Page 28 of Midnight Whispers
I fight hard against my natural primal urge to rip his throat out. Not that I wanted to taste his blood, alcoholics tasted absolutely revolting. It was more so the desire to rid Lillia of him. I knew everything I needed to know about him by the way she winced at his touch for me to feel comfortable taking his life.
He stumbles into the alleyway between the bar and the vacant building to its side. His timing couldn't be more perfect. I stay hidden within the shadows, moving quickly through the empty street, the echoes of bottles rolling on the ground following a thud ring in the air. I stand above where he now lays in a pile of trash bags and discarded alcohol bottles. His eyes squint and then widen as he sees me emerge from the shadows.
“Who’re you?” He trips over his words.
“That doesn’t matter,” I say in a low growl.
I let my fangs reveal themselves, only to scare him. He tries to get to his feet but falls back to the ground. Stalking over him, I place my foot on his shaking hand. The one he gripped around Lillia’s wrist only a short time ago. My vision blurs in anger as I vividly recall the way she recoiled, the way she winced. I push down on his hand, feeling the bones snap like twigs beneath my boot.
His sobs quickly turned into a scream. I crouch down to his level, looking into his eyes. They’re lined with tears, an action Ilost the ability to do when I was turned. He opens his mouth to scream again, but I cover his cries with my hand.
“You’re not going to do that, Parker.” He whimpers. I can feel the fear radiating from him, the scent of it mixes with the whiskey escaping from his pores.
“Do you understand what you did that angered me?”
He frantically shakes his head; I remove my hand from his mouth.
“Well, you touched my girl without her consent. She winced at your touch. That’s not okay with me.”
“Yo…ur gi…rl?” he stutters, his teeth chattering.
“Yes.Mygirl.”
“I’m so…rry. It wo…nt hap…pen ag..ai..n.”
“Oh. I know it won’t, I’m making sure of that.” A devious smile plays on my lips. He tries to squirm away from me, but I grab onto the collar of his shirt, pulling him to his feet. My favorite cliffside is close, so we turn to go in that direction. He pleads the entire way there, begging for me to spare him, to forgive him. The entire time telling me how he’ll never go nearmy girlagain.
“Do you even know who I’m talking about?” I ask once we get to the cliff.
“Uhm.” He looks around frantically, trying to recall a name.
“Do you touchmanywomen without their consent, Parker?” I can taste the venom pooling on my tongue. His eyes grow wide.
This fucker.
“Emolyn Cove will be better without you in it, asshole.” I seethe, gripping onto the sides of his jaw. I lift him, dangling him over the edge of the cliffside.
He looks down and strains, his panic filled eyes go back and forth between the raging sea below and me. With onequick and fluid motion, I break his neck. His body goes limp and I drop him into the water below. Remaining there for a moment, I enjoy the sounds of the waves crashing against the cliffside. There’s a grain of disappointment in my chest that I didn’t make him suffer longer.
Some time passesbefore I leave, deciding to go and make sure Lillia gets home safely. It’s well after two and the party should be close to, if not, over. The town is mainly asleep, or at least in their homes. I’d imagine most of the party guests will be nursing a hangover tomorrow.
The lights are off inside and around her cottage, including the porch light. I move to the back door and lightly turn the door handle, which to my surprise isn’t locked. Quietly, I push the door open, just enough for me to slip through the narrow entry. The sounds of sleeping distantly fill the home, both from Lillia and her friend. I creep through the kitchen and living room, down the hallway and into Lillia’s room.
The first night I snuck in here, she laid in thin cotton pajamas covered by only a thin sheeted blanket. Tonight, she is in an old t-shirt, holding her pale colored comforter tightly to her chest. Beneath the thick material she looks so… delicate, fragile. I cross the room and close the space between us, running my fingers over a loose strand of hair before letting it fall gently to the side of her face. I know a monster like me will only ruin her, but I can’t help myself.
I stand at the edge of her bed and listen to the steady beat of her heart and the shallow breaths she takes as she sleeps. Anunfamiliar feeling tugs in my chest as I look her over, studying her as if I’ll never see her again.
Her scent is intoxicating and is quickly becoming my favorite smell. What I wouldn’t give to justtasteher. Venom quickly floods my tongue and flows into the back of my throat as I imagine her squirm beneath me, only she wouldn’t be feeling any pain.
Only pleasure.
When mixed with sex, feeding can be an experience filled with ecstasy for both the vampireandthe mortal. When I used to feed off my lovers, their orgasms reached new heights. If not for my skills, my venom surely helped. It flooded their veins and filled them with a pleasure they had yet to experience.
I never kept a lover for long, though. I’ve never wanted to be a maker and the only way to keep relationships in my world is by finding, or turning, your mate. It was always a challenge for me, to not kill them once the frenzy began. Once their blood touched my lips, I could hardly contain myself.
Lillia’s blood calls to me in a way I haven’t experienced.
Quietly, I cross her room and sit in the armchair in the corner of her room. She stirs slightly, adjusting herself beneath the blankets. My eyes scan her exposed flesh. The moon shines in through her window, reflecting off her porcelain skin. I clench my fist in hopes it would stifle the desire to touch her. Lillia tosses and turns like she’s beginning to wake up. Wanting to remain unseen, I sink deeper into the depths of the shadows.