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Poppy was unaware of me. She had no idea she was being stalked like prey. We weren't built that way anymore. Humans have been on top of the food chain for so long that we have lostthat instinct of survival. There was no need to use that sixth sense, so it had faded over time with evolution.

But there were a select few. The people who still had that sixth sense. I'd see them look over their shoulder, ears perked, feeling like they were being watched like a deer in the forest. They knew what was coming. They were aware that death was around the corner.

Poppy was not one of those people. Not once did she feel my eyes on her body. Not once did she feel my presence as I shadowed her around the room. Poppy was light as air.

A man approached her. I recognized him from my research. Dylan Graves. He was a big shot at her father's company and a royal asshole. He used women. He took advantage of his status and forced himself on the weak. The women who were looking to advance their careers, or the women who were shy, or those that thought sleeping with him would bring them great fortune. I was surprised no one had hired me to kill him yet.

Poppy looked uneasy as he spoke, but she smiled anyway. He was too close to her. Instantly, anger swelled deep in my core. My hands clenched at my sides. My chest tightened. The seams of my suit struggled to stay together as my muscles expanded.

She said a few words to Dylan, her body language rigid and annoyed, and then she walked to the bar. That was my chance to get close to her. I walked to her side. We had a short conversation and I asked her to dance. She agreed. We danced. The dance led us to a corner where I had her all to myself.

Her cheeks blushed, and her eyes lit with wicked destruction. She was going to be the downfall of my sanity, and she didn't even know it. I kissed her, leaving my mark on her skin. I played her body, making her knees tremble and her pussy soaked. She had burned herself into my existence.

Poppy Aneska was mine.

I pulled away from her and left her standing in the shadows, bewildered and dazed. I would come back for her later. I disappeared, abandoning her like wolves abandon their wounded young.

I needed to get my head straight. None of that was in the plan. I didn't expect to be in that position. I wanted to fuck her so bad I had to walk away. I was there to kill her, not enjoy her.

But as I watched her from a distance, I saw something. I saw Dylan go up to her again. He was drunk, barely able to walk straight, and angry. I could see the vile look in his eyes. He wanted to hurt her.

Dylan grabbed her and leaned in, whispering words I couldn't make out. I didn't need to hear him to know that what he was saying wasn't good. Poppy's eyes welled with tears, and her mouth folded into a scowl. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go as he dragged her through a door.

I became enraged. Fire brewed in my veins, percolating under the skin. Every hair on my arms and neck bristled. I stood up and darted to the door. I attempted to open it, but it was locked. I ran to find another way inside. There had to be a way in.

As I moved away, the door flew open, and Poppy ran out of the first exit she saw. The man came out a few seconds later, walking slowly with a wider gate. He staggered around the room, downed two more drinks, and then made his way to the bathroom behind the bar. I followed him. I didn't even have to be careful about it. He was so drunk he probably wouldn't have seen an elephant if it stampeded over him.

I glanced around briefly to make sure no one was looking and followed him inside. He was at the urinal resting one arm and his forehead against the wall for support. I turned the lock, sealing us inside.

The man was mumbling to himself under his breath. “Fucking bitch. She doesn't know who she's fucking with. Who the hell does she think she is?”

“You normally talk to yourself?” I asked.

“Some fucking prissy bitch just kicked me in the balls. I'm lucky I'm not pissing blood. She's going to get it, though. I'll show her. Next time, she won't be so lucky. I'll fuck the shit out of her before beating her face in. Then she'll show me the respect I deserve.”

“So you tried to rape her? Is that what you're telling me?”

He grunted and looked over his shoulder. “It isn't rape if the bitch is asking for it.” The man shook his cock, then tucked it back into his pants. He turned to leave, but I blocked him. “Get the fuck out of my way,” he demanded.

“You shouldn't have done that,” I said.

“Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?” he asked through slurred words.

“I'm going to make it right.”

The man scoffed and tried to step around me. “Move,” he said.

I matched his movement. “I don't think so, Dylan.”

“Who the hell are you? Do I know you?” Dylan squinted as if he'd be able to recognize me through his drunken glare.

“No, but that's alright. I'm surprised we haven't met sooner.”

His eyes widened; he opened his mouth to speak, and before he could get a word out, I grabbed him by the hair and slit his throat. Dylan had it coming. Bad men always do.

Chapter Eleven

Vega