Chapter 4 : First Kiss and Claw Marks

## Scene: School Back Woods

The kiss wasn''t gentle.

It wasn''t the tentative brush of lips Ella had imagined her first kiss would be. It was an assault. A claiming.

Lucas''s mouth crashed down on hers, hard and demanding. His hands came up to frame her face, holding her still as his lips moved against hers. The taste of him flooded her senses—wild, earthy, with the faint metallic tang of blood from where he''d bitten his own lip.

Ella froze, shock rooting her to the spot. Her mind screamed in protest, but her body... her body responded.

Heat bloomed in her stomach, spreading outward. Her skin tingled where his fingers touched her cheeks. Her lips parted on a gasp, and he took advantage, his tongue sweeping into her mouth.

The invasion should have repulsed her. Should have sent her scrambling backward, screaming. But instead, a strange warmth pooled low in her belly. Her hands, which had been hanging limp at her sides, came up to clutch at his hoodie. Not pushing him away. Holding on.

He made a sound deep in his throat—a growl, low and possessive. His hands slid from her face to her hair, tangling in the strands, tilting her head back to deepen the kiss.

Ella''s world narrowed to the feel of his mouth on hers, the taste of him, the heat of his body pressed against her. Rational thought dissolved, replaced by sensation. By instinct.

Then his teeth scraped her bottom lip. Not hard enough to break skin, but enough to startle her back to reality.

She jerked back, breaking the kiss. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her lips felt swollen, sensitive. "Stop," she managed, the word barely audible.

Lucas''s eyes glowed in the dim light of the clearing. The amber had deepened, taken on a golden hue that seemed to come from within. "You don''t mean that."

"I do." She took a step back, her legs trembling. "I want to go back."

He advanced, matching her step for step. "You don''t. Your body says otherwise."

It was true. Even now, with fear clawing at her throat, her skin still hummed from his touch. Her heart still raced, and not entirely from panic.

When he reached for her again, instinct took over.

Ella didn''t think. She reacted.

Her knee came up, aiming for his groin. He twisted, taking the blow on his thigh instead. In the same motion, she brought her hands up, shoving hard against his chest.

He stumbled back, surprise flashing across his face. It was the opening she needed.

She turned and ran.

Branches whipped at her face and arms as she crashed through the underbrush. Her shoes slipped on wet leaves, but she kept moving, driven by pure adrenaline. Behind her, she heard a roar of frustration, then the sound of pursuit.

He was faster. Of course he was faster.

But Ella had the advantage of desperation. She ducked under a low-hanging branch, veered left around a thicket of brambles, and burst out of the trees onto the football field.

The sudden openness was disorienting. Sunlight glared off the wet grass. In the distance, she could see the school building, could hear the faint sounds of after-school activities.

She risked a glance back. Lucas stood at the tree line, his chest heaving, his eyes fixed on her. He didn''t follow her onto the field. Just watched as she ran toward the school, his expression unreadable.

Ella didn''t stop running until she was inside, the heavy door of the school slamming shut behind her. She leaned against it, gasping for breath, her heart hammering against her ribs.

Safe. She was safe.

But the taste of him still lingered on her lips. The feel of his hands in her hair still tingled on her scalp. And the warmth in her belly... that hadn''t faded.

She made her way to the bathroom on trembling legs. In the mirror, her reflection stared back at her—wild-eyed, flushed, lips red and swollen. A stranger.

She splashed cold water on her face, trying to wash away the memory. Trying to calm the riot of sensations still coursing through her body.

When she finally felt steady enough, she returned to her classroom to collect her forgotten backpack. The room was empty except for Sophie, who was gathering her own things.

Sophie looked up as Ella entered, her eyes widening. "Oh my god. Are you okay?"

Ella nodded, though the gesture felt like a lie. "I''m fine."

"You don''t look fine." Sophie hesitated, then lowered her voice. "Was it... him?"

Ella didn''t need to ask who she meant. "It doesn''t matter."

"It does matter." Sophie''s voice dropped to a whisper. "Ella, you need to be careful. Lucas Blackwood... he''s dangerous."

"I know," Ella said, the words bitter on her tongue. "I''ve heard the rumors."

"Rumors?" Sophie shook her head. "They''re not rumors. Last year, he put a boy in the hospital. Broke three of his ribs. The boy''s family moved away afterward."

Ella''s blood ran cold. "Why?"

"No one knows for sure. The official story was a fight over a girl. But..." Sophie glanced toward the door, as if afraid he might appear. "There were other things. A girl the year before—she transferred out mid-semester. People said Lucas... did things to her. Things she couldn''t talk about."

The words settled in Ella''s stomach like stones. "Did anyone report it?"

"Report to who?" Sophie''s laugh was hollow. "His family owns half this town. His father is... well, let''s just say you don''t cross the Blackwoods."

Ella remembered the way Mr. Davies had backed down. The way the other students scattered. The empty desk that no one would sit in.

It all made a terrible kind of sense.

"Stay away from him," Sophie said, her voice urgent. "However you can. Change classes. Transfer schools. Do whatever you have to do."

Ella nodded, but even as she did, she knew it was too late. Knew that some lines, once crossed, couldn''t be uncrossed.

She left the classroom, Sophie''s warnings echoing in her mind. But beneath the fear, another emotion stirred. One she was ashamed to acknowledge.

Curiosity.

What was it about Lucas Blackwood that inspired such fear? What power did he wield that made teachers back down and families flee?

And most disturbing of all: why did part of her want to find out?

The walk home was long and cold. The sun had set, and the streetlights cast long shadows on the sidewalk. Every sound made Ella jump—a car passing, a dog barking, the rustle of leaves in the wind.

When she finally reached her house, she let herself in quietly. Her parents were in the kitchen, the sounds of dinner preparation a comforting normality.

"Ella? Is that you?" her mother called.

"Yeah," Ella answered, her voice steadier than she felt. "I''m going to my room to study."

She climbed the stairs, each step heavy with exhaustion. In her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes.

The memory of the kiss returned, unbidden. The feel of his mouth on hers. The taste of him. The way her body had responded despite her mind''s protests.

She touched her lips, the skin still sensitive. Still remembering.

Downstairs, her parents laughed at something. The sound was warm, familiar, safe.

Upstairs, in the quiet of her room, Ella pressed her forehead against the cool wood of the door and tried not to think about amber eyes in a forest clearing. Tried not to wonder what would happen tomorrow.

Tried not to acknowledge the part of her that was already anticipating it.