Flower's Beast

Flower’s BeastShelby Manuel Contents PrologueI need my eyes back on herMy FlowerWhy can’t my brain just be cool for onceCan I helpThey will believe I’m happyHolding herWhat a terrible dreamDo as I say, and you’ll continue to be safeWhat the hell is wrong with youYou fucking robotI want everythingNo one will notice you’re goneI don’t stand a chanceI know what she’s feeling nowThere has to be an end to this mystery somewhereNot like that, Tin manYou find beauty in everythingI was worried about youStop saying things like thatI can’t lose youMake meI'll be homeWhat the hell is wrong with meHow can you not hate meI want another birthday presentOur livesKeep your necklace onCan you fill in some blanksThe universe must have forgiven meI can’t stop fightingI’ll give her everythingThat definitely would have taken down a normal manEpilogue Author’s Note This story is for those of us that accept nothing short of obsession. Also, this is a dark, stalker romance. Our Hero tries to stay on the redeemable side of morally dark, but if you have triggers, please check out the content warnings at the end of the book. Stay mentally healthy. Playlist Flower’s Beast on Spotify➢ Watching You In The Morning – Waltzin➢ The Night We Met – Lord Huron➢ Hide and Seek – Imogen Heap➢ When I’m Older – Ashe➢ Beauty and the Beast – Peabo Bryson, Celine Dion➢ Somewhere Only We Know – Miki Ratsula➢ Home – Catie Turner➢ Sick Like Me – In This Moment➢ Broken Crown – Mumford & Sons➢ Two – Sleeping At Last➢ Always Forever – Cults➢ Neighbor – Mother Mother➢ An Unhealthy Obsession – The Blake Robinson Synthetic Orchestra➢ I Hate Everyone but You – Elita PrologueAnaIn a few short weeksMy feet pound against the forest bed, twigs snapping underneath me, branches whipping at my arms. My heart is slamming so hard against my chest that I fear my bones won’t be able to contain it.“I’m coming for you.” His eerie, threatening words creep through the trees, slipping through the blood rushing past my ears, and ripping a panicked shriek from my throat.I don’t slow down or look back yet, knowing he’s right behind me. His heavy footsteps crash closer to me on the forest bed as his snarling breath makes fire explode on my neck. I grab a thin tree and launch myself over to the left, hoping I can change directions faster than him.A branch breaking behind me echoes off the woods, and I can’t stop myself from turning my head to see. His lethal frame whips around a tree toward me, his wide shoulders expanding as he takes in a deep breath, his piercing eyes trained right on me.Electricity explodes over my skin as burning fear replaces any sense I have left. Focusing on the ground in front of me, I try desperately to see through the darkened night, only having the peeking moon to light my way.I cry out a breath when I feel his heavy presence catching up. The harsh sounds of the forest breaking around him as he barrels through it makes terror wrap its icy fingers around my throat.His rough, panting breath comes from right behind me, and I whip around to him, but my shoulder slams into a tree, sending me flying to the side. When I crash to the ground, I take a second to catch my breath, but I know I can’t stop for long.My fingers dig into the dirt so I can stand, but when I look back again, the forest silences around us. A kind of silence that only terror can create, focusing all my instincts on one threat. His broad chest expands as he slowly stalks towards me, looming above me like the beast he is.“Caught you.” His snarling lips lift on the side, I need my eyes back on herNikolaiThis job is going to be difficult. My target must be good if she avoided the cartel this long. But I think I’m closing in on her.First, I started in Illinois, the state that she must have spent a few years in at least. The client gave us the target’s last known location, but that was twenty years ago. She could be anywhere now. She’s not here anymore, but I had to start somewhere. I’ve visited every bustling city in this state over the last month, saving my hunch for last, Chicago.The first place I check is Child Protective Services, just like in every city I’ve looked for her. They must have some kind of record of the target because from what the client told us, she was abandoned close to here. She would have had to end up at some kind of government facility eventually.I sneak into the building at night, avoiding personal communication at all costs. I can slip in and out of crowds, but people start to comprehend the threat I am once I speak to them for too long. I’ve tried working on it to become more covert, but personal interaction is a skill I was never encouraged to build.As I slip through the shadows of the building to get to the files, I keep my hood tucked over my eyes in case a camera catches me. I can usually tell where they are though, like an extra sense that makes sure my eyes stay knowledgeable of who’s watching me at all times.Once I get to the main file room, I head straight for the year I’m looking for. Even if the target was smart enough at ten years old to avoid officials, this place has to have a file on her. The government has always been concerned with cataloguing civilians, pointlessly documenting everything in these dreadful cities. I’ve only been on this job a month, but I’m already itching to be done and get back to my woods, away from these infuriating people. There are far too many of them.My