Page 16 of The Devil and His Goddess

He, of course, didn’t answer. Instead, he watched me until I finished the dance in a curtsy. My eyes were trained on the floor as I held the ending position, wrists posed in soft elegance, head dipped, and chest heaving.

When I finally looked up, he was right in front of me. I gasped and lost my balance, stumbling forward. He caught me by the waist as my hands grabbed his upper arms for purchase. I stared up into his masked face and worked to catch my breath and calm my racing heart.

His torso pressed against mine, and my toes wanted to curl in my shoes from how wonderful he felt. Hard in all the right places and well-defined muscles beneath my hold. The fingers gripping my waist were deliciously firm, and the darker side of myself—the one I kept under lock and key—wanted those hands to travel up my sides to grip my now aching breasts.

I knew fantasies about a scenario just like this one was weird, yet I couldn’t deny how badly I wanted it. This tall, bulking creature dressed in a black hoodie, cargo pants, and full face mask could’ve practically materialized right out of my filthiest, kinkiest fantasy.

Which, again, made me question if this was all a dream.

It had to be.

Because if thiswasreal, this man would be just that—aman—and he’d be gutting me in a horrible homicide, not watching me run through a ballet routine as if it was his favorite pastime.

“Who are you?” I asked softly. “Why are you here?”

One hand left my hip, and he reached up to gently rub his black-clawed thumb over my bottom lip. A burst of want ignited inside of me, and I inhaled sharply at the feel of his thumb caressing me. Instinctively, my tongue lightly licked the claw, and there was no missing the pleased hiss behind his mask or the way he stepped farther into me.

Suddenly, he took a step away and grabbed my hand. With a quick raising of his arm and a jerk, he spun me around. I gasped and was forced to complete the turn. But when I faced forward again, I wobbled through the suddenly empty space. As I regained my balance, I whipped my head around to search the room for him, but I found I was the only one here.

He was gone.

With the sensual haze clearing from my head, reality rushed back in. I ran for the door and gripped the handle with my shaking fingers. Taking a deep breath, I turned it. The door opened without argument.

I stood there and stared at the open doorway with a shocked and humorless laugh.

Heart leaping into my throat, I ran down the hall and for the stairs. I took them two at a time, and as I neared Aiysha’s door, the murmuring of her TV filtered into the hallway. I tried schooling my face and keeping the panic from my voice as I knocked on her closed door before opening it.

Aiysha leaned back against the pillows on her bed with her knees bent and a textbook laid over them, notes open beside her. She was the picture of calm and normalcy with the TV lightly playing in the background. What shewasn’twas someone who was fearful for her or her friend’s life.

Her warm brown eyes locked on mine as she smiled. “Hey. What’s up?”

I licked my suddenly dry lips, and I had to force my mouth to form coherent words. “D-Did you hear anything?”

Aiysha raised a single brow. “Like what?”

“I-I worried my music might’ve been too loud in the ballet studio or something.”

The confusion cleared from her face, and she waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, not at all. I couldn’t hear your music over my TV. You’re good, girl!”

I nodded numbly and closed her door. I stared at the empty hallway, lost for words or rational thought. I didn’t know what to make of what just happened. Aiysha hadn’t heard anything, but I’d beenscreamingfor her and banging on the door as hard as possible.

Was any of it real?

Washereal?

I wasn’t sure of anything anymore.

I returned to the dance studio, determined to find an explanation for the crazy experience. Had I passed out, and it was all a dream? Had my pent-up sexual needs conjured my ideal fantasy?

I couldn’t figure it out.

I grabbed my stuff to head to bed when I noticed a text from the unknown number. It had come through eleven minutes ago,whilethe creature had been in the room with me. He’d never pulled out a phone, and that fact only befuddled me more. Was the masked mannotthe same person as the mystery texter?

I can’t wait to see you.

The text certainly didn’t seem like one from him, considering he was with me at the time this came through. Not only could he see me; he waswithme. I quickly deleted the stupid message, groaning at the idea that I hadtwopotential stalkers. While the mystery texter came across as annoying, this new one was dangerous.

Dangerous because he wasn’t human.

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