Chapter One

 

The chill of the night ran along my arms. Every time I drew in a breath the strong gusts stole the air from my lungs. The icy fingers of the night slithered up my skirt and caused my legs to tremble. The sounds of the passing cars and their horns filled my ears. A clacking subway train ran along the street next to me.

I pulled my coat closer to my body to ward off the striking wind. It sliced through the thin material of my clothes. The temperature had dropped while I had been in the office, and I wasn’t prepared for it. Home was only a block away. It was a four-bedroom house that I shared with two other roommates and the fourth was unoccupied at the moment. No matter how much I worked, I wasn’t able to make the rent on my own or buy a house with the rising housing costs in Boston the way they were. I got by with two other guys who were trying to "find" themselves.

MacIntyre, or DJ Mac, as he wanted everyone to call him, was off in California on a club tour, but he had left his rent. The other, Sandi, was an aspiring artist this week. Next month he would try rock climbing or some other pastime. We’d all been thrown together by friends of friends who told us about our original roommate Gulliver who had moved back to Jersey.

It was a fucked up world that I lived in. All of my previous relationships had gone to hell. The images of my deceased beaus flashed before my eyes and the horrible ways they had died.

Being the responsible one growing up, to find myself in such a disorganized living situation was a bit strange. Here I was, walking back to the room I called home, wondering if the sink would be full of Sandi’s dishes or if his pot-smoking friends would have enshrouded the house with a haze of hallucinogenic vapor.

When I passed the small package store on the corner that sold alcohol and lottery tickets, I heard a bottle drop in the alleyway. My heart throttled against my chest. Without stopping to see who or what was hiding, I quickened my pace toward home. Before I made a few steps, someone’s hands enclosed my waist and yanked me into the darkness. I was hurled into the brick wall of the package store. My attacker’s face was hidden in the shadow. But the muscular frame and the cut of his ragged clothes told me it was a man. Rancid breath blasted against my face. I curled my nose at it and glanced around for a way to escape. There was nowhere for me to go. His fingers came around my throat and squeezed. I clawed at the hand, but my assailant was too strong. He stepped closer, but a hood was down over his face.

“You’ll do just fine. Strong. You’ll do just fine.”

“Please don’t hurt me.” I hated the helplessness in my voice. All my muscles were locked in place, frozen in fear at what he would do to me. The worst rolled through my mind. Rape. Murder. Being chopped up and my body dumped into the Charles River.

“Don’t worry. It’ll only hurt for a minute. Then you’ll be one of us.” He wrenched my head to the side. A cry let loose from my lips. His fingers wound through my hair and he pulled out the scarf I wore. My mugger pressed his body against mine. He had no other weapon I could see, but I was trapped. His hot, stinking breath moistened my skin.

“Your kind has got to learn.” Another deep voice rumbled in the alley.

I opened my eyes and felt the man’s lips move away from my throat.

“My master doesn’t obey the laws. Humans are meat,” he snarled.

A guttural growl answered him. “Trenton knows better. His day will come. As yours has now.”

My attacker launched himself off me, pushing me into the wall so my head struck the brick exterior. The world grew a fuzzy around the edges. I tried to move, but my head spun. All I could do was listen to the two men fight next to me. Whoever had come into the alley heaved my attacker into the trashcans and was on top of him, holding him down. My savior raised his arm over his head. There was something large and pointed in his hand that he brought down. A sharp shriek pierced the night that chilled my bones. The scream died as a blast of wind hit me. Then silence.

The world started to return to normal. I was able to stand without the aid of the wall. I rubbed my throat, but my neck hurt from the tight grip. My hero approached. The light next to the alleyway flickered on and off so it was difficult to see. All I could make out was that he was dressed in dark jeans and a fitted t-shirt. His hair was disheveled with strands hanging over his ear. He didn’t seem out of breath, but there were dark spatters on his cheek I could only assume were blood.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I nodded. “I-I think so.”

“Did he stab you? Or bite you?”

“No.”

“May I check?” He reached for my neck, but I backed away.

“I’m fine. Thank you for your help.” I pulled out my phone, ready to call the cops.

“Don’t call the police.”

“Why not? I was attacked. Of course I’m going to report it.” I walked closer to the light to get a better look at my phone and to feel a little safer. He stepped in front of me.

“Please don’t.” His tone was firmer. I glanced back at him, and his eyes glowed in the light.

My head grew a little fuzzy, but I shook off the feeling and attributed it to hitting the brick wall. “Sorry. But you’re not the boss of me.” I dialed the police and waited for the operator to answer.

“I wish you hadn’t done that.”

“Why?”

The man rushed forward, plucked the phone from my fingers, and crushed it in his hand. What the hell? That isn’t normal. No person moved that fast unless I am really out of it.

“Hey, what did you do that for?” I stood transfixed. Fear trembled my spine as I watched him sprinkle the remains of my phone onto the pavement.

I backed away from the crazed man, hoped to make it to the front of the package store, and then inside so I could have the clerk call the police. I kept my gaze locked on him. Then he disappeared. A breeze brushed past me. Someone clutched my arms from behind. I jumped.

“I won’t hurt you, but you have to listen to me very carefully.”

“W-what are you going to do to me?”

A low chuckle echoed in the darkness. “Nothing. Just that if you tell anyone about what you’ve seen tonight, I’ll be forced to come back. Then you will know what I can do to you.”

“What is that?”

He pressed his lips to my throat. The wetness of his tongue trailed along my flesh. A warm tingle spread from the spot and all along my body. I shouldn’t have been reacting to him this way, but I couldn’t help it. I bit my lip to keep from moaning. Conflicting emotions assailed me. I walked a line between fear and the stirred passion that he had awakened in me.

“I’ll make what he was going to do to you seem like a holiday. I have ears and eyes everywhere in this city and beyond. So keep your mouth shut.” He nipped my throat once more and then released me. His words were imprinted into my mind. I spun around to see where he had gone to, but no one was there.

Sirens sounded in the distance, getting closer. I didn’t know if they were in response to my call, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. While I searched the darkness, I wondered if he was already watching me. Some part of me said to hide. The instinct blanketed me, and I ran home.

The rest of the night and the next day, I constantly peered over my shoulder to see if anyone was following me. However, on the streets of a big city like Boston, everyone was following me. That didn’t make me feel any better. A scarf round my throat hid the handprint bruise. I told no one what had happened, hardly believing it myself. Some kind of strange dark fantasy had played out before me. Every time I turned my head, I felt the bruise on my neck, and it reminded me that the dark fantasy had occurred.

When I returned home that night, I found a package waiting for me on the table where we laid the mail. No return address grazed the box. Inside was a newer version of my cell phone. I turned it on and found it was already preloaded with my numbers and contact info. It made me wonder if he had kept my SMS card from my old phone. There was no note. Shaking my head, I headed upstairs to get ready to take a bath when the phone rang. The number wasn’t one I recognized.

The high-pitched ring grated on my nerves. After the second ring, I answered. “Hello.”

“Do you approve of your new phone?” His smooth voice sounded over the receiver.

“How did you even get my phone number and address?” My knees went weak from the silky tone. Although the fear he instilled in me froze my bones.

“Now now. You didn’t answer my question. Do you like my gift?”

I peered through the blinds of the downstairs window, scrutinizing the shadows. The darkness didn’t reveal anyone, but that didn’t mean someone wasn’t watching from the small alleys between the houses. Anyone could be hiding inside them. His breaths came evenly on the other end of the phone. I tip-toed around the house looking into corners and closets to see if he might be lurking somewhere inside.

“I’m not spying on you, Madison.”

“Then how did you know to call me right when I turned the phone on? How did you get my number and my address or any of my phone information?”

“All in good time. I wanted to replace what I destroyed. I was a little hasty last night. I shouldn’t have threatened you. I was hoping that we could meet for drinks.”

I burst into giggles. Is this guy serious?

“Do you find the idea of that comical?”

Some of my fear melted away. “Well, yes honestly. No smart woman would go out on a date with a stalker.”

“I’m not stalking you. Look at this as a way for me to apologize for how I acted last night. I can explain to you that I’m not a bad guy.”

Why is this happening to me? Why do I always end up with the strange ones? I rolled my eyes and groaned. “Sorry. I appreciate the offer, but please don’t call me again.”

“For tonight, I will bid you goodbye.” A small note of remorse lingered in his voice when he hung up.

Whatever. It doesn’t matter. The only thing I needed to focus on was the pint of chocolate chip mint ice cream that called my name in the freezer. I half expected the phone to ring again, but it didn’t. I brought the ice cream back upstairs and spread out some work I had to look over.

At work the next day, a bouquet of flowers was delivered to my desk. Ooos and ahhs came from my coworkers as they ogled over the blue roses and irises. Both were my favorite flowers. A card lingered among the blooms. The message read;

You can’t get away from me that easily. I don’t give up.

He didn’t even sign his name. I rolled my eyes, crumpled the card, and then threw it away. My coworkers were mortified I did that, but he wasn’t a beau, and I hoped to never see him again. At the end of the day, I thought about throwing the flowers away but took them home with me instead. They couldn’t help that they were delivered by a jerk, and I wouldn’t make them the helpless victims. When I got home, I half expected him to be waiting for me. He wasn’t.

Relief filled me. I opened the door and slipped inside. I deposited my purse on the small table and kept the flowers so I could get some water for them in the kitchen. The day washed over me and weariness sunk into my bones. I closed the door and rested my head on the hard wood. Laughter drifted from the sparsely furnished living room. I took a deep breath and listened. One was my roommate, Sandi. There was another male that I didn’t recognize. I tried to sneak by them, but Sandi saw me.

“Madi, come on in here.”

I forced a smile and walked into the other room. Next to my roommate was another man. He had medium brown hair the color of creamy coffee that curled around his ears. Just long enough so I could run my fingers through the strands and feel their silky smoothness. His complexion was somewhat paler than normal. No blemishes marred his features. It was his dark gray eyes that held me dumbfounded. They reminded me of the color of storm clouds breaking after a tempest. His lips were full enough that I could see myself kissing them with ease. He had a round face with a slight cleft in his chin. Sandi’s guest was dressed in a black sweater and tailored charcoal pants. An air surrounded him that put him out of my roommate’s usual league of friends. Maybe he was his agent or some prospective buyer for the loads of paintings Sandi had stacked in his room and the fourth bedroom. The stranger stepped toward me, smiled, and stuck out his hand. I glanced at it and then back at Sandi, who grinned and rolled his eyes.

“Hello, Madison. Your roommate was nice enough to invite me inside your home.”

My eyes widened when I heard his voice. Smooth like silk that ran along my skin. I shivered listening to him and clutched the flowers closer to me hoping they could be my shield. That voice stirred my passion even if his presence wasn’t welcome.

“W-what are you doing here?” I asked. I turned to my roommate. “How could you let him in here?”

Sandi opened his mouth, and closed it again. His features tensed up as he thought about a reply.

“You mustn’t blame him. I told you I didn’t give up that easily. Did you enjoy the flowers? Blue roses are nearly impossible to find.”

I glanced down at the blooms and then tossed the bouquet at him. Once they left my hands, I scrambled up the stairs, slammed the door to my room, and locked it. I searched my pockets for my phone and remembered it was still in my purse downstairs. Shit.

The stairs creaked as someone came up them. The window beside my bed led to the fire escape, but I didn’t trust the rickety iron to hold my weight. It was barely bolted into the side of the house as it was. Still it would be better than facing him.

The thunder of my pulse echoed in my ears. I could feel the reverberation of it in my throat. I started toward the window and tried to lift. The window wouldn’t budge. I remembered it was painted shut. Great, now that I need to escape I can’t. Maybe I can break it. A knock sounded on the door. The breath caught in my throat.

“Please open the door,” his voice came from the other side.

“Go the fuck away!”

He laughed, a soft chuckle that wound down my spine and caressed my nerves. I shivered and gritted my teeth. There was another knock. This time it was softer. A cold draft snuck in through the cracks around the window.

“I won’t hurt you. Please let me talk to you so I can explain.” The plea in his voice allayed his persistent tone.

I took a few steps toward the door, drawn by his entreaty, and almost unlocked it, but stopped. A cold gust came again. I shivered and watched a white vapor seep through the crack. Before I could explore it further, my light flickered and then winked out. My room was dumped into total blackness. The stairs creaked again. Darkness wrapped around me, blanketing more than it normally did. It was thicker and slid along my skin like cool, smooth fingers. The iciness of the room centralized around me, behind me. I spun around. Nothing was there. A chuckle exploded next to my ear. I tried to turn again and see who was behind me, but those silken fingers became hooks that clutched my upper arms and held me against a firm body. I squirmed and wriggled in the grasp of the thing that held me.

“Sandi, help!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, but my plea sounded weak and muffled.

Darkness encapsulated me, and my stalker held me hostage. The floor dropped away from my feet. Brisk and biting air rushed by me. It pressed into my skin like nails. I tried to cry out again, but the darkness spilled into my throat and smothered me. The more I tried to draw in a breath the more I suffocated. And when I thought I was going to die, the darkness cleared. Air rushed back into my lungs. It tasted musty and stale on my tongue. Everything was quiet around me. The darkness left me blind until my eyes adjusted. I had no idea where I was, just that I something bizarre had occurred. Shaken to the core, I prayed I would live to see another day.