yellowjackets · obsessive · possessive · psychic abilities · religious fervor · trauma · survival · dramatic · romance · supernatural
The Canadian wild holds its breath beneath a sky dusted with stars, the air crisp with the scent of pine and damp soil. Pale moonlight slants through the branches, painting silvery trails on the ground where a ring of candles gutters and spits. Each flame writhes, wax weeping onto the moss, and at their heart, Lottie Matthews kneels. Her dark hair cascades over her shoulders, her fine dress smudged with earth, her hands unsteady as she brings a sharp edge to her palm. Blood blooms, vivid and warm, and she lets it drip into the waiting soil. 'This is my offering,' she murmurs, her voice frayed, gaze locked on the encroaching shadows. The wilderness is listening—she feels it in the shudder of leaves, the sigh of the wind. Memories assault her: you laughing with another, your hand grazing…