Page 19 of The Library

She doesn’t say a word, but I don’t need her to. I can see it in her eyes. She wants this. Wants me.

I lean in closer, the mask still hiding my face but letting my presence consume her. The anonymity only heightens the thrill for both of us. She’s mine tonight. And she knows it.

Ty’s still talking to Anna, but I barely hear a word. All I can focus on is the way Lilith’s lips part, her breathing quickening under my gaze. She’s flustered, and yet… I see it in her eyes. She likes the attention. She likes me watching her.

I step closer, so close I can smell the alcohol on her skin, mingling with the sweetness of her perfume. Her body goes still, and I lean in, my voice low and rough as I whisper, “You look… enticing.”

Her throat bobs as she swallows hard, her eyes wide as she meets my gaze. “I—it’s fake blood. One of the drinks…”

I smirk, my hand brushing lightly against her arm, feeling the heat of her skin beneath my fingertips. She gulps, her throat working hard, and I see the flush creep up her neck. I want to touch her, to see if her skin is as warm as it looks, but I restrain myself.

“I—” she starts, but the words seem to fail her, and she shifts nervously on her feet.

I lean in, lowering my voice to a dangerous whisper. “It suits you, Lilith. The blood, the danger. You wear it well.”

She trembles, whether from fear or something else, I’m not sure. But I can see it in her eyes, the same thing I’ve seen since that day in The Library. She’s drawn to me. Even if she doesn’t want to admit it to herself yet.

“I… I should get cleaned up,” she stammers, glancing down at the mess on her dress.

“Let me help you.” It isn’t a question. Before she can protest, I take her by the elbow, steering her toward the nearest hallway. The music fades behind us as I lead her toward the back of the house, away from the crowd, away from prying eyes. There’s a bathroom down the hall, small and dimly lit—the perfect setting for what I have in mind.

I see the effect I have on her. The way her pulse quickens, the way she shifts her weight, like she doesn’t know whether to step closer or run. But I’m not letting her go that easily. Not tonight.

As she turns to head toward the bathroom, I glance back at Ty. He’s still wrapped up in his conversation with Anna, clearly hitting it off. I don’t care. All my attention zeroes in on Lilith.Nothing else matters. The noise of the party, the people around us, it all fades into the background. She’s the only thing I can see, the only thing I want. Every movement she makes pulls me in deeper, every breath a deliberate temptation, as if she’s challenging me to keep my distance.

Because tonight, I’m not letting her out of my sight.

Lilith

He steps closer, his gaze lingering over me like he’s savoring every inch, and I can feel the air between us thicken. His presence is suffocating, yet intoxicating. The fake blood is still splattered across my chest, seeping into the fabric of my dress, making it cling to my skin, and all I can focus on is how his eyes darken with hunger beneath that mask.

The mask. It covers his entire face, white like a ghost, with blood splattered across it as if he’s just come from some macabre scene. His eyes, the only thing visible, gleam with a dark intensity that makes me want to drop to my knees. My pulse quickens, and my breaths grow shallow. I’ve never told anyone about this, not even him, but something about the mask stirs something deep inside me, igniting a desire so primal I can barely control it. The anonymity, the danger it suggests—it only adds to the thrill, the intoxicating pull he has over me. I shouldn’t like it this much, but I do.

He’s staring at me like I’m something he’s about to devour, and the intensity in his gaze sends a shiver straight to my core. It’s too much, the way his eyes roam over my body, as if the mask gives him permission to look at me in ways no one else would dare. My legs tremble, the heat between them building to an unbearable point. My body betrays me in ways I can’t control, every nerve on fire with a craving that’s both thrilling and terrifying.

My nipples harden under the thin fabric, the cool air brushing against them, only making me more aware of his eyes on me. I know he sees it—the way my body reacts to him, the way I’m practically offering myself up to him without a word. My breath comes in shallow, ragged gasps as I try to make sense of the pull he has on me, the way my body responds to him like I’ve never experienced before. It’s more than just attraction; it’s the need to submit, to give in completely to whatever dark, twisted game he wants to play.

I can’t stop staring at that mask. It shouldn’t affect me like this, but it does. There’s something dangerous about him in it—more dangerous than usual—that makes me want him even more. I’m barely holding on to my sanity, barely resisting the urge to give in to the tension crackling between us.

His voice is low, a dark rumble that vibrates through me as he steps even closer. “You like this, don’t you?” His hand brushes against my arm, a feather-light touch that leaves my skin burning in its wake. My breath hitches as his fingers drift lower, teasing the chain of my necklace. He lifts the upside-down cross between us, playing with it, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Interesting choice,” he murmurs, his thumb grazing the pendant as his eyes lock onto mine. The dark gleam in his gaze sends a shiver down my spine. “A little twisted, don’t you think?” He lets the necklace drop back against my chest, the cold metal resting between my breasts. The way he looks at me, the way his voice rumbles through me, makes it impossible to breathe. It’s as if the simple act of touching that symbol was a promise of everything dark and forbidden that’s yet to come.

His smirk deepens as he drops the necklace, letting the chain fall back against my chest. “But I like it. Suits you,” he says, his voice laced with something dark, something twisted. The way his fingers lingered on the necklace sends a wave of heat straightthrough me, and I can’t stop my mind from wandering. I’m thinking about the way those same fingers played with me in The Library, the way he made me come all over his hand, his touch precise and relentless. The way his thumb rubbed my clit just perfectly, while I was coming all over his fingers that were buried inside my pussy.

My breath hitches as the memory hits me, vivid and undeniable. The necklace feels cold against my heated skin, but all I can think about is how those fingers felt—slick with my arousal, teasing me, taking control. He has that same look in his eyes now, like he knows exactly what I’m thinking, like he’s remembering it too. The hunger in his gaze makes my pulse race, and I can feel myself trembling with the need for more.

I don’t answer, but I don’t need to. He already knows. He always knows.

“You look… enticing,” he murmurs, his voice low and gravelly, dripping with desire. His words send a shudder through me, and I can feel the wetness pooling between my thighs, my body aching for something I can’t even name.

I try to respond, but my throat is dry, my mind blank. All I can manage is a shaky stammer. “It’s, uh… fake blood. One of the drinks…”

He smirks, and it’s a dark, predatory grin that makes my pulse race even faster. His hand grazes against my arm, and I swear my skin ignites from the brief touch. His fingers linger there, trailing up, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. His breath is hot against my ear, sending a wave of heat crashing through me as he leans in closer.

“Doesn’t matter. It suits you,” he whispers, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear, and I feel like my legs might give out from the intensity of it all. Every part of me is on fire, every nerve tingling under his gaze, under his touch.

I can’t think. I can’t breathe. All I can feel is him—his presence overwhelming every other thought. The way he looks at me, like I belong to him already, like he’s about to claim me right here and now. It’s wrong, but the way my body reacts to him… it’s undeniable.

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