Page 34 of Nightshades
The only way her world can rotate on its axis is if I’m the one spinning it. Her universe will become mine, and the only stars she sees will be the light I provide.
Fireopal stops in her tracks, looking left, then right. I bet the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Her instincts are telling her something bad is about to happen.
It’s me.
I’m that something bad.
I sit on a nearby bench, the iron rods bending from my weight, and open the bag to pretend I’m busy. The beetles aredoing an amazing job. They have already taken so much flesh off in such a short amount of time.
Lifting my head, Fireopal is on the move again. This time, she’s walking faster.
I zip the duffel bag, and a beetle manages to get in the way, the guts spewing everywhere. Uncaring, I sling the bag on my shoulder and continue on to satisfy my kill list.
My boots thud against the pavement. Fireopal must sense me again because she starts to walk even faster, clasping her bag to keep it still.
She’ll never be able to outrun me. Her time in this town and wasting my mate’s time has expired.
I pick up the pace, not calling on my vampire side just yet. I want to scare her first. I want to be able to smell the fear I instill inside her. I want to be able to hear the tremor of terror tremble her bones.
And I always get what I want—regardless of the methods used.
She looks over her shoulder, eyes widening when she spots me, and stops in her tracks.
I do the same, tilting my head as I wait for her to decide what to do.
I love playing with my meal. She’s so sweet to think there will be a tomorrow when there won’t even be a tonight.
There it is.
Fear.
The bitter-sweet aroma plays a symphony in my head, the chorus of untuned strings paired with the wrong tempo.
It’s the sound of chaos.
She swallows, taking a step back, then another, and another, doing her best to put as much space between us without me noticing. With every step she takes, I step forward, showing her that no matter what she does, there’s no escape.
Fireopal darts her eyes across the street to an old, rundown building.
Killlllll.The shadow within me hisses, spit filling my mouth in response to its hunger.
Every few seconds, a car passes by on the street, the hum of the tires cutting through the children’s laughter from the playground. The beetles in the bag skitter together, feasting on what’s left of Greta’s flesh.
“Listen, asshole. I don’t know what you want, but you have no idea who the fuck you’re messing with. I can take everything from you in the blink of an eye. I can target anyone you care about. I’ll take from you, from them, and then anyone they love too. Fuck with me, and so many lives connected to you will be ruined. Is that what you really want?” She smirks with so much confidence while not knowing that all the confidence in the world couldn’t save her from a killer like me.
I’m so curious as to how she isn’t running away from me. I know what I look like, and I don’t understand why everyone here doesn’t run away from me.
I don’t like that.
I need them to run away. I want to chase. My victims running for their lives. The taste of fear is so much sweeter then. I wonder if Lula would run and let me chase her. She seems to like being afraid, which is perfect for me. The nightmare that lives inside me always needs to feed, and with my mate by my side, I’ll be able to get my fill whenever I want.
“What the fuck do you want, freak?” she spits, digging into her satchel and pulling out a gun.
I chuckle, spreading my arms wide. “Go ahead, Fireopal. Let’s see what you can do before I catch you,” I threaten, hoping she pulls the trigger because nothing makes me harder than pain.
“Mommy, she has a gun.”
I turn to see a kid pointing his finger at Fireopal. He isn’t afraid. I can’t smell his fear until his mom screams. Her panic causes a domino effect. Children and parents everywhere begin to panic, sweeping their children in their arms to run as far away as possible. The massive crowd being afraid fills the air with so much fear, the worst part of me chitters in approval.