“Aaaahhhhhh…” Ariel screamed for her life; so paralyzed was she in her fear that she had forgotten she had a weapon in her hands.How could she be so foolish to venture so close to the enemy?"Hey, easy chick, I was just trying to help.” The scratchy baritone voice of the man cut her off. He sounded like he didn’t get enough water to drink, and the thought frightened her.Was he thinking of drinking her blood?Ariel slowly peeled her eyes open, and she looked at the scene in front of her, not sure she could make sense of it.The sun had long since gone to rest, and it was only the light from the moon and the security light nearby that lit their path.Her vision blurred for a second as she adjusted to the darkness, and when she could see, there was nothing particularly odd about the men in front of her, but she could not take chances.If there was anything she had learned from staying with werewolves, it was to always expect the unexpected.Ariel braced herself as she observed them, he
“Hello ladies,” Ariel put on a wide smile as she met the ladies, but now that she thought of it, she must have come up as a creep.“Hello, can we help you?” One of the ladies replied, although she barely spared Ariel a glance. She was on her phone, smiling brightly with no care for the world.“Yeah, I booked a room here the night before.” Ariel explained, hoping it would catch their attention, but none of them would pay any heed to her. “I am new in the area, and I was hoping you knew somewhere I could get an apartment, preferably an affordable one.”All the ladies' heads snapped up, and they stared at her with a similar icy gaze that gave her goosebumps before they returned their gaze to their phones.“Excuse me, I asked a question.” Ariel reminded them when seconds had passed and they didn’t answer her question.“Excuse me, can’t you read the sign outside? Huh? This is an inn, a place to stay, and if you don’t like it here, you can take your shit and go.”Ariel's mouth hung open at
Ariel took a look at what would be her ‘new home', and it took all in her not to bolt out of the door, screaming.“Oh.” She hoped the disappointment wasn’t so obvious in her voice as she looked at where she would be for the rest of her life.“Come in; don’t be a stranger.” The man motioned for her to enter.Geez Ariel!She hadn’t even bothered to learn his name, and she had followed him home. However, she placed her legs inside the apartment gingerly, not trying to make it obvious that she was repulsed at the very thought.She swept all eyes all over the room—the small, rectangular space with a lackluster atmosphere. The walls were painted a dull beige color and seemed to close in on her, triggering her claustrophobia.A worn-out, ash velvety sofa sat against one wall, its cushions sagging in the middle, and a tiny table with scratched surfaces stood in the middle. And that sums up the furniture in the room.“Do you like it?” His voice went up a little in excitement, reminding Ariel o
“I can’t fault you for your feelings; as long as you do not try to demand anything from me, I guess it is okay.” Ariel shrugged, and the man smiled.His mouth opened to say his reply, but the ringing from his phone interrupted them, and he glanced at the screen and grimaced. “I would have loved to continue this, but I will have to be on my way now. Let me know if you have any other issues that need solving, and I will send someone to you.”And he was out of the room, his loud voice echoing throughout the hallway.Ariel released a little sigh as he left the room. His cologne still filled the air, and a part of her brain had already flagged it as wrong.It was the wrong scent.Ariel looked around her living area, the room a visual pollution, but she was ignoring the various bags on the floor, hopping on any available space, and she made her way back to the bedroom, flipping on the bed.She clutched her stomach as she felt the first onset of hunger, reminding her that she hadn’t had a pr
Ariel whipped her head so fast that if she wasn’t careful, she would have had a whiplash, and she looked at her Savior.The alleged savior had on ray-bans even though they were inside a building, so she couldn’t see his eyes, and worst of all, he was putting on a mask, but his hair was well groomed; the black jet strands that felt on his face indicated that he at least took good care of it, and it pleased a certain part of her.“Thank you, but you don’t have to worry; I can take care of it.” Ariel made sure to smile brightly. It was only courtesy that she pretended she didn’t want the favor.“It is alright; I insist.” The man replied, and he faced the cashier. “Please add it to my bill.”Ariel couldn’t help the sigh that left her lips, grateful that he had insisted. Otherwise, she would have to return everything.She turned to the cashier, watching her bag her items with a wide smile on her face, and Ariel frowned. Once in a while, the woman would look at the stranger, blinking her ey
“I will scream,” Ariel threatened him, with the shopping bag already poised to launch at him. “I promise you, I will scream and...”Alex put his hands in his pocket and removed it with a key, and Ariel could only look, open-mouthed, as he opened the door adjacent to hers and entered inside.The door shut with a click, and her pupils continued to widen as she stared at the vacant space he had just once occupied, putting two and two together.There was no way he could access the house if he wasn’t a resident there or if he was visiting someone. But the boldness with which he had entered the house only told of someone who was a legal occupant, and that left only one option.He was her neighbor.A loud gasp left her lips at the realization, and she slapped her mouth with her palm. She had just accused her good samaritan of being a stalker.“Geez! Why can’t I shut up?” She had become too paranoid, afraid that everyone was out to get her, and it was coming to bite her in the ass.She had to
Ariel couldn’t postpone it any longer; she had tried to fight the itch, but it had gradually become an insatiable hunger until she couldn’t resist it anymore.With a sense of defeat, she picked up the portable device and waited with baited breath for the other person on the line to pick up, and for the first time, a warm smile grazed her lips as she heard the voice.“Maddie.”“Ariel, how are you doing?” The enthusiasm in Maddie’s voice was rather surprising, but right now, Ariel would take anything.She had missed them so much.“I am fine; I just wanted to hear from you. How is everyone, Liza, Denise, and Emily? I know we didn’t have a good relationship in the pack, but it has been nerve-racking to be away from home and... I am sorry; I don’t know what I am saying.” She had been too excited and had started rambling, but she didn’t know when she had broken down.Hearing Maddie’s voice had triggered something in her—the warmth of a home. Somehow, unconsciously, she had been developing b
“Kane!”The fucking bastard.It had to be his doing, because there was no way she was getting all this because she was ‘pretty'—not like she wasn't—but it was unusual.But that should explain it.The random favors that she encountered, like whoever she met, always seemed to meet one of her pressing needs.The anger was rekindled, bubbling over with a ferocity that threatened to consume anything and everything, and right now she wishes it would be directed at the man involved.Fuck!She should have known she could never escape him; she had been doubting him, but this was Kane; the man would always have his way.But not this time.“Aargh!” Ariel growled, her hands clenching into fists as she fantasized about wrapping her fingers around his throat, squeezing tight to release the pent-up fury that bubbled within her.You are being irrational; it may not be him. The only voice of reason filled her thoughts, and she inhaled a large gush of air, trying to calm down.She couldn’t jump to a co