Tales Within A Tale

Your soulmate will be the stranger you recognize.

R.H. Sin

⊱Tessa⊰

Tessa Katriene Halstead glanced at her watch. She was going to be late if she didn’t get out of this line soon. Her stomach growled, and she groaned in frustration. She couldn’t afford to be late, but she also couldn’t risk passing out from going without food. Having low blood sugar sucked ass.

“Excuse me,” a man’s deep voice said as he passed by her.

His shoulder brushed against hers, causing her body to jolt. A tingling sensation spread through her private area, and her skin tingled with excitement. He stopped and turned to her, an unusual expression on his face.

“Sorry,” he said, looking her straight in the eyes.

He didn’t look her body up and down, as most men did. Instead, he looked straight into her eyes.

She licked her lips and said, “No worries.”

He smiled before turning and walking away.

Tessa took a deep breath as she moved forward in line. There was something different about that man.

~*💗*~

⊱Merrick⊰

Merrick Corbin Fenwick adjusted his pants as he left the restaurant. What the hell is wrong with him that he gets an erection just from bumping shoulders with a woman? Sure, she’s gorgeous, but — Merrick stopped thinking as something flashed in front of him.

He raised his hand to shield his eyes from the blinding brightness.

“Ah, another one,” a devilish voice said.

“What the hell?” Merrick growled.

“Oh, yes, hell is exactly where you will be,” the voice laughed.

Another flash of light appeared, and Merrick jumped back.

“You can’t stop me!” the evil voice said, then both lights vanished.

“What the fuck was that?” Merrick said, looking around.

Irritated by the voice and bright lights, Merrick continued to his car, clutching his bag of food tightly in his hand. He got into the car and started the engine.

A vision of the woman he had bumped into flashed through his mind as he pulled onto the road. He had a feeling he would see her again, though he didn’t know how he knew or where it would happen.

He just knew.

~*💗*~

-Two Days Later-

⊱Tessa⊰

Tessa sighed as she sat down on the park bench. If it weren’t for her doctor’s note informing her boss that she must eat regularly, the man would have fired her the other day. Additionally, her boss’s secretary had also gone to the same restaurant to get his lunch, so Tessa had a witness to how busy the restaurant was. Even the secretary was late in bringing him his lunch.

“Is this seat taken?”

Tessa looked up and nearly fell over when she saw the man from the restaurant the other day — the one who had bumped into her and almost caused her to orgasm in public.

He smiled as he sat on the bench beside her. “Have we met before?” he asked, watching her.

She stared at him for a moment. Did he not remember? Then she saw the gleam in his eyes — he was teasing her; he did remember.

“I don’t know,” she said, playing along. “Did we?”

He chuckled and bumped her with his shoulder. The same sensations surged through her body, making it difficult for her to breathe.

“Sorry,” he said, watching her closely.

She nodded and said, “It’s okay.”

“It’s not,” he said, looking away from her.

Was he ashamed to look at her?

When he turned his head back to her, she saw raw desire and passion burning in his eyes. She swallowed hard, trying to restrain herself from leaping into his lap and stripping off her clothes.

“Do you feel it too?” he asked.

She nodded. He didn’t have to say the words; she knew exactly what he was asking.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped when I saw you sitting here,” he said as he started to stand.

Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him from standing.

“It’s okay,” she whispered.

He turned to her and studied her face before his gaze traveled down her body, pausing at her breasts, then continuing down her legs. When his eyes returned to her face, she knew her cheeks were as red as a radish.

“Do you like what you see?” she asked.

He smirked, and she nearly slapped herself for asking such a ridiculous question.

“Actually, I do,” he said, still smirking.

She decided it was her turn and let her gaze roam over his body, pausing at his pectoral muscles before moving down to his crotch and then his thick thighs. Her pussy pulsed as her eyes traveled back up his body.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked, echoing her question.

She couldn’t speak. Her mouth was dry, and her body ached for him. She nodded in response.

He chuckled and shook his head. “There is something about you.”

She smiled and said, “There’s something about you, too.”

“What would you say if I asked you out to dinner?”

She blinked at him, her eyes wide open. “Tonight?” she asked.

He smiled and nodded.

She looked down at her clothes and grunted. “I’m not dressed for a date.”

“Who says it’s a date?”

She looked at him, feeling as if the blood in her veins had turned to ice. Had she misinterpreted everything that had just happened between them? Not to mention their encounter two days ago.

He placed his hand on her knee and smiled. “I’m just teasing. Of course it’s a date. It wouldn’t be anything else. And you look lovely.” He looked her up and down again, then raised his other hand to her cheek. He gently touched her before saying, “You’re worth waiting for, if I must wait.”

She blinked at him and sucked in a breath as he leaned in, his mouth so close to hers.

“But I’m hungry, and I’m pretty sure you are too, if your stomach has anything to say about it.”

Tessa blinked and shook her head. Her stomach had started growling, and she hadn’t even heard it. Shit, she didn’t even feel it; she was so attuned to this gorgeous man.

“I have low blood sugar,” she told him.

He smiled and pulled back. “Then let’s get going.”

He stood and offered her his hand. She took it, allowing him to help her rise from the bench.

“Where shall we go?” he asked.

She shrugged and said, “Anywhere is fine with me.”

He smiled and offered her his arm. “By the way,” he said as she placed her hand on his arm, “what is your name?”

Tessa closed her eyes and nearly laughed. She had entertained many sexual thoughts about this man and was about to go on a date with him, and she didn’t even know his name. What was happening? She had only met him fifteen minutes ago, and they were already going on a date — their meeting two days earlier didn’t count.

“Tessa,” she said, opening her eyes and looking at him.

He smiled and bowed to her. “Nice to meet you, Tessa. I am Merrick.”

Tessa’s stomach turned — not in a bad or hungry way, but in an “Oh my God, this man is amazing” kind of way.

“I like your name,” she whispered.

He smiled and pulled his arm closer to his side, thereby drawing her closer to him.

“I like yours too,” he told her.

She smiled as they walked down the sidewalk together, heading toward the only restaurant within walking distance.

~*💗*~

⊱Merrick⊰

Merrick watched Tessa as she wiped her mouth with a napkin.

“That was awesome,” she said, smiling at him.

He smiled and nodded. It wasn’t as awesome as he could have made it for their first date, but at least he had found her. Something was drawing them together, and he couldn’t ignore it.

“What now?” she asked, watching him closely.

He had no idea how to answer that question. He tried anyway. “Well —” he started, then stopped.

“Are you as lost about all this as I am?” she asked.

Merrick nodded.

She reached across the table and touched his hand. He pulled his hand back as a shock of electricity shot through his arm. She withdrew and frowned.

‘Damn it,’ he growled at himself.

Merrick reached across the table and took her hand in his. The sudden shock of electricity made them both stare at their hands in surprise.

“I —” she started to say, then stopped and looked up at him. “What’s going on?” she asked.

Merrick shook his head and said, “I have no clue. I just know that I was meant to find you.”

A tear slid down her cheek, and he wanted to wipe it away.

“Do you believe in soulmates?” she asked.

He looked from her bright blue eyes to their joined hands — which were still tingling — and smiled.

“I didn’t,” he said, looking back at her. A frown formed on her face, and his heart shook. “Until I met you,” he finished.

Her frown softened into a sweet smile, and he took her other hand in his.

“Would you like to come home with me?”

‘What the fuck are you doing?’ he berated himself. ‘You just met!’

Something inside him told him that everything would be okay. They needed this time together.

“I…” She looked at their hands, then at him, and continued, “I would love to.”

Merrick smiled as he stood up from the table and helped her to her feet. He paid the bill, then led her out of the restaurant. It was a short walk to where he had parked his car. He helped her inside, then went to the driver’s side.

What was happening? Why did everything feel so right?

~*💗*~

⊱Tessa⊰

Tessa followed Merrick up his porch to his house, unsure of what she was doing. They had just met, for crying out loud!

“I hope you don’t think I’m expecting anything,” Merrick said as he opened the front door.

Tessa’s stomach dropped, and her heart skipped a beat. She felt lost and confused. Why would she be sad that he didn’t expect anything on their first date? Isn’t that usually reserved for the third date? Oh Lord, help her — that is such a stupid thing.

“No, I don’t expect anything either,” she found herself saying.

He closed the door behind them and led her into his living room.

“I’ll get us a glass of water,” he told her as she entered the living room behind him. “You can have a seat,” he added, motioning toward one of the couches.

She nodded and thanked him as she headed to the couch and sat down. She waited for his return, which didn’t take long. He came back with two glasses of ice water, handed one to her, and sat in the large chair next to the couch.

“So,” he said, watching her, “what do you do for a living?”

Tessa smiled as she settled in comfortably. This was something she could do.

~*💗*~

Tessa stretched as she opened her eyes, but she didn’t recognize the room. She sat up too quickly, and her head started to spin. Looking around, she felt her cheeks flush as the events of the previous night came back to her.

She and Merrick had stayed up most of the night talking and getting to know each other. She remembered yawning and resting her head on the arm of the couch, but she didn’t remember anything after that.

Tessa quickly glanced down at herself and sighed with relief when she saw she was still fully clothed.

“Thank God,” she breathed.

“Good morning.”

Merrick’s rich, sexy voice had her pussy vibrating. She looked up at the door where he stood and smiled.

“Morning,” she said.

He smirked as he walked into the room. “I couldn’t get you to wake up long enough to tell me where you live, so I carried you to my spare bedroom. I hope that’s okay.”

Tessa snorted and said, “Sure.”

He chuckled and offered her his hand. She smiled as she took it, and he helped her to her feet.

“I’ve got breakfast ready. Then you can give me your address, and I can take you home.”

She chuckled as they left the room. “My car is still at the park.”

He looked at her, confused, then his eyes brightened with the memory of their meeting at the park. He snickered and said, “I’ll take you to the park, but first you need to eat.”

She nodded, and they walked to the kitchen.

~*💗*~

-Two Weeks Later-

⊱Merrick⊰

Merrick chuckled as he hung up his phone and looked up at the night sky. It had been two weeks since he met her. Two weeks since their first date. Two weeks since he fell head over heels in love with her.

They have been on seven dates since their first date, but have not yet made love. She seemed to be waiting for something, though he did not know what. Everything pointed to her that she was his future, his soulmate — the one person he was meant to spend his life with.

A bright light flashed across his yard, and he jumped to his feet. He had seen this light several times since he met Tessa. The voices echoed through his yard.

“You can’t have them!”

“I will take them,” the angry, evil voice said.

“I won’t let you take any more!”

“You can’t stop me, and you know it. I am far more powerful than you!”

The lights flickered, and the voices gradually faded away.

What the fuck was going on?!

His phone rang, and he instantly knew who it was. Merrick smiled as he answered.

“Good evening, my love.”

Tessa giggled on the other end of the line and said, “I’m free tonight.”

Merrick’s mind froze, his heart pounded loudly in his ears, and his body tingled with heat.

“My place or yours?” he growled into the phone.

“Mine,” she said. Then the line went dead.

Merrick rushed inside, grabbed his keys, locked the door, and ran to his car.

~*💗*~

⊱Tessa⊰

Tessa’s body shook as she hung up the phone. She could handle this; it wasn’t as if she wasn’t prepared. She had been preparing for this moment for two weeks. She finally found the courage last night and spent the entire day planning it.

She moved over to the couch and sat down. It shouldn’t take Merrick long to get there since he doesn’t live far from her.

Ten minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Tessa jumped to her feet. She straightened her hair as she headed to the door. When she opened it, the look on her man’s face made her body ache for him.

“You rang,” he said as he stepped into her apartment.

She smiled and closed the door behind him. When she turned to face him, she squealed as his body pinned her against the door.

“God, Tess, I have wanted you from the moment our shoulders touched for the first time.”

She moaned softly as his hands explored her body.

“Me too,” she said, then groaned as his mouth captured hers in a passionate kiss.

They have kissed many times and made out more than three times in the past two weeks. Now, they are about to fulfill their deepest desires.

~*💗*~

⊱Merrick⊰

Merrick stirred in the middle of the night. A bright light shone above the bed, and he raised his arm to shield his eyes from the glare.

“You are mine!” the evil voice hissed.

“Merrick,” a soft voice whispered in his ear.

He thought it was Tessa, but she was still asleep beside him.

“Listen to me,” the soft voice said. “He is stronger than I am, but you and Tessa share a connection unlike any before. Keep her by your side; don’t let her slip away. Your love will help you, and your connection will bring you together.”

Merrick blinked at the gentle words. What on earth did that mean?

“What’s going on?” Tessa asked as she woke up beside him.

“I don’t know,” Merrick said.

She looked at the bright light and squealed, “What is that?”

“I don’t know,” Merrick said again. “This isn’t the first time I have seen it. I thought I was imagining it before.”

“What’s going on?” Tessa asked, clinging to his side.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly.

“It has been a while since I found soulmates together,” the evil voice said.

“Who are you, and what do you want?” Merrick demanded.

The evil voice laughed and said, “I am Troggen, the soul demon, and you are exactly what I have been looking for.”

“The what?” Tessa squealed.

“What do you want?!” Merrick shouted.

“Your souls!” the demon yelled, and then everything around them turned to darkness.

~*💗*~

⊱Story POV⊰

Troggen the Soul Demon is a being you never want to cross. He is powerful and malevolent, drawing his strength from the souls he captures. His favorite targets are soulmates. He has imprisoned many souls in his fairy-tale world, and hundreds have been lost to the tales.

Some soulmates he has captured have never met, and some were married when he found them. Others, like Tessa and Merrick, had just found each other.

The love between soulmates is strong, even if they have not yet met. This connection gives their souls strength and grants Troggen power.

The fairy tales in which the demon traps souls date back thousands of years. These tales imprison the souls within, feeding the demon every day.

Now that our players are in the demon’s world, are they ready to beat him at his own game?