chapter 1

"So...you think, offering me only sweet words from your precious tongue will be enough to earn your clothes back?" He asks as he begins to lick his lips hungrily.

I know he wants something more than a promise from my lips. I know exactly what he wants; he wants...me. Bargaining such a promise may not be a strong gesture too many, especially since the feeling of his cool fingers are tightly grasping the side of my hip, But, the second I had made the offer, I noticed his body had momentarily relaxed and his tightened grasp had become more gentle. His whole body seems more willing to comply with whatever I want from him. Knowing how much of an impact I have, even though it is quite a silly one, I am going to use it to my advantage. I need to escape any new visits from something much darker. Something that desires me too. Whatever this dark thing is, seems to be easily annoyed and ready to attack by any wrong move I make, even as simple as any negative comment I spit from my tongue. I know it wants to play a game more deadly than this tempting man in front of me but, I don't want to play, and I sure as hell don't plan on dying anytime soon.

Chills travel throughout my skin, causing the hair to raise in alarm on the back of my neck. I hear my inner voice warn," Stay strong, Katrina. Just remember to breathe. You have him exactly where you want him."

   I take a silent breath, in hopes to regather my nerve, I begin in a matter of fact tone, "Well, it seems to me, my precious tongue appears to bother you more than anything else since I have met you. So, therefore, I'm pretty sure this may be very worthwhile, for both of us." I hear a silent growl slip past his lips.

"It's here! Don't give in, Katrina!" My inner voice warns.

He glares towards my mouth, never looking away, as he guides his hand lower, trailing just enough to graze my bottom with tips of his fingers triggering a part of my body, the part that wants terribly to comply, but I know this was not the stranger I had met earlier. It was much darker. The dark voice says in a siren voice, "That's right my love, accept it. Accept what 's meant to be."  I hear his voice say in an angelic tone.

"I'm not afraid," I whisper weakly.

"Don't be. We belong together." He says as his hand squeezes my ass, causing my breath to hitch. "The quicker you accept us, the better it will be for everyone my love." A pair of razor-sharp teeth emerge inside his mouth. His inviting tongue grazes the tooth. "So, let's begin shall we?" He says with a grin upon his face. 

I look towards his teeth and back into his eyes. I want so badly to cry as I see his teeth protrude from his gums. "You're a...a...vampire," I say nervously.

"What is wrong, Katrina?" He asks slyly.

I close my eyes and take a breath. As I breathe in I take in every scent of what I thought could have been the perfect man I met at the restaurant. As I breathe out, I somehow manage to clear my mind of any thoughts I didn't wish for him to hear. It felt like I was able to put a temporary safety lock upon my own brain."Way to go!" My inner voice cheers.

As I open my eyes I see he is looking more fearful than cocky. I answer plainly, "Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Do we have a deal or not?" 

His eyes harden, obviously not ready to bargain so easily. He leans forward, placing his tempting lips close to my ear and whispers, "Hmmm. You are trying so hard to be strong. There is no need to be strong anymore, my love. I will be strong for both of us."

He places his lips close to mine, gently grazing them once, just enough to send shivers through my entire body. My insides begin to reel from emotions; lust, fear, sexual frustration, and most of off anger, anger because I was being played by a possessed vampire. I argue back, "You will NOT be doing anything for me! -And besides, I'm not trying to be strong you fool! I just don't like being told what to do!" 

I can feel his built legs tensing against mine. He bites his lip, obviously trying to hold back his frustration. Another drop of blood escapes from his mouth. He asks in between his teeth, "Is that so?"

I grit my teeth back towards him and answer firmly, "Yes!"

He gently guides his hand down the front of my stomach. With all my willpower, I don't look away from his mesmerizing eyes. He teases, "Hmmm...you're not trying to be strong, huh?" His fingers travel further towards the center of every part that should be forbidden from his touch. I can not seem to look away. His lustful black eyes want me terribly, and I am so close to giving in now, no matter how angry I felt. He continues to caress me slowly, up and down, around and around, making my breathing labored beneath his hardened stare. All of my senses were turning against my reasonable thinking. "N...no...I'm not." I stutter.

He caresses my clitoris as he watches me with lustful eyes. With his sweet beautiful voice, he asks, "Why are you lying to me, Katrina?"

I argue, "I...I'm not l...lying!"

He raises his eyebrow to me and said in a seductive voice, "Is that so?"

I argue weakly, "Yes! I mean no! I mean yes!Shit!

And just like that, the blank canvas inside my head is gone. "There you are. Try not to block me again. It's useless, love." He warns seductively inside my head. He softly kisses my lips, and stops using his fingers. He says in a matter of fact tone, "Hmmm...getting back inside your head was quite easy...maybe you should practice being good at something else."

I stomp my foot against his and argue, "You cocky son of a bitch! I am perfectly fine with being strong! I am perfectly fine with whatever I do! I don't have to try! And I sure as hell don't need your opinion about it!"

He is not fazed by the pain I inflict on hi foot, instead, he grabs both of my ass cheeks hard, pressing my body against his well-endowed erection. I take the last breath of strong will I have. He leans forward and kisses the nape of my neck and continuing to travel to my breast. He whispers in my ear, "You think I'm a cocky son of a bitch?"

I answer angrily, "Yes!"

He leans forward and begins to smell the scent of my exposed neck. "Mmmm. Maybe I'm cocky, or maybe I just confident that you are weak." He says sarcastically. 

I pull away and look into his eyes all the while still struggling to prove myself, "I AM strong! Damn you!"

He leans in once again until his lips graze my ear, "Then tell me something, Katrina. Why is it when I talk to you, you can barely speak?"

I unwillingly close my eyes answer weakly, "I'm not a people person...conversations are completely overrated."

He smiles as if my comment was humorous to his ears. He kisses further down my neck leaving trails down my collarbone. "Oh really?" He answers doubtfully. He kisses my collarbone gently suckling a spot marking his claim." Hmmm...then why is it, when I look at you, your face becomes bloody-red and you can not look away for more than half a second at a time?"

I answer, "I can't look away be...because I don't trust you, and if I look away I know you will hurt me."

"You don't trust me? He asked in a devilish voice.

"Of course not!" I answer back in a labored breath.

"Trust goes both ways, and to earn trust my dear Katrina...you have to begin by telling the truth." He says in a sarcastic tone.

I flipped my head back allowing him complete exposure to my tingling skin. I asked in a hoarse voice, "What truth?"

He stopped caressing and kissing me. I feel dizzy, lost, and weak...I need more. He says in a cold manner, "The truth is you're not strong. You have tried to fit in with society for years, but you​ haven't been successful. You have tried to stand strong alone, but you can't. On the inside you're weak. You will always be weak without me, Katrina." 

I lift my head up and stare at him angrily. I argue, "You don't know me! You know nothing about me!" 

"Katrina, I do know you." He says as his hand begins to travel once more.

"No, you don't!" I said while the tears began to flow. I try to push him away, I his words had stung. They hurt me on many levels. I didn't care if they were the truth or a lie, he had no right to say them. He begins to caress my back. I want to pull away, I have to make him to stop, but for some reason, I can not. Everything he is doing to my body is making my body feel frustrated and needing a release. 

"Hmmm...if it's not true, then why is your heart beating so hard? It sounds as if is ready to jump into the palm of my hand. - And your body is shaking terribly, I can feel the trembles beneath my feet."

My eyes begin to fill with tears, "I'm just cold."

He says sarcastically, "You're...cold?"

I answer nervously, "Yes...yes...freezing."

I am not sure why, but the moment the tears filled my eyes, his cold eyes softened. He almost looked as if he was worried or scared. I really didn't have time to analyze it, because before I could say another word, his lips came smashing down hard upon mine. I try to fight back. I push my hands against his solid built chest. The harder my hands attempted to push him away, the tighter he embraces me into his arms. His kiss became more passionate, more needing. He surprised me by pulling away. He rested his forehead against mine, giving me a chance to catch my breath.

He releases his hold upon me, looking up lost and confused. His eyes are dark-blue once again. He says remorsefully, "I am so sorry, Katrina! I didn't mean to hurt you!" He looks to me as I am a broken piece of glass, "Katrina...say something...that wasn't me!"

I look into his eyes. They want me, they only desire me, but he is fearful for he had been consumed by darkness. A single black tear slides past his cheek. I can not explain how or why but I give in and kiss him back with just as much passion as he had given me. He began to push me towards the bed. I blindly follow his lead. The back of my legs hit the mattress. He pushes me back onto the bed. I could feel myself panting hard. At that moment I wanted him, all of him.

All of a sudden he just stops. He stops kissing me and looks down to the ground."What was wrong with him? Did I do something wrong? " I ask fearfully within my own thoughts.

My inner voice yells, "You gave in you weak fool!"

A snarl came from the depths of his throat. His head lifted slowly up revealing to me only pitch-black eyes. The once caring man now is distant, monstrous, and most of all not in love with me like he was not moments before. I grab the sheet he had dropped and cover my trembling body. He growls once more. I beg fear, "Please! Don't hurt me!"

He grazes his lips purposely allowing a single drop of blood travel from his mouth to his chin. His tongue lathers up the drop not allowing a bit to escape. "Miiiiiinnnee." A dark voice hisses. 

As I watch in fear I back far away from him. "Please! Please! Don't hurt me!" I beg.

 He stops and steps backward. I notice his eyes have changed back to midnight-blue. His breath hitches as he looks me overlaying upon his mattress. I am wrapped in his wrinkled sheet and crying fearfully. He steps backward, looking as if he is scared beyond reason. He warns one single word, "Run!"