Chapter Six
I hated to leave Lula when she needed me most.
I had to leave. She isn’t ready to believe in me yet.
That’s okay.
She will one day very soon.
I already miss the scent of her fear and the taste of her cunt. I should have done more than feed her my blood. I should have bitten her, so she had no choice but to be bound to me. I’ve wasted too much time.
Lula needs to be mine.
Lula-la-lala-la-laaa.
I can’t help but sing her name, the nightmare inside me desperate for her terror, her lust. Oh, I know she’d have so much desire if her reaction to me was anything like early this morning.
“Please—” The taxidermist begs as my roots wrap around his body. “You can just take the beetles. You don’t need to kill me,” my victim stammers, wiggling his bone-thin body against the roots that are much more powerful than him.
“Need?” My eyes lock with his, the vampire awakening inside me to meddle in his mind.
“I want to kill you.” The longer he stares at me, the more he relaxes, his tense shoulder sagging as if he will be free.
“Stay still. Don’t beg. You won’t be able to scream.
Your cries for help will not be heard. Accept your fate. ”
“I accept,” he drowses, a slight smile appearing on his thin, wrinkled lips.
It’s clear this man doesn’t get outside much or eat. By the smell of him, he is dying anyway. I don’t know what from, but the scent is rancid. I’m doing him a favor so he won’t have to suffer anymore. If he wasn’t so hysterical about dying, he would have been able to see the gift I am giving him.
Snagging a box of flesh-eating beetles, the smoky apparatus of my nightmare slips between his lips and slides down his throat. His eyes turn black, filling to the point that it drips down his face. Such a beautiful sight.
I swipe the onyx drop and suck it into my mouth, the taste of Lula’s fear still strong, and my cock awakens.
Lula-lala-la-la-laaa.
“Yes, it’s her. We will go back to her tonight.” The nightshades bloom over my roots, poisoning the taxidermist with every breath he takes. “Show me what you fearrrr,” I drag the last word on a growl, needing his death almost as much as I need Lula’s cunt filled to the brim with my cock.
I chuckle when he begins to run away from the beetles chasing him in his imagination.
“Of course you’re afraid to die like this.
How painful would it be to be eaten alive?
” I bite my teeth together, the promise of violence causing saliva to pool in my mouth.
“Perhaps you can tell me. Scream. Scream, and I’ll let you live. ”
His physical body yips like a puppy, doing his best to follow my instructions, but inside his mind? He’s screaming as the beetles crawl over him in a massive, hungry wave.
“You said you would save me!” His arm punches through the beetles, stretching to reach for me in hopes I’ll save him from his impending death.
Bites on his arms begin to appear, showing that the nightmare is in full effect.
“I lied.”
His final screams are music to my ears, sending a shiver of arousal down my spine. The high from killing him only has me craving Lula more.
The bites begin to show bone across his entire body. Blood begins to drip onto the floor, and I curl my lip in disgust, wanting Lula’s over his.
Again.
“You’re lucky I can’t eat you, or I’d drain you dry before another drop got wasted on the floor.” The nightmare adds a harsh whisper to the end of my sentences, empowering me more with how much stronger that side of me becomes.
Fear doesn’t kill this man as he is being eaten alive. Pain doesn’t make him pass out. The blood loss is what kills him.
Taking a step back, I admire my work. The roots unwrap from around him, his bite-ridden body falling back into his chair.
“Thank you for the beetles.” I gather the beetles into the bag with the bones, wanting them to get an early start, then zip the duffle shut, hoping the bones will be clean by tonight.
Without a care in the world about his death, I flip the sign on the door to say ‘open’ since I made sure the entire business was shut down while I got what I wanted.
The next customer who walks into this shop will have the shock of their life. If only they would be like me, uncaring if the world lost another human.
With the bag of bones in one hand, I swing the door open, the bell jingling to signal my exit. I step outside in a light mist of rain, tilting my head back to enjoy a few seconds of peace before I start wreaking havoc.
Taking a right, I walk down the sidewalk, passing a few people carrying umbrellas to protect themselves from a little rain. Everyone who looks at me takes a step away to put more space between us. They don’t smell afraid of me, wary yes, but not the fear I love to entice.
That’s not normal.
I need to find out why.
I’m about to cross the street when I see a face that belongs to someone in Lula’s case files. She’s running out of Demi’s Diner with a satchel on her shoulder, a red beanie on, and she looks both ways before crossing the street.
Fireopal.
According to her file, she’s a hacker. She’s done a few stints in prison too, for hacking into government websites. Her record is long and dates all the way back to middle school when she was caught changing her grades in the computer system.
Fireopal was also accused of stealing three million dollars, but it couldn’t be traced. She covered her tracks, and the money was never found.
“Two in one day? How lucky am I?” Crossing the street to follow her, a car blares its horn and slams on its brakes, stopping inches away.
I slam my fists on the car, denting the hood. White smoke drifts from the engine, a clicking noise sounding from the vehicle before it shuts off. The driver lifts his hands, slamming them on the wheel, and even goes as far as to step out of the car.
“What the fuck is wrong with you? You’re going to pay for this to get fixed. I had the right of way.”
He hasn’t looked up yet from his car as he spews his anger. I step in his way, and he slams himself against my chest.
“The light was green! And you”—he tilts his head all the way back in order to see my face—“holy fuck.”
I bend down, hating that I am making myself smaller for someone who doesn’t matter.
I don’t say a word. I take a step closer, which causes him to take a step back, naturally.
“I’m going to go. It’s fine. The car is fine. No big deal. We’re both unharmed, right?” He opens the driver’s side door and slips in, pressing the button to lock the doors.
I’d kill him too if I weren’t in such a hurry to deal with Fireopal. She’s a threat to Lula, and the only threat Lula is allowed to have is me.
Pressing my hands against the side of the car, I push it out of my way, leaving the driver who tested me to live another day.
Using my vampire speed, I disappear, leaving him with more questions than before.
Fireopal is walking through the park with her headphones on, her hands shoved in her pockets.
The park is nice. Plenty of humans are around, so I can’t do anything drastic just yet without bringing attention to myself. I hate attention.
Kids are playing on the playground, screaming and laughing as they have fun. Parents are sitting to the side, watching their spawns so they are safe.
As the children play, I begin to wonder if being a father is something I’d want with Lula. I don’t know if I could share her. The thought alone has violence awakening inside me.
But then, if she did have my child, she’d be bound to me in every way possible, and even my nightmare loves the idea of that.
Yessssss.
But then I hear a little human scream when he sees me. His scream turns into a full, out-of-control sob that has me clutching the bag tighter.
That high-pitched cry is annoying. I don’t like it.
Flashing a fang at the annoying little boy, I continue to follow Fireopal, wondering what scheme she is up to next. I only want to focus on Lula, but I can’t do that if all these outside threats take her attention away from me.
Every aspect of her life belongs to me. Her body. Her mind. Her time. Even the breaths she takes belong to me. No one deserves Lula’s energy. The more distractions I take from her, the more of her I’ll be able to get.
The problem is that her world doesn’t revolve around me. There are people taking her attention, like Fireopal, when Lula’s attention needs to be on me.
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 are doing 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.