Page 23 of Dark Awakening

Damn him for playing on my own piqued curiosity! I want to rage at his arrogance but cannot find the words. Despite my better judgment, a part of me longs to unravel the enigma of this man just as he seeks to understand me.

My heart hammers in my chest as I struggle to find an answer.“Alright, let’s cut the crap here. I’m trying to figure out who you are,” I declare, my voice trembling but laced with defiance.

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” he teases, his breath hot against my skin as his hard body comes close to mine. “Or could it be that you’re secretly hoping for something more?”

He presses into me, his tall, muscular frame towering over me and forcing me back against the wall. I shrink, feeling small and powerless beneath him. I can't discern a single feature through the shadows obscuring his face.

The cold, hard bricks dig painfully into my back, making me shiver. But in stark contrast, I can feel the intense heat radiating off his body as he pins me in place with his presence.

"What are you, Dani?" he asks, his voice a low, hypnotic rumble. I shrink more under the force of his will, trembling.

Fear courses through me at his intimidating proximity. At the same time, I can't suppress a thrill as his firm body presses against mine, his hands on the wall above my head, his breath hot on my face.

I curse my body for responding while my mind screams warnings not to trust this stranger looming over me. I flatten myself further against the frigid bricks, trying to melt into them. But it's impossible to escape the electricity crackling between us.

"I don't know what you mean," I whisper shakily. My skin feels feverish everywhere; his heat collides with the chill at my back. Unbidden desire wars with my terror in this torturous limbo between ice and fire, shadow and light. All I know is I'm trapped, and a part of me never wants it to end.

“Your scent,” he whispers, his face mere inches from mine. “It’s different. Unique. There’s something about you that I can’t quite place.”

I frown, struggling to comprehend what he's saying. I am just an ordinary woman, a doctor who spends her days in a lab analyzing blood samples.

"For the last time, I don't have a clue what you're talking about," I snap, frustration overcoming my fear. "I'm just a normal human being and nothing more. So get over this fantasy you've cooked up that I'm something more."

I wrinkle my nose. "Actually, come to think of it, you may be sensing that I forgot to put on deodorant today. So if you're smelling something unusual, it's just me au naturel."

I give him an exaggerated stink-eye. "So sorry to be the human let-down when you apparently were expecting some enchanting fairy creature. But I'm just ordinary me, reeking up the place in my natural, pitiful mortal state." He stands there, unmoving and staring at me. I wish I could see his face.

I fix him with an irritated look and clear my throat. "So now that we've established I'm just an ordinary old human, do you want to explain what you think you're sensing in me, Mr. Tall, Dark and Creepy?"

I fidget with my fingers impatiently. "Because I don't have all night to stand out here fielding wild accusations of being 'something more.' Honestly, I have a date with Netflix that's far more appealing than this pointless conversation."

He chuckles, the sound rich and deep as it rumbles through me. "Ordinary?" He scoffs, a hint of frustration entering his tone.

"Nothing is ordinary about how your blood calls to me. It sings to me as no other's does," he continues intensely. "No mere mortal could ignite such an all-consuming thirst and hunger within me."

He presses closer to me, and I instinctively press back into the wall, my confidence faltering.

"From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were different," he insists, his voice mesmerizing. "Your blood, your scent— it sings to me. I am powerless to resist."

My eyes widen in shock, my breath freezing in my lungs. He's a goddamn vampire, and now he's talking about my blood calling to him?

Any nerve I had goes out the window, replaced with mind-numbing terror. This bloodsucker knows things about me—hell, maybe can even smell something in my blood—that I sure as shit don't.

I'm plastered against the wall, my heart jackhammering out of control. Because damn, shit just got real in the most petrifying way. This isn't some creepy fantasy—Dr. Fang over here looks ready to drain me dry.

"What the hell do you mean my blood 'sings' to you?" I choke out, barely able to form words. But I know one thing for sure. If I don't get away from this psycho fast, I'm royally screwed.

Maybe trying to sass a freakin' vampire wasn't my brightest move. Now, the only thought in my head is making a break for it before I end up this man's midnight snack.

“Please,” I whisper, my heart pounding wildly. “You’re scaring me. Just let me go.”

“Scared?” His tone softens momentarily, flicking something akin to regret through his body. But it is gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced once again with steely determination. “You should be. Tell me, Angel,” he continues, his voice laced with menace. “What are you hiding? What secrets lie beneath that innocent façade?”

“I’m not hiding anything,” I insist, my voice barely audible as I fight back the tears. “I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Perhaps not consciously,” he muses, his gaze never leaving mine. “But something tells me that there’s more to you than meets the eye, and I intend to find out what that is.”

"Are you trying to threaten me?" I ask, hearing my voice shake despite my efforts to hide my fear. I can feel helpless tears stinging at the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall.

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