I enter the lobby and proceed to the exit door. Ryland shivers beside me as we step out of the building. The snow crunches under our feet as we walk down the street, looking for my next victim. When the breeze shifts, I pick up the most mouth-watering, intoxicating scent I have ever smelled. “Hmm, whatever that is, I want to take a bite out of it,” Ryland says, picking up the same scent.
I follow it before I hear an ear-piercing scream. Something twitches inside me, something I haven’t felt in a long time. Fear. Fear races through my cold veins as I hear the woman’s voice. Ryland, who is also feeling it, looks at me as we walk around the corner into an alleyway. The alleyway is dark, the ground is covered in snow. There are some dumpsters near the end, and I can see a man standing over a woman.
The woman thrashes violently as the man tries to pull her pants down. Her following scream makes my blood boil, but before I can even move, Ryland is ripping him to pieces with his bare hands. The woman moves and I can’t take my eyes off her, hypnotized by her.
As I step into the alleyway, her head whips in my direction and she whimpers before the sound of Ryland slamming the man on the ground makes her cower away. Ryland is bashing the man, his face now utterly unrecognizable as human, his blood seeping into the snow.
As the woman tries to pull her pants up, looking between Ryland and me, I can smell her fear. She thinks we are here to harm her. Ryland stops and stands upright, panting. He turns toward her, looks at her fear-stricken face, and reaches for her. The girl slaps his hands away, shuffling away from him.
Her entire body is shaking with fear, and her heart is beating rapidly, I am sure even she can hear it. The cold is biting at her skin, making her lips a little blue. She is in a waitress uniform, not appropriately dressed for this weather. The closer I get, the stronger the scent becomes. Her scent is the most addictive, mouth-watering smell I have gotten a whiff of. She makes my heart race faster.
All this time, I didn’t think I needed anyone besides my mates. Yet, I want her, need her with every cell in my body. My gums tingle as my fangs slip out, I want to taste her. Want to see if her skin is as soft as it looks.
She cowers back as I kneel before her, her hazel eyes filled with nothing but fear. I can tell she knows what we are. I extend my hand to her, but she slaps it away, her knees pulling to her chest as she cringes away from me.
“Please, I won’t tell. Just let me go. I saw nothing, I promise,” she stutters, with tears trekking down her pale face. Her voice is like music to my ears; I could have listened to her talk all day.
I sweep her light brown hair out of the way so I can see her face. She averts her gaze when it meets my onyx eyes. “Ours,” I gasp.
She shakes her head, and I feel Ryland touch my shoulder, making me look at him. “We are scaring her,” he murmurs, and for the first time, I can tell he doesn’t enjoy the scent of fear, at least not from her. The mate pull is intense.
Looking back at her, I get up and step back to give her some space. “Go,” I tell her, and she gets up, grabbing her handbag before running off.
We watch her run when I notice her wallet lying in the snow. As I examine it, I notice the material is worn and fraying. Pulling out her bus pass, I read it – Evelyn Harper.
I have never craved anyone as much as I do her, never desired another person more than I do her right now. She is ours, and yet we can’t have her. She is light while we are dark. We are monsters of the night to her, and I have to fight with myself to stop from chasing her down and claiming her.
“Thaddeus?” Ryland says, gripping my shoulder.
I turn my head to see him still staring at the end of the alley where she ran. “I want her,” I mutter.
“She is human,” he whispers, and I can feel his sadness bleed into me. Ryland wants her, too. No doubt Orion also will when he meets her.
“For now! She is ours. She will be ours,” I growl, looking at her frayed wallet.
“What if she doesn’t want us?” he asks, and my brows pinch together at his words.
“That’s not her choice to make. She belongs to us. She will come to realize that,” I tell him.
Evelyn
I just finished my shift; my sleaze-bag boss swiped my tips once again. At this point, I’m not sure if I should be as surprised as I feel anymore. Should I wait for anything better from that scummy man?
Walking through the cold streets, I shiver. Something is off. The streets are too quiet, suspiciously so, and a feeling of unease settles over me.
However, I ignore the feeling and keep walking. I don’t have time to waste second-guessing everything. As I walk, the cold snow sinks into my flats, making my toes go numb. I have worked at the same cafe for two years now. It doesn’t pay much, but given the state of the economy, I should be grateful I have a job. Work is scarce these days, and finding a job is hard when half the city is in ruins.
It never used to be like this. When I was a child, this city flourished.
In fact, most had never heard his name before, but everyone had heard the rumors of the Dark One. The man, or should I say monster, that destroyed the world. No one stood a chance against him. The human government tried for years, banding together, trying to rid the world of his evil.
He slaughtered not just towns, but countries; burning cities filled with families and people, to the ground, along with his two mates. Rumor has it he is trying to find something that he isn’t even sure exists.
Walking between two abandoned buildings, I can see the alleyway that leads to the trailer park. One more block, and I will be home. Well, I’m not sure if that rusty tin can is a home in other’s eyes. For me, it’s not much, but it is mine. And in fact, I am quite proud of what I have accomplished, never knowing a good home.