Page 6 of Prey

Shuffling had my eyes flickering.

“I saw you last night.”

My smile returned. “Yes, I just moved in down the street. I’m afraid my power is out and I don’t have any candles or a phone to call for help.”

The door cracked and green eyes studied me suspiciously. “Your power?” She opened it even more, glancing around the surrounding houses.

“Everyone’s seems to be working okay.”

I shrugged, turning to look behind me. “I’m not sure why mine is acting up. You see, I just moved to this country and I’m afraid I’m not really sure who to contact concerning certain things. I’m sort of…lost.”

When I faced her, she was finally looking toward me. My excuse was shit, but I got what I wanted—her attention. I locked stares with her and watched her shoulders soften almost instantly.

“Would you mind inviting me in? I could really use your help.”

“Invite you in?” Her words were slightly slurred, drawn out while she stayed trapped in my gaze.

My cock hardened and I stepped in closer. “Yes. I’d really like to come in. If you approve, of course.”

Tessa blinked heavily, shaking her head. My lips separated in surprise. I felt floored. Not many women could break through my powers. I didn’t like that she could. It made me feel weak. Something I knew I wasn’t.

“You said you needed candles, right? Hold on.” She threw me a smile, shutting the door in my face. More shock registered and my jaw tightened as anger surfaced. Seconds later, she reopened the door, holding two small candles and a phone in her palm. “There you go.”

“Bathroom?” I took what she held, waiting. If she denied me this, I was in trouble. I couldn’t keep coming over every night with a fucking excuse.

Tessa glanced behind her, toward the right, and turned back to me. “I don’t know.”

I turned up the charm, trying to drown out any warning she may have felt. “It won’t take long. I promise.”

“I don’t usually let strangers in my home.”

I cleared my throat, trying to get her to look back in my eyes, but she resisted. “Oh, but mon chaton, I’m no stranger. We met last night. Besides, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of each other. You have nothing to fear from me.”

Dark hair fell over her shoulder and I could see her nervousness. “You promise to make it quick?”

“Absolutely,” I reassured.

“Okay. Come in.” The smile she gave was so forced, it made mine grow as I looked down at the threshold and stepped through. There was no going back now. I’d forever have access into her home, no matter whether she wanted it or not. My instincts flared and a voice within taunted me to attack. To pin her down and fuck her right there on the floor while I sucked the very life from her body. Something unknown had me following the direction of her finger.

“Down that hallway. First door on the right.”

“Thank you.”

Light flooded the room as I flipped the switch and enclosed myself inside. The blue and white flowered shower curtain wasn’t what I had expected. I pulled it back, peeking inside. A bottle of shampoo rested on the edge and I picked it up, opening the cap to inhale the scent. The smell I associated with her rushed back. My fangs immediately came out and I bit at my bottom lip, ready to tear out of there to get to her. Instead, I placed the bottle back, walked over, and flushed the toilet.

As I washed my hands, I stared at my reflection. Dark hair was windblown and I raised my hand, fixing the piece that escaped and hung over my forehead. My brown eyes darkened for the smallest moment, only to go back to normal. I turned off the water, leaving me in silence except for the piano piece that still played in the background. My eyes closed and I could so easily hear her pacing. I took a few seconds, not caring about time or whether Hunter would come back. Tessa’s scent surrounded me and I tuned into the fast beats pulsing in her chest. With the piano, I could have listened forever. At the small sound of anxiety she made, my lids lifted and I walked out. Whether it was relief or fear I was faced with, I wasn’t sure.

“Good, you’re done.” Her feet shifted and she glanced toward the candles and phone on the coffee table. I studied the blue couch positioned by the wall next to it. It was old, but in fairly good shape. As I looked around even more, I noticed she seemed to like the color blue. Artwork hung on the walls…shades of the color in swirls with random lines shooting through them. My interest piqued even more as small wooden figures became visible on the shelf at the far corner. They weren’t beautiful. More…rugged and old. Who was this woman to collect such odd things? I couldn’t believe I even wanted to know. She was a human, nothing more.

“You sing?”

Tessa’s lips parted and a blush came to her cheeks. Innocent. Sweet. Blood. I stepped closer and she immediately took a step back. Wariness had her hand coming to her chest and I knew she was feeling me at my worst. I wanted her so fucking badly, I couldn’t control myself. I didn’t want to. I was tired of the questions and interest in what I knew was nothing but a fucking meal.

“I…” She took another step back. No, this wasn’t going to end well for her. Not like I teased when I refrained from attacking her to begin with.

Her mouth opened again, as if she were going to stay something. My head shook slowly and I tilted my face, forcing her to look back into my eyes while I closed the distance between us. Her body language said it all. I had her.

“So beautiful,” I whispered, trailing the backs of my fingers down her cheek toward her lips. “Would you like to show me your room, Tessa? I think I’d like to see it.”

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