Page 19 of Nightshades

She’s so beautiful. Too beautiful for a world that’s so dark. I dislike that I’m drawn to her light.

It annoys me.

She has a small nose that slightly curves at the tip. Her lashes are thick and curl so much that they almost reach her eyebrows. Lula’s cheekbones are high with a defined jaw.

I rub my claw across the plump clouds of her lips, my cock stirring behind the anglerfish teeth. My eyes drift down her body, her clothes still soaked and forming to her every curve.

“You are delectable, aren’t you?” I growl, licking the edge of my teeth when my claw rips a button from her blouse. Her cleavage shows, tempting me to do more than stare. “You are beautiful. I never thought I’d find anything beautiful again besides death.”

Leaning closer, I inhale her, allowing the aroma naturally pouring from her into my body. Underneath the citrus warmth of her unconscious, something else lingers. It’s the same scent from the alley, and I remember it surprising me.

“You were so afraid, Lula, and yet while you searched for me in the night, you were aroused. By the smell of it,” I inhale again, “You still are. What am I supposed to do with you now? You’re out here, in the open, vulnerable, and for the taking.” I lean in closer, my tongue flattening against her cheek, then lick up to her forehead to gather the blood dripping from the cut on her temple.

The anglerfish’s mouth opens, my cock hardening from how good she tastes.

“You taste better than fear, Little Dream.” I haven’t been able to stomach anything except the singular drop of blood from Lula that I just stole.

My hunger has been slightly curbed, but I need more.

I need so. much. more.

“I’m so hungry for you, Lula. You’ve been haunting me for days, taking my attention away from the matter at hand, and that isn’t fair to me. You have interrupted my plans. I’m angry at you for that because I don’t understand why I seem to want you more than the destruction I want to cause,” I growl, wanting her to hear in her subconscious just how much she annoys me.

“You captivate me too.” My gaze falls to her breasts, the lace edges of her bra showing from where a button plucked free.

My mouth waters, wondering what she’s hiding under all those clothes. Her white blouse is sheer from how wet she is from the rain. I’m able to see the deep olive of her skin peeking through the damp material.

Temptation to strip her bare and see how much she can take has seeded itself in my mind.

“Hey, what’s going on over here?”

A deep snarl vibrates in my throat, the nightmare singing to enter the intruder’s head.

“I’ll be back, Lula.” I lick the wound on her head again, wanting more blood, humming in approval from how delightful she tastes. “Don’t even think about going anywhere,” I whisper into her ear. “Lula-lala-la-la-la.” I can’t help but sing, needing her to know how haunted she is going to be for the rest of her life.

A light bounces off the side of the car until it lands on me, the hulking form curling over a woman’s body.

Mate.

Mine.

Beloved.

The three words are thundering in my thoughts, shouting into the void of my heart.

“Holy shit. The Devil has come,” the stranger’s voice shakes, the light becoming erratic as it lands on me.

I look over my shoulder, smirking at the man who has no idea that he is about to die. If he hadn’t been a good person to stop and check on a sweet, innocent woman who was unconscious in the car, his death could have been prevented.

The rain is steady, the flashlight capturing how hard the drops are falling from the onyx clouds.

I stand to my natural height, towering over the small human who calls himself a man. He tilts his head all the way back, mouth open in shock, and the flashlight points up to my face.

He drops the flashlight, the hard plastic clattering to the ground. The bulb bursts, casting us in the night with the hiss of rain.

A dark chuckle escapes as I watch him tremble in fear. He surprises me, though. I expect him to remain frozen in place, like most do when they see me. He backs away, then steps to the side to round the front of his car.

“I won’t…say…a word,” he stammers, his teeth clattering together. “Your secret is safe with me.” He opens the driver’s side door and slips inside.