Chapter Four
THE CREATURE
I sn’t she just delectable?
Alina Lis, the savory arrangement spread out before me.
Her thick black hair was scattered across the silken sheets. From the looks of it, she could not keep from tossing and turning throughout the night. Maybe she could sense the presence of a certain predator stalking her cozy nest.
Clever girl, just not clever enough.
I just watched, promising myself that I would behave. Just this once. There was plenty of time for play. My hunger had only grown since I finished my last meal in preparation for her .
I was a gentleman. I liked to get to know my prey before I ate them. It was only polite. I worked so hard today, following her every move. I read up on her as well, conducting my own research on this fascinating new plaything of mine.
I deserved an up-close-and-personal reward, especially with the amount of walking this woman does.
At least I knew that her circulation would be phenomenal with how active she was.
I didn’t expect half of the things I discovered about my meal today.
Miss Lis moved quickly, and some of her errands were hard to understand.
There were so many peculiar rituals in her routine.
Though the apothecary was an interesting development.
I supposed she owned it, since she seemed to be the only one with the keys.
It had been so long since I had stalked anything worth the trouble.
To get so intimate with a life ready for the taking.
I would be disappointed if she made me work this hard only for her to taste bland.
Flavor aside, I nearly forgot how exhilarating it was to chase.
I would say the time was well spent. Memorizing her routine, her life, her scent .
It was like she was mine already. The poor thing was just painfully unaware.
The body atop the bed beckoned me forward, closer to the bed. A delicacy reserved only for me.
The elusive creature’s beauty was like a witch must have carved her out from an ancient forest, haunted by spirits of old and harboring centuries of secrets.
Not to mention her… unique coloring. It was like someone had spilled refined sugar across ground charcoal.
Accidental and one of a kind, too much of a shame to waste.
She rustled under the covers and turned away.
Could she feel how close I was?
Close enough to take a bite.
Carefully lifting the silken fabric of the bedding, I hoped to see what she hid under her typical morose attire. I was disappointed to see she’d kept her nightgown on, but maybe it was for the best. After all, this felt wrong .
A naked body was no mystery to me, but seeing hers would feel sinful.
One must not consume a delicacy with haste.
It would be mannerless. Her hair snaked in loose curls over her pale skin all the way past her hips, as if they were drawing a map for the places I wanted to touch.
Only the outline of her body was visible as the fabric wrapped around her.
Somehow it still felt like I was peeping under a nun’s habit.
I tilted my head to the side as I peeked, not wanting to disturb her by lifting the sheets too far from her body. If only she would roll toward me. I wanted to see more. She was purposefully shielding herself from my gaze. Fine, have it your way, but only for tonight.
Her scent teased my nose, making me take in a sharp breath.
I lowered to my knees beside the bed, my eyes fixated on the bewitching affair before me. My fingers brushed the hair away from the back of her neck.
I can’t help it. Who am I to rob myself of life’s simple pleasures?
Leaning closer, I buried my nose in her hair and wrapped a dark tendril around my palm.
As I took in a long breath, my senses danced in the presence of her.
She smelled like black cherries, bitter almonds, and liquor.
There were small notes of something else, something that made my throat tighten and burn.
Oh, I just knew she would simply unravel me.
The new innervations put my head in a spell, making sure the memory of her was etched properly into my mind.
After all, it was essential to know any prey like the back of your hand, to know them well enough to anticipate their every move.
I wouldn’t mind knowing this one in any way I could, in due time.
Within the flesh underneath all the motilities, there was something more challenging to place, though I had experienced something similar a few times prior.
Undiluted, potent, untouched. A drop of that sweetness could make anyone go wild with hunger and desire.
She was lucky I found her first, truly.
Anyone else would have torn her to shreds if they got close enough to know.
“Ah…so sweet,” I mumbled, my face buried into the crook of her neck.
I was right when I said she was rare. A blood type held by few, but like no other flavor this world could create. She was what we would call a Mellifluous Host—a rare delicacy.
I loved being right.
Her blood had a curious spice to it, adding some tasteful aromatic notes.
She was so enticing like that, her neck poised delicately before my jaws, waiting for me. I could snap it in half with a single bite.
I glanced up at her face. It was so soft, so peaceful. Like a sleeping fawn wrapped in the comfort of the night, confident that they were hidden from the terrors that lurked about in the darkness. She was helpless, innocent.
I ached for her physically .
My canines twitched, sore from anticipation, begging to disappear inside the tender flesh beneath me.
To scar that untouched skin would be the ultimate aphrodisiac.
The same feeling plagued me last night and made an unfortunate mess of my previous meal.
I knew she saw my handiwork in the paper that morning. I wanted her to know that it was me.
I shifted where I knelt in an attempt to get comfortable.
A low, excited clicking escaped my throat as I adjusted my hips, making my teeth chatter from the chill.
That look on her face when she saw the sketch in the paper made me shake with excitement.
I wondered if she would make that face again for me.
I could not help the chorusing that vibrated in my throat as I thought about it.
It was all so exhilarating. Why didn’t she ask about me? Not even a mention to the police.
How rude.
She was of the perceptive kind. I would have thought her first call would be to the station or the papers.
What are you up to? Why won’t you play?
It was quite frustrating to go through the trouble just for her to ignore my gesture.
I did not understand her reasoning. Maybe I just needed to be more obvious.
Typically, I wouldn’t bother with the extra effort, but she just set me on fire .
It was impossible to ignore her, but I could not imagine how she managed to ignore me .
“I look forward to us, little shadow,” I whispered against her ear, tucking a bit of hair behind it before I allowed her one last night of rest. One more night before our games began.