Page 37 of Stalker's Toy

"Are you sure you don’t want me to actually clean?" I stammer, finally breaking eye contact.

I turn away, reaching for the duster I'd set aside earlier.

Henrik's hand catches my wrist, gentle but firm. "I’ve never been more damn sure of anything in my life."

I nod, setting the duster down.

He releases my wrist and returns to his painting.

I watch, mesmerized, as he brings the canvas to life.

Dark, twisting forms emerge from the chaos of color, reminding me of the nightmares that still plague me.

But there's a strange beauty to them too, a seductive pull I can't resist.

"Tell me about your art, Mia," Henrik says suddenly, startling me from my reverie.

I blink, caught off guard. "My art?"

He nods, not looking away from his work. "Your charcoal pieces. What inspires them?"

I hesitate, unsure how much to reveal. "I... I draw what I see in my dreams," I finally admit. "The shadows, the flames..."

Henrik's brush stills. He turns to me, his gaze intense. "Flames from your house fire?"

I look down, fingers tracing the silvery scars on my arm unconsciously. "Yes, from the fire," I whisper. "The one that took my parents' lives."

The silence that follows is heavy.

When I dare to look up, Henrik's eyes are fixed on my scars. “You said you lost people. I’m sorry that happened to you. People like us… we tend to thrive in the darkness, do we not?”

There's something in his expression I can't quite read—hunger? Fascination?

"May I?" he asks softly, reaching out.

I should say no.

He's my boss, nearly two decades older than me.

This is crossing a line.

But I find myself nodding, holdingout my arm.

Hell, we’ve already crossed a line before.

What does it matter now?

Henrik's fingers are cool against my skin as he traces the patterns of my scars.

His touch is feather-light, almost reverent.

"They’re so beautiful," he murmurs.

I shiver, but not from cold.

"Most people find them ugly," I say, my voice barely audible.

He looks up, meeting my eyes. "Most people are fools, blind to true beauty."

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