Page 7

Sliding my hand into my back pocket I pull out a sleek black phone and open my photo album. Scrolling past various photos of the gorgeous creature that’s haunted me since last night, I land on an incriminating one. The phone illuminates my new friend’s bloodstained face when I turn it to him, and his eye widens when he sees the screen.

“You were watching me? What the hell? Who are you?” His sudden temper spike makes my nonexistent heart race.

“I think the real question here is, why were you talking to her?” I jab my finger at the dark-haired beauty the cretin is speaking to in the photo.

“She’s just a random girl, man.” I push down on his stomach wound, and he yelps, “I thought she was hot! We were flirting. I don’t know! Her friend made it seem like she was looking for something. Seemed like it would be an easy hook-up.” The man throws his head back clearly unable to handle the pain. Weakling.

He’s so fucking boring. One day of watching Celine Brennan tells me this pathetic excuse of a man could never keep up with her.

Pushing my glasses up my nose from where they had slipped, I repeat, “You thought she was hot?”

Human men are a disgusting breed, never mind that I was once human too.

My patience wearing thin, I continue, “You want to know what I think?”

He slowly shakes his head and keels over, trying to fold into himself like it’ll make a difference as I lean closer.

“I think...” His humerus bone snaps under my shoe. “...that I don’t want a filthy creature like you...” His fingers crunch with ease in my hand. “...touching what belongs to me.”

At this point the human is close to expiring both from the pain and the blood loss which means I have to wrap it up. Celine might not know she’s mine, but she will soon enough, and I don’t need human trash like this guy thinking they have a chance with a creature as ethereal as she is.

“A divine angel like her is a blessing to the eyes and you are nothing but lowly trash unworthy of looking upon her,” I chuckle darkly, and soak in the fear emanating off the man. Even my laugh has him pissing himself.Fucking pathetic.“But me? I’m the monster under your bed, the shadows stalking your every move”—my breath fans across his face as I continue—“and a walking nightmare cleaning up the filth.”

Making quick work of yanking his other eye out of its socket, I rip out his heart to silence the scream before it comes. There are days I relish in the sound, but today I want Celine back in my sights as soon as possible. It makes me twitchy not having her nearby. Like I’ve lost something vital, and I’ll be the one bleeding out on the ground without it.

I cock my head to the side. This has never happened to me before. Thisobsessionwith a human. At the moment, I can’t bring myself to ponder why that might be. I have an inkling but I’m afraid to hope in case I’m wrong. Instead, all I can focus on islocating her as quickly as possible. Once I see her, I’ll be able to breathe again. Hypothetically, speaking of course.

I don’t actually need oxygen to survive.

A blooming puddle of blood on the ground attracts my eye and I dip fingers into it to draw a smiley face with fangs that unfortunately look more like buckteeth, but I can’t let someone else take credit for my work. I drop the body into a metal trash bin and dust my hands off. Extending my arms, I look myself over and smile when I find that I didn’t get a single drop on me. Pleased, I head in the direction of Celine’s apartment.

Following Celine home after the investigation last night was a no brainer. I had to know where she lived, my little raven wasn’t going to fly away from me that easily.

I scale the chain link fence at the end of the path with ease and head out onto the sunny sidewalk as if nothing happened. A breeze ruffles my wavy red hair, and I tilt my head back with a happy sigh. I love this kind of weather and can smell the approaching rain on the wind. Hot and cold doesn’t affect vampires like it does humans. Sometimes I miss the true feel of heat on my skin or the prickle of chills. Everything all feels the same to me.

Fingering the thin silver chain resting against my throat I give myself a chance to wonder what it would be like to inhale Celine’s sweet scent up close. To run my nose along her collarbone and lick a path between her breasts before sinking my teeth into her delicate neck.

This fixation is all consuming. Not that I haven’t stalked my prey before, but Celine isn’t that. She’s more and for the first time since becoming a vampire I feel the closest thing to fear. If she’s what I think she is then she holds the power to weaken me.

Before I know it, I’m in front of Celine’s apartment building.

I’m losing my mind—what’s left of it anyway—over a human woman I don’t even know. I’m not sure what’s become of me, butI don’t care to figure it out. For years, the only thing I’ve filled my existence with is killing those who are unworthy. At a certain point, even that can’t fill the hollowness inside. But ever since last night, Celine has occupied a corner of my mind, and that space has become bigger and bigger to the point that I can’t stop thinking about her. Obsession is quickly becoming too mild of a word for what I feel.

With a bounce in my step, I grab hold of the wrought iron door and I’m cognizant not to show how truly easy it is for me to open it. The man that walked in right before me struggled to wrench it open against the wind.

Deciding it’ll be quicker with my speed to take the stairs and scent the hallway of each floor as I climb, I head for the stairwell. I make it to the twenty fourth floor in record time and stop dead in my tracks when her sugary blackberry scent hits me, making my mouth water and fangs ache. I’d gotten whiffs of it as I’d gone along like she took the stairs from time to time but this was thicker, heavier.

Following the scent trail down the hall like a kid in a candy store I stop at a door labeled 2431.

This is the one.

A wreath of fake red leaves and berries adorns the door along with a small welcome mat on the ground with a design of a black cat peeking out from the corner. It’s a homey gesture that doesn’t seem to line up with the hard-edged detective I’ve been following. But I like that there may be a softer side to her that few see.

Taking a step closer, I hold in the groan rumbling in my chest as I breathe deeply and ingest as much of her smell as I can.

It fills me up, fortifying me in a unique way—almostfeedingme more than the blood that’s essential to my existence.

With my forehead against the door, I can almost pretend she’s on the other side about to let me in. She’d smile at me withher gorgeous mouth, brown eyes twinkling while leaning against the frame. I wouldn’t be able to resist grabbing her around the waist and crushing her lips to mine. Her imaginary whimpers of pleasure shoot to my dick, and I can’t keep in my groan this time.