Otter Creek every step that i take

When Ramesses spoke again, Charles stopped in his tracks, hackles raised, shock on his face. Ramesses spoke to him in the same way that he had back at the Saints. In a way that Charles didn't understand, because why would any man speak that way to another man? Why would he so openly admit that something was horribly wrong with him?

Charles wanted to defend himself, to say that he was not into men, and to ridicule Ramesses for his own tastes — for coming out into the open for them so easily. Yet before he could, Ramesses continued and his voice went cold once more.

It'd never been clear to Charles that he could've 'followed' anyone. He'd largely kept away from all of the things that'd been going on with the pack and now he found himself pretty clueless on what was going on.

But one thing he knew for sure.

He wouldn't be there; he wouldn't be anywhere nearby enough to kill. No matter how much he would welcome death, he knew that he couldn't search for it.

After a long pause of frozen, perplexed silence, Charles said, I will welcome it. He said it only because he hoped that by the time it happened — if it happened, just in case Charles was found again by Ramesses and his wolves — he hoped that his flesh and blood would taste like ash and soot in Ramesses' mouth, knowing he delivered Charles from something rather than take something from him or from the Saints.

But he would not take from the Saints, for Charles would not be with them at that time.

He licked his lips with nervousness, submission, and a spark of defiance in his eyes before he eventually said, You are sick in your head. I'm not into men, and you should not be too. It's not natural. Then he held his breath, a quiver in his stature, unsure what he hoped that Ramesses would do. But there was something — always had been — about being bad that felt so good. He didn't enjoy pain in the slightest, but doing something bad lead to pain and that lead to relief and kindness and compassion. He could've walked away now without consequence, but some part of him screamed to feel something.