Locking the door behind her, she leaned her head against it and took a deep breath. She kicked off her only pair of heels, cursing them and their lack of luck, and made her way to the kitchen. Red wine sloshed in the glass as she filled it to the top, and she took a long gulp. A hot bubble bath and a good book would fix this night, and it was what she probably should have done in the first place rather than entertaining the idea of another date. The chicken parmesan she'd ordered had been delicious, even when he asked if she was going to eat all of it. She did, not only out of hunger but out of spite, and she couldn't help but laugh at the disgusted look on his face as she cleared her plate. He barely said a word to her as they split the bill and went their separate ways.
Another one bites the dust.
She ran the water in her garden tub and lit candles. The full moon was shining bright through the window, and as she grabbed her current read, she thought she hadn't ever experienced anything more romantic than this scene she had created for herself.
She lost herself in a fantasy world, allowing the hot water and red wine to loosen her tense muscles. She was totally relaxed by the time she emerged, and the unfortunate time wasted earlier was already a distant memory.
She cracked her bedroom window, and the autumn breeze gently blew through, billowing her curtains in a way that made her smile. It was moments like this that were so much better than the constant disappointment in the search for love.
She switched on her lamp and stretched out in her queen size bed, allowing the characters in her book to lull her to sleep. The night wasn't so bad after all.
Pulling her comforter tighter around her shoulders, she curled up in a ball in an unconscious attempt to find warmth. She'd left the window open. Rising groggily from her bed, she winced as her bare feet hit the wood floor. The moonlight lit her way, and something in the back of her mind itched, telling her that things were not at all the way she'd left them when she dozed off earlier. The breeze coming through the window wasn't romantic anymore but had a whipping, icy quality that hinted of a coming storm. She pushed the window shut, and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering.
It was dark, and reaching for her bedside lamp, she realized she couldn't remember turning it off. Clicking it back on, she remained enveloped in the freezing cold night. She tried other light switches around the room, but the power had gone out. Thunder boomed, as if on cue, and the knocking of heavy rain drops began sounding off against the window pane.
She turned to make her way to the kitchen and her drawer of flashlights and lighters, but the room darkened as if the moon had lost its light as well. She froze as her eyes attempted to adjust, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop even more. Her fingers and toes were becoming numb, but she couldn't bring herself to take another step forward. Something held her in place, as if she were paralyzed, and the pitch black shadows that lurked on the edges of her vision grew.
A sheet of ice moved silently against her back, long fingers pulling her hair back and around over one shoulder. Her breath hitched, her heart raced, and she thought that surely she must be in the middle of a nightmare.
He loomed over her, blocking any and all light or warmth, bringing only an essence of eternal dark.
"How did you get in here?," she managed to whisper.
"You shouldn't leave the window open at night, my love," he said softly into her ear, his deep voice pulling at her to lean back into him.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the one you've been looking for." A fingernail traced the line of her neck, awakening her nerves so that she could finally break the paralytic spell and turn to face the intruder.
She looked up into his face full of shadow, and he smiled, white teeth gleaming against all odds. Her mouth went dry and words caught in her throat.
"I've been watching you," he said. "You've been alone a long time. But you don't have to be anymore."
Her eyes narrowed, and she cocked her head, appalled at the thought of someone stalking her.
"Love has not been kind to you."
"I have all I need without it," she said, defiance and anger overcoming fear.
He chuckled and cupped her face, tracing her jawline. "I know. That is why I chose you."
"For what?"
He leaned in, his cold breath tickling her neck. "Love bites, my dear. But so do I."
His teeth grazed her skin, and she closed her eyes at the sensation.
He paused, waiting for her.
Every nerve in her body was alive. Fear, excitement, arousal, and anger coursed through her, leaving her with only one choice. She instinctively tilted her head, displaying the length of her neck in a sign of permission.
He smiled.
"And so will you."