Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
CHARLI
I forgot how good at this he was. His mouth is pure ecstasy. It’s like he woke something up inside of me, and I need more…but the urge is back. The hunger is taking over, and I can’t be around him when I feel like this.
I shoot up from the couch and grab my clothes, quickly redressing.
“I’m so sorry, Rafe. I shouldn’t have let it go that far. I’m so so sorry. I need to get going.” Rafe stops me in my tracks and puts his hands on my face.
“We went too fast, I’m the one that should be sorry. But, I’m not sorry that I made you moan, I’m not sorry that I wanted to make you feel good. I’m not sorry that I needed this, needed you. But if you feel you need to go, I won’t stop you. Just know that either way, I’m not done with you,” he says so smoothly that it causes goosebumps to rise on my skin.
I leave his place with the taste of him still on my lips, the heat of his skin still burning into mine. But the warmth isn’t enough to quell the storm inside me. The anger, the hunger. The gnawing need that’s been building for so long. I should’ve stayed. I should’ve let him hold me, let him make me forget. But I couldn’t.
I slip into the cool night air, the sounds of the city washing over me. The night is alive, pulsing, the streets vibrant with energy. It should feel like freedom, but instead, it feels like suffocation.
I want to scream, but I don’t. I want to punch something, anything, until I can’t feel my fists anymore. But I don’t.
Because I know what I really want. I don’t just want to hurt—I want to kill.
The craving is insatiable, like a deep well inside me that only fills when I’m feeding it.
I hate myself for it. But I can’t stop.
I walk through the streets, the low hum of the city filling my ears, and I feel the familiar shift inside me. I’m not Charli anymore. Not the girl who had laughed and kissed and whispered sweet things to the man I still love just an hour ago. No. I’m something darker now. Something primal. Something dangerous.
I know where I need to go. The club isn’t far. It’s the kind of place where people forget who they are. Where they let go of their inhibitions. Where I can find the release I need.
I push open the door to the club, the bass from the speakers vibrating through the floor, the air thick with sweat and perfume. The lights flash in strobe patterns, catching the faces of people lost in their own worlds. No one notices me. No one looks twice. And I like it that way.
I move through the crowd, my eyes scanning. The thrill of the hunt is already pulsing in my veins. I’m not here for a drink, not here to dance. I’m here for something more.
I spot him in the corner. A man, tall, broad-shouldered, with a rough, cocky grin that tells me everything I need to know. He’s confident. He’s used to getting what he wants. And he’s exactly what I need.
I make my way over, feeling my heart pound in my chest, the adrenaline starting to buzz. His eyes flicker over me when I approach, recognition and interest flashing across his face. He’s the type of man who thinks he’s entitled to everything, who thinks he can take whatever he wants without consequence. He doesn’t know it, but he’s already mine for the night.
“Hey there,” I say, my voice low, seductive. It comes out smoother than expected. I’m not even faking it anymore. The hunger inside me is taking over.
He looks me up and down with that predatory grin, his eyes lingering a little too long. I feel a spark of anger flare up inside me, but I swallow it down. I have to stay in control.
“Hey,” he responds, leaning in a little. “You come here often?”
I smile, slow and deliberate, and lean a little closer. “Not usually. But tonight, I’m looking for something… different.”
His grin widens, and he steps closer, as if I’ve already said everything he needs to hear. He starts talking about himself—his job, his friends, how he’s always out here picking up girls. I let him talk. Let him think he’s in control.
But it’s me who’s driving this. It’s me who’s pulling the strings.