Chapter Four
Kyrie
My head is pounding, and I groan as I roll over in my bed and reach for the lamp on my nightstand. I shiver when I realize that my blanket has fallen off. The sound of a deep moan and warm breath on my face startles me out of my heady daze, and I open my eyes.
I let out a petrified scream as I jerk out of his reach. A man is sitting on the edge of my bed, and as I scramble away in panic as he gets to his feet. For a moment I’m too stunned to do anything other than stare. He meets my eyes, and I gasp at the salacious look in his feral red eyes.
Chilled to the core and more afraid than I have ever been in my life, I break eye contact. As awareness jolts through my body and unclouds my sleep-addled mind, I notice my unfamiliar surroundings, and I scream again. Somehow, I manage to get to my feet. I flit past him as quickly as I can; bursting out of the bedroom into a hallway lit only by the flickering of candles and torches.
Where the hell am I?
Not pausing to see if he’s chasing after me, I’m already running; down the corridors, past many closed doors, and into what looks like a foyer. Hurrying down the stairs, I glance around, hoping and praying that the exit is nearby.
I expect to hear him chasing after me, but when I chance a look over my shoulder, he isn’t there. It’s probably foolish to think I will escape him, because it’s unlikely that running won’t save me from whatever fate has in store for me.
As I reach the heavy front door, I tug on the handle, groaning at the effort I’m exerting on it to try and get it to open so I can get the hell out of this place and away from the red-eyeddemon I’ve managed to dream up.
“It won’t open,” I hear from right behind me, and I whirl around to see him standing merely inches away from me, so close I can feel his breath on my face.
I close my eyes tightly, willing myself to wake up from this nightmare. They’ve never been this vivid before, and I’m not sure if this is better or worse than the hellish purgatory of nothingness I’ve experienced up until this point.
“Wake up, wake up…” I murmur to myself, pinching my eyes tightly closed as I try to ignore the warmth of his body near mine.
“This isn’t a dream,” he says calmly, and his quiet voice is smooth and deep.
My eyes snap open and I stare at him in disbelief, reluctant to accept that this isn’t an elaborate hallucination brought on by sleep deprivation and an overactive imagination.
“Open it!” I demand furiously, but he shakes his head. “You have no right to keep me here.”
“I have every right.” His tone is smug, and the surety in his voice makes me quiver.
“How dare you!”
“You are in my realm now, so I have every right to do what I wish with you,” he replies, his voice light and even.
“No,” I manage to whimper as helplessness settles within me along with the realization that there’s no way for me to wake up from this nightmare.
Taking a step toward me, he slowly inches closer until I’m cornered. He flashes a grin, and my entire body erupts in chills at the sight. “You’re not leaving, there is no way back. Even death won’t save you from me.”
I shake my head, not wanting to accept any of what he’s saying, even though, deep within me, I know he is telling the truth. I don’t understand what’s happening or even how I’ve got here.
Sinking to the floor at his feet and with my back against the cold, stone wall, I close my eyes, once again praying for this nightmare to be over. I hope with everything I have that I can wake up at home, safely in my bed. When I eventually reopen them, I’m faced with the disappointing reality in the form of a monster with soulless red eyes, and a swathe of dark, obsidian-colored hair framing his face.
I jolt back, shocked at how close he managed to get to me, but there’s nowhere for me to move to. He leans in closer… close enough that I can feel his warm breath on my cold cheeks. The heat from his body almost has me moving closer to him.
His face is mere inches away, and when his breath hits my skin again, I shiver. His lips twitch, and he cocks his head slightly to one side, seeming to be assessing me, but what he expects to see, I truly don’t know.
“What are you going to do to me?” I manage to speak through my now chattering teeth. The floor is cold, and the only warmth in this entire place is emanating from him. His wicked smirk makes my stomach flip… he looks… hungry. “Are you going to eat me?” I whisper, cowering down away from him as best I can.
“Mmmm, I might have to have another taste,” he replies, closing the distance between us and running his tongue down my cheek and along my jaw.
My heart jolts in my chest as the word ‘again’ makes it stop, and I stare at him in horror.
“So sweet, your fear is almost as delicious as you are,” he hums before pulling away.
I gasp out an uneven breath, and sink to the cold, stone floor, but my relief is short-lived. He grips my upper arm and hauls me to my feet.
Before I can open my mouth to protest, he picks me up, hoisting my small body over his broad shoulder and walks away with me, farther into his home. We turn down corridor after corridor, and my head is spinning as I frantically try to memorize our route. I don’t know where he’s taking me, but I refuse to go quietly. I shout, scream, kick, bite, and hit him in my attempt to get free, but all he does is laugh and hold me even tighter.