. She holds onto Brad as he tries to lift himself away, break their kiss, but Tracy's hold is solidly locked.

"Tracy, let go. Let go!" He tries to break away from her, but it's fruitless.

Tracy pushes Brad and he lands on his back. She sits on him and Brad is unable to move as she pins him there. A growl comes from above Brad, from Tracy. The hair on the back of his neck stand on end as he struggles to get away but she is strong. Too strong. Stronger than she was earlier.

She growls again and Brad yells out for help. Tracy grabs his throat, and Brad struggles to speak, gasping for air. The strength in her hands grow as hair tickles his neck where her hand held him at bay. Under the light of the moon, Brad's widened eyes watched as the girl he loved became a creature he had only heard tales of. Ravenous growls escape from a mouth that was now lengthened. He watched as she transformed, still unable to speak but her grip loosened only enough to keep him from passing out.

She throws her head back, a sound escapes from her that pierces Brad's ears; high and shrill. She howls, the vibration of it sending Brad into a panic. She reaches skyward, bringing her claws down on Brad, breaking into his skin. Brad screams but she brings her claws on him again and again until they reach muscle and bone, opening Brad up. Blood and skin are free as Tracy leans her head above the wound, lapping at it until she bites into it. Brad's lifeless eyes stare at the moon as the beast feeds on him, Tracy cracking ribs and gaining his heart.