I woke before sunrise, feeling like absolute shit. Sleep had been fitful, and it seemed my body was finally sick with trying. Tina was still holding me in a loose embrace, and I shimmied out of her grasp to curl up next to her. I hugged my arms around myself, shallow breaths accompanying thoughts of last night. I… belonged to him now. I knew he was gonna play dirty, and true to form, he’d used Tina against me to win the bet. He’d exploited my friendship and compassion, the very things that made us human.

“Bastard,” I whispered, tears slowly falling from my eyes.

He’d fucked me in front of Tina, and had even managed to not only figuratively, but literally use her against me. My best friend holding me open to be ravished… I tried to gulp down the bile, but it was no use. Springing to my feet, I rushed to the bathroom and puked into the toilet, just barely keeping my hair out of the way. Groaning in the aftermath, I leaned against the wall, hands still clutching the toilet bowl. Sex had turned into a nightmare. I doubted this was what Tina had intended.

My ex had dumped me after years of me refusing to have sex. It had seemed daunting to me, and something precious to be shared with somebody I loved. And despite the years we’d spent together, I just couldn’t seem to detect any love from my then-boyfriend. But it was partly my fault as well. The eternal paradox: if he loved me, he’d wait; if I loved him, I’d give it to him. He was finally sick of it, and even when I offered to sleep with him out of desperation to get him to stay, he… wasn’t interested anymore. He’d just wanted it to be over.

I flushed the toilet and sat next to the commode, chin on my knees. Tina had consoled me for a long time, ultimately advising me to just get my first time out of the way. Once I got over how scary it was, felt how good it could feel, detached the physical act from the burden of emotions by having casual sex, I would be better equipped going into my next real relationship. That… was the theory, anyway. Instead, I was now sworn to a vampire.

“Why me…?” I lamented, before letting my eyes close.

Because if it weren’t me, it would be somebody else. I looked back into the bedroom at Tina, still completely oblivious to the doom she’d avoided. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t spend all morning moping; I had to clean up before she awoke.

On trembling legs, I stood and went about covering Christian’s tracks. I wiped Tina’s face clean. I packed my ripped clothes into my purse. I straightened out the sheets as best I could despite her still lying on them. And as the sun came out, and I realized that just as the night brought danger, so should the day give me strength, I made a vow to keep me strong. For all the women he’d harmed in the past, and all the women he’d harm in the future, I would find a way to end him.

Tina stirred, then stretched and rubbed her eyes. “Oh my God, what time is it? You’re up already?” she groaned. Just as Christian had said, she only woke up after sunrise. “It’s Saturday, let’s just sleep in.”

“We’re burning daylight,” I replied, trying to sound as chipper as I could. “Gotta get a head start to the day.” Never had those words held such gravity. I had to take all the time I could while he was gone to prepare, even mentally, for the next time I saw him.

Tina buried her head in her pillow. “You get a head start, I’ll catch up,” she said, voice almost muffled beyond comprehension. “And why are you naked?”

“Aren’t you naked too?” I retorted.

“Panties,” she mumbled simply with a weak wave of her hand. “Seriously, Annie, just come back to bed.”

“Can I borrow some of your clothes?”

“What happened to yours?” When I didn’t answer, she raised her head, one eye cracked open to peer at me. “Wait. Hottie McThottie was here. Did you guys…?” Unsure of how to answer her, I opted to simply pick my lip out of awkwardness, and that perked her right up. “Ooh! So have you worked something out?”

“We’re gonna see where it goes,” I said with a forced chuckle. “So, y’know, hands to yourself, alright?”

“Hey, who am I to ruin my bestie’s chances? He’s all yours.” She had the biggest grin on her face, even with her eyes still closed from sleep. Turning over to lie face up, she sighed in contentment. “He’s so fucking hot though. I can’t believe you didn’t tell me. And you’re right, he’s got that vampire drip down. Not gonna lie, he could probably pull off walking around dressed like that all the time. Ooh, but does he have any hot friends?”

The thought of more vampires to deal with almost froze me in place. However, he struck me as more of a loner. Based on what he said, it didn’t seem like he was making any new vampires himself either. But still, wouldn’t hurt verifying. “I’ll ask,” I promised.

“Heehee, love you, girl.” She waved her hand at her closet lazily. “Anyway, just pick out whatever. Oh, except my silver dress. Everything else, though…”

I nodded and went through her closet, grabbing something simple to wear. “I’m probably gonna go back home,” I announced faintly.

“What? Wait, already?” She pouted a bit. “I thought we were gonna have a few days of sleepovers. Is it… because of Christian?” A grin pulled her pout apart, her tone coy.

“Yes,” I answered gravely, quickly getting dressed and freshening up, making myself presentable.

“Oh. Wow,” she chuckled. I didn’t think she noticed my tone, only registering my words. “You sound serious about him.”

A humorless smile tugged at my lips. “You could say that.”

“Just don’t get into too much trouble, ya hear?” she giggled, and I kissed her forehead before scooping up my purse. “Text me?”

“Of course.”

She waved at me as I left, and I took a moment to reflect when I was at the threshold of her apartment. Careless and foolish. I should never have led him here. Making my way down to my car, I stopped in the parking lot and turned my face skyward, savoring the sunlight. This was a luxury that bastard wasn’t entitled to. It… was good to be alive. It didn’t matter that I was his slave. As long as I was still breathing, as long as my heart was still beating, there was a chance to resist, a chance for freedom.

Deciding it was too early to mope in my apartment, I drove home and walked to the nearby park. I meandered along the same path I took during the mornings on weekends, for when I was going for coffee and wanted a little air. Like usual, there was an old lady sitting on a bench and feeding pigeons, smiling while a flock strutted around her feet as they picked at birdseed.

“Morning, Gladys,” I said amicably, maneuvering around the birds and taking a seat on the other end of the bench.

“Oh, Anna! Good morning,” she replied, beaming at me. Though most of her hair was silver by now, she still had all her teeth. She was in her usual cardigan and long skirt, but the colorful shawl she had draped over her giant beaten handbag was different every time I saw her. “I must say, I can’t recall ever seeing you up and about this early! I hope nothing’s the matter.”

“Just enjoying the sunshine,” I said with the best smile I had.

“Exactly my thoughts as well,” she chuckled. “Though I suspect that these days, people your age prefer your evenings, having fun in bars and whatnot. It’s a wonder you kids ever see daylight!”

I laughed courteously, suppressing the chord her words struck in me. I imagined mornings would soon become my favorite time of day. We fell into a comfortable silence, watching the pigeons eat while she sprinkled out a little more birdseed every now and then. It was a quaint moment, a fragile moment.

In this quiet and crisp morning, Gladys sat with her birds and just did… nothing. Something could scare the pigeons away at the drop of a hat, and who knew how much time Gladys had left. Yet here they both were, just enjoying this moment. Regarding her for a while, I pulled out my sketchbook and began drawing the scene. She noticed me glancing up at her while I scribbled, no doubt aware of my intentions. Nonetheless, she smiled and turned back to our avian friends, letting me capture this snapshot in time.

When finally I stopped shading everything in, she turned back to me with a warm smile. “What have you got there, dear?” With a smile of my own, I handed her the book, and she put a hand to her chest. “Oh my!” she cried. “This is… You have some real talent, Anna. It’s beautiful. May I keep this?”

“How about this instead,” I suggested, taking the book back from her and snapping a photo of it. “Do I… have your phone number? I don’t think I do. Why don’t you give it to me, and I can text you the pic?”

At this, she stirred up into a fuss, digging through her handbag for her glasses before squinting at her phone. “Goodness, I’m no good with this. I’m sorry Anna, I can never remember where I go to…” She stared at her device in befuddlement, and I walked her through giving me her contact info before sending her the photo. “Oh, and there it is!” she said in delight. “How marvelous! Thank you, Anna.” She held her phone up, looking between it and the pigeons as if to compare my pen strokes. “Just beautiful.”

A bout of fatigue hit me all of a sudden. It was no surprise; between the stress of dealing with Christian, and my abysmal sleep quality last night, I was exhausted. I hadn’t even had any coffee. “Sorry, Gladys. I’m actually feeling kinda tired. Probably gonna head back to sleep,” I chuckled weakly.

“By all means, don’t let me keep you,” she said, giving me a kind smile. “This was lovely. So I’ll – I believe the phrase is – see you when I see you?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, that is the phrase. See you, Gladys.” I put my sketchbook away and trudged back home, barely making it through my door. Dragging my feet, I dropped my things on the floor on the way to bed before collapsing onto the mattress. So much for making the most of the day. But I could afford an hour or two, just to catch up on sleep.

—

“Wakey wakey, pet.”

My eyes snapped open as a chill shot down my spine. A gasp filled my lungs, energizing me enough to shoot away from the silky voice in my ear. The devil himself smirked at me, dashing as always, squatting beside my bed. I pressed up against the wall, as far away from him as I could get while I came to my senses. A glance out the window revealed that the burning colors of sunset were long gone.

“Does your whole world just revolve around me now?” I bit out, taking in a shaky breath.

He chuckled to himself. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m just here to play with my new toy.” He stood, slipping his hands into his pockets, once again in a three-piece suit sans jacket. Damn, he really does look good. Not the time, not the time at all. “Though that’s the second time you’ve flattered yourself. I’m starting to think I’m not the one with the ego problem,” he chuckled.

“Your ego is definitely superhuman, that’s for sure,” I muttered, and he tipped his head in an appreciative nod. “So what do you want?”

His smug grin was infuriating, but my focus was quickly redirected as he climbed onto the bed after me. He cupped my face, playing with my lips with his thumb while he fixed me with a hungry stare. “I want you,” he whispered, then leaned down and softly kissed me. A pained frown creased my brow as we gently made out. He knew how to be sweet, and he knew all the right things to say. If he was just nice, I would’ve given him everything. It didn’t have to be like this. It was like he reveled in my fear and disdain, reveled in how much of a monster he was. C’mon Anna, obviously it’s ‘cause this is the real him. Nobody would wanna keep the act up forever. The real him…

He grunted in surprise and pulled away, tenderly touching his bottom lip. He was actually bleeding a little from where I’d bitten him, and he looked at a speck of scarlet on his finger, then chuckled as if he were impressed. His wound immediately closed up, but he didn’t retaliate like I was expecting. Instead he stood and straightened his clothes, his voice rumbling with pleasure.

“Get dressed, pet. Something nice,” he instructed. “I understand getting ready takes time, and I’m a patient man. But if you intentionally drag things out, then you’ll just get fucked on an empty stomach. Your choice.”

With that, he exited my bedroom, actually closing the door behind him as if he were some kind of gentleman. Was his aim to constantly keep me emotionally off balance? It was a type of manipulation tactic, if I had to guess. As I collected myself, part of me wondered if perhaps being on an empty stomach when he ravaged me was a better idea. My stomach growled in disagreement, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten all day. If he was going to continually wear me down to the point where I slept through the whole day, I very well might end up becoming nocturnal myself.

I sighed and went about preparing for what I assumed was a fancy dinner date. It was so weird that he was wining and dining me, even at this point. Unless he was making me pretty myself up so he could whore me out to his vampire friends, I thought, my stomach dropping. Stop freaking out and just wait and see. Right, no point coming up with all these wild ideas to scare myself.

When I stepped out into my living room forty-five minutes later, he rose to inspect me. I had light makeup on, my lipstick a bright red to match my dress. My hair was slightly curled, enough to give it a bit of volume, and he fingered a lock of it, seemingly pleased with my choice.

“I approve of your choice of color,” he commented, an amused smirk adorning his face. “No killer heels, in case you need to escape me later, very clever.” He nodded down at my one-inch ankle strap heels, circling behind me to see the back, one hand casually cupping my ass as he passed. When he came back around to the front, he nodded again. “Not bad, pet. But skip the perfume next time. It stinks.” His lip curled a bit to match his words, then he took me by the waist, scooping up his jacket as he led me out.

The scent I was using was pretty popular right now, nothing too heavy or artificial. I’d already used it sparingly tonight, which could only mean… Despite my current circumstances, I couldn’t help but grow a smirk of my own.

“What has you so happy all of a sudden?” he wondered aloud as he led me to his car, a luxury sedan of the classy variety. Vampires didn’t dabble in sports cars, I supposed.

“That you like my natural scent,” I said teasingly. I saw a slight flex in his jaw and almost laughed.

“More narcissism, I see,” he growled.

“Says the cocky vampire,” I replied.

He opened the door for me to get in, and I had a split second of time alone before he zipped over to his side and was seated next to me. “I’m not cocky, I’m arrogant. Arrogance has the bite to back up the bark.” He flashed his fangs at me, then bounced a brow with a smirk, clearly pleased with his own quip. I rolled my eyes at him, but he had a point. I actually wondered how impatient I would get with other people if I had superhuman speed. That wasn’t even addressing all his other abilities. Fine, maybe he had the right to be arrogant.

And another thing… He never denied that he liked my scent.

He thankfully let us pass the drive in silence. I let my thoughts wander, guiding them away from what was to come and more toward trivial things. Like the fact that he was driving. Did he have a driver’s license? He couldn’t be photographed. But then again, he didn’t need a license if he could just compel the cops to let him go anytime he was pulled over.

But if he was superhuman, why even bother with a car at all? Well, he did seem to appreciate some measure of class. The poise, the attire, the choice of car, all more elegant and traditional. Carrying me to wherever we were going at the speed of sound would mess up my hair, and he wanted me impeccable. Despite being out of fashion and perhaps even outdated, it had a certain charm even beyond his flawless appearance. Having Tina going gaga over him was a clear indication that he still had deadly appeal.

To my relief, he pulled up to a restaurant instead of a sex dungeon – whatever those looked like – and helped me out of the car. We were downtown, which was equal parts fancy and sketchy, where the safest bet was to valet. Christian handed his keys off to one of the guys, his eyes glimmering as he murmured something to him. He held my fingertips and led me inside, where we naturally got a table immediately, one with more privacy. The place was definitely more upscale, the swanky candlelit type, and though the waiters moved to pull our chairs out for us, Christian did so for me himself.

“You’re being oddly gentlemanly,” I commented once we were seated and the waitress had gone through her menu spiel.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise that being mine has its perks,” he retorted, almost indignant at the thought that he was anything less than well-mannered. “I treat my pets well.”

“Your perks come with a high price,” I muttered, and he only shrugged. “So is this where you take all your other ‘pets’? How many other women are you tormenting?”

“At the moment, you have my undivided attention,” he admitted with a grin.

“What a privilege,” I sneered. Our waitress came back to take our orders, and I had to put on a civil front. “I’ll start with the salad, please. And then I’ll have the sole. Thank you.”

“The soup for me,” Christian instructed, “and the ribeye. Medium rare.”

“Would you like anything to drink?” the waitress asked. I hadn’t noticed until now, but she hadn’t even spared me a glance this whole time. In fact, her voice seemed more sultry than normal, both before and now as she spoke exclusively to Christian. He’d snared another one.

Ignoring her attention, he reviewed the menu. “A glass of red,” he said, tapping his finger on the wine list to indicate the vintage he wanted. “And a glass of white for the lady. That’ll be all.” He gave her a thin smile, his eyes flashing for a split second, enough to ensure she wouldn’t hover during our meal. She nodded obediently and left to put our order in, and he turned back to me. “You were saying, pet?”

“How old are you?” He’d referred to me as mortal a couple of times, and it seemed about time to find out.

“Older than this country,” he said almost proudly. Or condescendingly, it was hard to tell.

“Did the dementia make you forget the exact number, grandpa?”

“I do love that snark of yours,” he admitted with a grin. “When I was born, your grandfather wasn’t even a twinkle in your ancestors’ eyes. But yet, at times it does become hard to remember, though nowadays you mortals document everything so well. Busy little timekeepers, aren’t you, despite having so little of it.” He propped an elbow up on the arm of his chair. “Three hundred and fifty-five.”

Even knowing he was immortal, it was still a crazy number to think about. However, there was no way of knowing how old that actually was to a vampire. Couldn’t exactly take all the vampire novels as authorities on the topic. I regarded him carefully, this beautiful and suave bloodsucker. “How many people have you killed?” I asked quietly.

“What is this, an interview with a vampire?” He chuckled once. “Guess.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, as if I could size up his body count. He simply watched me, amused, the silly mortal playing her silly mortal games. “Twenty.” He didn’t react. “Fifty.” He chuckled again, smirking. “A hundred.”

He actually laughed while our appetizers were served, shaking his head in disappointment. “I suppose you’ll never know,” he sighed, sipping his soup. I likewise jabbed at my salad absentmindedly. “Any other questions, pet?”

Too many, but I didn’t know where to start. “You said you wouldn’t spare any blood for me, but you lied. In fact, you feed me a little after every time we…” I trailed off, frowning at my food, not wanting to think about it.

“Fuck?” he supplied bluntly, and I huffed in annoyance.

“I’m guessing it’s because you like virgins. Shoulda guessed.”

“They smell better. And taste better.”

“So is it about the purity, or the hymen? ‘Cause we’ve already had sex,” I pointed out, and he rolled his eyes.

“The purity, obviously. Didn’t think that would be in question.”

“And yet you won’t let go of me.”

His eyes flicked up to meet mine before breaking eye contact. Almost… Almost sheepishly. Had I just cornered him?

“You’re my prize for winning our bet,” he finally replied proudly.

Maybe not. But maybe so.

“So you gave me all that blood to save me from bleeding out–”

He held up a finger to interrupt me. “I gave you just enough to close your wounds. Told you already, the rest came from a blood bank. I’m keeping you alive as entertainment, but I’m sure as shit not giving back all the blood I’d just sucked. Are you even thinking this through?” He shook his head admonishingly.

“If you can get into the blood bank unnoticed, why are you still going after live victims?” I pressed.

With a growl of frustration, he combed his hair back before answering. “I must say, I thought you smarter than this, Anna. So let me ask you a question to illustrate.” He scooped up some soup and let it dribble out in demonstration. “Would you rather eat only frozen food for the rest of your life? No microwave, no cooking, maybe thawing to room temp at best. Or have a nice hot meal?” He continued working on his soup. My stomach grumbled again, insisting that I at least got this salad down.

“And I’m sure the fear is a nice bonus,” I muttered after finishing, and he shrugged again. I waited until the waitress took our plates away before continuing. “You like acting so superior–”

“Because I am superior.”

“–almost as if you’re insecure.”

We glared at each other for a long time before he scoffed. “What’s there to be insecure about? I’m not the one who dies in less than a century. I’m not the one who dies, period.” He paused while our waitress set our entrees down. “I can have people do my bidding on a whim. I can do and have anything I want. I’m basically a god. And you…” He began cutting into his steak as if to punctuate the statement, holding up a morsel of meat. “…are nothing but prey.”