He reaches out and cups my chin. “I will always be careful with you. Now, come with me. I want to fuck you.”
I cannot believe I am letting him take me by the hand and lead me away from the train station. My panic has cost me my escape, and now that I am back under his sway I know that I will not be able to leave. Simon is the sort of obsessive man who does not let anything go. That’s why he’s taking these risks with his research, and it’s why he came and found me at the station.
He leads me to a nice car, because of course he has a nice car. It’s an SUV of some description, with racks all over it. It’s the sort of vehicle people who like to go hiking own. There’s mud on the mudguards too, like it’s been out recently.
I make a quick note of the license plate, and text it to my close friend. I’m not sure why. I just figure it might be nice if someone knows who has me when I inevitably disappear and get eaten.
Simon opens the passenger side door for me and helps me in, because the vehicle is elevated a bit. He shuts the door and walks around, getting in on his side.
“I’m glad I managed to catch you before you hitched a ride in a cargo container and started a new life riding the rails,” he says, smirking at me enough to let me know he thinks he is being funny.
I look out the window as he drives me away.
“Where are we going?”
“It’s 11 a.m.,” he says. “I’m taking you back to work.”
“Oh. Work.”
“Yes,” he says. “It’s not actually allowed to run away middle of the workday.”
“It’s not illegal,” I say pertly.
“Not illegal, but naughty,” he says, reaching over and squeezing my thigh. I look down at his hand, not entirely sure what to do with it, or about it.
“I’m sorry I frightened you.” His tone softens as he apologizes. “I know that must have been very scary, and I’m aware that losing control that way is unacceptable. It won’t happen again.”
“How can you promise that?”
“I…” He pauses, his eyes on the road. “I can try.”
* * *
Simon
I can’t tell her without a shadow of a doubt that I won’t shift mid-sex again. I didn’t feel that I was entirely in control. I didn’t even really know it was happening until she looked up at me and shrieked.
Science is unpredictable at the best of times, and a clinical trial of one is useless in terms of literature, but very interesting if you happen to be the one being experimented on.
“I’ll take the reversal serum around you,” I promise her. “I’ll take enough that there’s no way any part of the beast will come through.”
“You should stop taking your own weird drugs entirely,” she replies. “It’s reckless.”
Being lectured by her is like being told off by an adorable cartoon character. She looks so very serious, but she really doesn’tunderstand how important this is, or how far I have come. Far too far to stop now.
“And you should stop trying to run away,” I tell her. “It’s not that simple for you anymore. You’re mine now.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you belong to me.”
“Right. Like a salad you bought at the deli? I belong to you?”
“Not the simile I would have chosen, but more or less,” I laugh. “You’re mine, sweetheart. And no matter where you go, I will find you.”
She gives me a sidelong glance.
“You know you sound like a psycho, right?” she says. “Like full blown, it-puts-the-lotion-on-its-skin, look-how-tasteful-my-business-card-is, don’t-get-in-the-shower psycho.”
