For some reason, I wasn’t all that surprised to find myself standing in front of a hut wearing a hat. Woven thatch made a strange cone that went low over the side walls, and the door frame yawned in front of me.

The night was cool; I was chilly, and the warm light of a fire beckoned from inside the structure so I went inside.

The hut’s round walls were painted with bright, circular patterns in yellows and reds. They looked Celtic. The place was also very clean, with a small sleeping area curtained off by animal skins tucked against a wall, and the rest used for living. Storage was high up, with shelves holding woven baskets and piles of stuff, so that there was more space on the floor.

I felt very at home and I went ahead and sat down by the fire, warming my hands by holding them out in front of me.

‘There you are,’ came a low, rough voice behind me. ‘I’ve been hoping you’d find me.’

I smiled, feeling both exhilarated and yet oddly calm. ‘Of course I found you. I’ll always find you.’

I looked up into Anyan’s smiling gray eyes. Intense relief flooded through me, but I couldn’t for the life of me think why. This was Anyan’s hut; why wouldn’t Anyan be waiting for me?

The barghest knelt, wrapping his arms around me from behind, cloaking me with his heavy body. We sat like that for a few minutes while he drew in long breaths, as if memorizing my scent.

‘I’ve missed you,’ he whispered in my ear. ‘I’ve missed you so much . . .’

I appreciated the sentiment, of course, but I couldn’t imagine, for the life of me, what he meant.

‘Miss me?’ I said. ‘Why? I’m always here.’

He stiffened around me, and I wondered what I’d said wrong. But he didn’t tell me.

‘Of course you are,’ was all he said, and then he moved to sit next to me.

I leaned against him, and we watched the flames for a long time. It felt so good to be in his arms, but I knew it should be normal, after all this time.

‘How are things, Jane?’ he asked eventually, his voice a low hum in the dim light.

‘Oh, fine,’ I said. I tried to think of something to tell him about, but I couldn’t. ‘Nothing’s going on. Everything’s just . . . fine.’

The truth was, I felt like I did have something big to say; that there was something very important, to both of us, which had happened. But every time I thought I was about to remember what it was, it slipped away.

‘You can’t think of anything going on you want to tell me about?’ Anyan’s voice was still soft and low, but I knew him well enough to detect the faintest note of desperation.

‘There is something…but I can’t remember. So it can’t be that important, can it?’ I said with a laugh he didn’t return.

Anyan remained quiet for a bit, deep in thought, before turning to gaze into my eyes.

I drew my knees up, opening myself to him. Even through his jeans and my panties I could feel him, so hard and wanting. And I very much felt like giving. Bucking my hips up, I whimpered again.

‘Fuck me,’ I begged. ‘Please fuck me.’

With a growl, Anyan let go of one of my wrists, reaching down to undo his pants. He didn’t even bother with my panties; he just shoved the crotch of my underwear to the side. I cried out as his thick fingers slid inside my folds, testing my wetness. Two fingers slid deep, impossibly deep, before withdrawing.

Still holding my wrist down with one hand, his other fisted his cock so he could rub the broad tip against my sex. I pushed up to meet him, causing him to slip just a fraction of an inch inside me, but it was enough to break his control. Foreplay over, Anyan couldn’t resist sliding deeper, his groans mingling with mine as his mouth sucked at my cries.

He withdrew slightly, and then pushed forward again, deeper this time. I’d forgotten how big he was, how much I had to adjust to him. But as always, he was perfect – giving me only what I could take until I was ready for more.

My Anyan.

The thought made tears spring to my eyes, unbidden. Unable to fathom why, I cried as he took me, a curious sensation of grief and desperate lust shaking me to the core.

I kept talking the whole time, telling him to fuck me, to use me, to make me his. Obligingly, he plunged deeper, then set up a rhythm that was bound to send both of us over the edge too quickly.

Because as much as I wanted this frantic pace, and I was helping to set it, I also never wanted this moment to end. I wanted him here, and safe inside me, forever.

I feared what would happen when this moment ended.

And so I wrapped myself around him, arms and legs pulling him close, squeezing him with my inner muscles in an attempt to keep him right where he was.

But all my actions did was drive my own pleasure higher, taking Anyan with me. His thick fingers slipped between us, finding my clit, and it was over. I broke around him, my orgasm crashing over me. His own harsh cries followed only seconds later.

A few more thrusts and he was spent inside me.

As my pleasure receded, it was replaced with a fear so overwhelming it could only be called panic. I clung to the barghest, not wanting to let him go.

He clung just as desperately to me, refusing to withdraw, wrapping his arms tighter around me.

‘Thank you for finding me. It’s made all the difference,’ he told me. What frightened me even more than his cryptic words was what I saw reflected in his own gray eyes. They were wild; as if frantic to impart something I couldn’t yet understand.

‘You must find me again soon, Jane. It’s the only thing that will keep me going. He’s so strong, and he’s growing stronger. You have to help me.’

‘I’ll do anything,’ I said, and I meant it.

‘I know you will. Whatever you’re doing, you’re scaring them. That makes them desperate, but it means you’re on the right track.’

I didn’t know what he was talking about, but I nodded.