Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
WHAT IN THE MOZZARELLA?
She…
Did she…
No. She certainly didn’t slam the door in my face, right?
If she were mine, she’d be bent over that kitchen island right now, my handprint still stinging on her ass. But she didn’t welcome me in. The threshold held, and the thought of that barrier alone boils my blood.
Fuck.
What is it about this woman that drives me so absolutely insane?
A human woman no less…
It’s everything about her. The freckles splattered across her infuriating nose. The unruliness of her hair. Her scent—fresh flower blossoms drenched in decadent blood. It has me hard as a rock, like some schoolboy with his first fucking crush. A feeling I’d thought buried for centuries.
Hell, I was ready to kill that human roommate of hers last night simply for thinking he was good enough to be in her presence.
The way he stared at her with those lovesick puppy eyes, the lust practically dripping from him—it sent me into a rage. In front of Angelo’s slimy ass too. Now she’s on his radar.
Ever since that day she popped into the pizza shop looking like a drenched rat, things have begun to spiral out of control.
And I find myself oddly… welcoming it?
That’s it. I’ve lost my ever fangygoddamn mind.
I let out a growl, glaring at the closed door once more, before exiting her apartment building. The humid city air hits me like a slap in the face, doing nothing to settle the hunger she stirred up, raw and restless, beneath my ribs.
I glance back one last time, noticing a light flicker on in one of the bedrooms. She peers out the curtain, her eyes automatically drawn to me.
There’s a strange expression on her face—one I can’t quite place.
Fear?
No, not fear.
Not exactly. There’s a hint of it, maybe, but it’s shrouded by something else. Curiosity?
Don’t you know curiosity killed the cat, Daisy Love?
A split second later she closes the curtain and disappears from sight. And like a damned love-struck idiot, I already hate the distance between us. There’s a pull in my chest, like a stitch that wasn’t there this morning.
But that would be ridiculous wouldn’t it?
I can’t pine after a woman I’ve only recently met. With a heart that has long ceased to beat no less.
“Gah, little ridiculous dainty flowers with their ridiculous delicious scent,” I mutter to myself, running a hand through my hair as I begin my trek back to Fangerella’s.
I pull out the antique pocket watch I always carry, giving it a quick glance, then decide to take the back way, not wanting to deal with stares from the humans. It’s almost as if they can sense there’s a predator among them, but they can’t quite place their finger on it.
I can’t get my mind off her.
“Does she even care that I don’t fucking apologize to anyone? No, of course not, putting herself in danger with that weak human boyfriend.”
Damn it, I should’ve killed him when I had the chance.
And yet… I hesitated.
Because of some doe-eyed beauty and the absolute horror in her eyes when she saw what was about to happen. She cares about him and I—
I snarl, killing the thought. I do not care for humans. They are fragile, selfish things, useful only for blood or sex, and destined for the grave. I have sampled countless in my existence, and none have ever satisfied the cravings that gnaw at my empty carcass.
Except for Kallista, My little Daisy. Her scent has awakened something long dormant and the craving is not entirely to quench a thirst but also the hunger of seeing the little flower’s petals spread and wanting. Oh and how she would bloom for me…
I am a ridiculous fool.
Slipping into the alleyway, I let the shadows swallow the street. The familiar gloom is a relief.
Despite my brooding thoughts, I can't help but check my watch. Nearly nine.
A breeze blows through the alleyway and for a moment it’s as though I catch a whiff of her intoxicating scent despite the grit and grime of the city. It only serves to sharpen the hunger coiling in my gut.
Fuck. I can’t get her scent out of my fucking nostrils.
I pass a cat, curled into a ball next to a trash can. Kallista seems like the type who would immediately take the creature in and give it a home. And that human of hers would probably go along with it, playing the part of the doting partner. The thought sours in my stomach.
I feel no such compulsion.
Do I?
Leaning against the worn bricks, I close my eyes, trying to collect myself. I slide my fingers along the aged brick, feeling an odd comfort in its cold roughness. It’s a world away from the chaos the little Daisy has sparked within me.
I scoff, shaking my head at myself. I’m stronger than this.
When I open my eyes, my gaze lands on the cat again. It’s a tiny creature, barely more than a kitten. Its dark fur is matted and dirty, its eyes a brilliant shade of lavender that reminds me of Kallista’s.
That must be the damn reason I take a step forward, then another, until I’m right in front of the thing. It seems tense, ready to bolt at any sudden movement on my part.
I crouch down slowly, maintaining eye contact.
I reach out and gently touch the little black furball.
It flinches away initially but doesn’t run off.
Satisfied he’s not going to bolt, I bend down and pick up the creature.
I realize with a start that the tiny thing has a white patch of fur in the middle of its chest, shaped like a flower.
A daisy-shaped mark resembling the one adorning the current center of all my obsessions.
Well, fuck.
Not needing any more reasons to keep the annoyingly adorable thing, I start my walk again, the cat now cradled in my arms, somewhat content in its new location. My mind drifts back to Kallista, her shining eyes and unruly hair. The way she looks at me with this innocence that’s just...infuriating.
I glance down and mutter to the cat, who simply responds with a purr.
“Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not a savior.”