Page 88 of The Cruelty of Thorns

He took another step closer. “He’s an old friend of mine. I was just going to visit him.”

That didn’t sound right. “Julianus told me he didn’t have any friends.”

He shrugged. “What can I say? We haven’t seen each other in a long time.”

He reached out, stroking the back of his hand down my arm. “What’s your name?”

“M-Myra.”

He moved closer, inches away from me now. When I backed up a step, he followed. “Well, Myra, maybe we can go see him together. I just need to lock up my house.”

“Okay. I’ll wait here.”

“Oh no. It’s too dangerous out here for a woman alone. Haven’t you heard? There’s a killer on the loose.”

His hand closed around my arm and pulled me along as he walked back up the driveway. I tried to free myself and his grip tightened. “Come on, Myra, don’t be like that.”

He opened the door to the house and flung me inside, then entered and slammed the door behind him.

“Shall we get acquainted, hmm?”

The blood was pounding in my ears so loud I could barely hear him and I suddenly couldn’t get enough air in my lungs. He was the guy, I was sure of it. The killer. I had to get away from him. I had to find Julianus. I had to…

“Calm down, love. I haven’t even done anything. Yet.”

He advanced on me and I backed away from him, eying the door. Could I make it outside before he grabbed me? I could run to the next house. I could scream. Maybe someone would hear me.

“Go ahead, try it,” he dared as if he could read my mind. The grin he flashed was chilling. “On second thought, come here.” He snatched my arm and dragged me across the dark foyer toward the livingroom, reaching behind him to turn on a lamp. There was a vase on the table next to it filled with long stem roses, and something about that was significant, though I couldn’t remember why.

Whatever he saw when he looked at me turned his smile positively feral.

“Well isn’t that interesting. Now I see the attraction.”

I tried again to pull away from him, but he yanked me closer, his eyes widening, his nostrils flaring as he bent his head close and sniffed. “You smell good enough to eat. I’m sure he won’t mind if I take a taste.”

His hand closed around my neck and squeezed until I was gasping for breath and black spots began to float in front of my eyes.

“Sorry about this, love, but I’m starving.”

He released his grip and I managed to gulp down a breath of air before he attacked, sinking his teeth into my neck and ravaging my flesh. I screamed and tried to pull away, which only made him dig in deeper. That’s when I realized he was actually sucking on the wound, drinking my blood.

I felt myself getting dizzy, the light in the room growing dim. When I was sure he was going to drain me completely, he pulled away, his mouth covered with my blood. He licked his lips clean and grinned.

“Not that you don’t taste absolutely scrumptious, but we have the whole night ahead of us.”

He pushed me backwards onto the couch and began to stalk around me, talking to himself.

“I could fuck you and drain you, leaving you for him to find, but where’s the fun in that?”

I needed to get up, to get out of this house, but my body wouldn’t move.

He leaned over me, his eyes undressing me, making me feel completely exposed. “How bloody unlikely is this?” he murmured, shaking his head. “Maybe I should just take you to him so we can finish this together.”

Was he talking about Julianus? Was he going to take me to him? Did he really know him?

Why would Julianus know someone like him?

I thought back to what Ron had said. To what had happened to him. What had happened to Lisa. Her reaction when she saw that sketch of mine.

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