Page 3 of Between Dusk and Dawn

"Are you going to walk into the room or continue standing in the shadows like a stalker?"

Her voice wasn't some sweet melody; it was raspy. There was some devilish charm about it. Her question struck me as blunt and honest, which was refreshing. It wasn’t something I often experienced. I paused, getting a prime view of her rocking those tight black leggings, a matching sports bra, and the most dainty toes I'd ever laid eyes on. Never figured myself as having a foot fetish, but I wanted to suck her toes right after I licked her cun?—

"Cagen’s boyfriend?" she asked, whipping around to face me, and I was close to coming in my fucking pants like a horny teenager.

She had a small nose, thick lips, and bright-green eyes I could get lost in. I trailed down to her curvy tits, then her exaggerated hips meant for grabbing…

Something struck me as odd, though, when my eyes landed on her hands. Scars marred her fingers up the backside of her arms before stopping at her elbows.

"Eyes up here, buddy. Wouldn’t wanna tell the roomie that her boyfriend’s already starting to eye-fuck me," she said with a smirk.

Her eyes sparkled with a defiance that contradicted the supposed fear of the situation. Instead of adopting the usual protective stance people tended to when they found a stranger in their apartment, she didn't bother crossing her arms over her chest or unleashing a terrified scream. No, this girl took a bold step forward, inching closer to me. At that moment, it clicked—this one was different.

In general, people either wanted to be me or ran away from me. My presence in and of itself was powerful and commanding. I had carefully curated it for the world to see. Women and men fell to their knees for me, giving themselves up freely. No person in my entire life had ever approached me with ease, aside from my sister.

"You don't want to come too close," I said.

"Why not?" she asked, taking another full step toward me. As her defiance met my certainty, I couldn't help but relish the impending collision.

"You’re still staring," she said as she shook her hair behind her.

"I can stare all I want, love." The words flew out without thought, which was so unlike me and the carefully calculated life I lived.

The corners of her lips twisted into a smile, alluding to a more jovial tone. "You couldn’t have a taste even if you wanted one."

I refused to smile back, as I used the same jokes to cover up the fact there was something very dark that lived inside of me.

After crossing the room in three large steps, I grabbed her neck and brought her sweet, delicate face up toward mine. Her eyes didn't grow in surprise. My littlemusewas filled with the same icy veins which flowed through my body. The one who would bring me life—no, bring me back to life. The Persephone to my Hades.

"You’d like that," I spat out, but there was nothing but apathy on her face. "Nothing to say now?"

"Fuck. You." She didn’t dare move as my hands tightened against her neck.

I leaned forward, my mouth hovering inches from hers. Slowly, deliberately, I parted my lips, letting my tongue slip out to glide along her lush bottom lip. A delicate layer of salt on her lips from the sweat heightened the experience, reminding me to savor the moment. As I tightened my grip on her neck, I sought a reaction—a gasp, a struggle for breath, a sign I was stealing the very air she needed. She didn't yield, not even when the pressure intensified to where I knew my fingers would leave a mark. Each moment fueled my appetite for control, reveling in that power.

"I don’t need your permission to taste something that will be mine one day," I growled before letting her go, and she flew back a few feet before steadying herself.

She straightened as her eyes locked with mine, staring through me. Not a tick of emotion. I’d crafted a world where people dropped to their knees and begged me for mercy, and I’d need a strong woman to keep up with me.

I had found her.

"You’re fucking sick," she said, straightening her hair.

"And you like it," I quipped. "Now that we’ve established you like sickos, tell me something truthful."

She narrowed her eyes at me, as if thinking on what she was going to say next. Her hips swayed as she walked away from me.

"Horses are my favorite animal. I’ve kinda always wished I had one," she said, shrugging as she bumped into my shoulder while heading toward her room.

"What?" I grabbed her wrist, stopping her from going in.

"You asked for a truth, so I gave you one." She shook me off like a pesky fly.

That devilish little?—

"Hey, baby."

Cagen.

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