TouchNode | Complete

28 | A Taste

Fear closes in faster than any predator. After all, it is one.

First and foremost, I’m going to admit it, this was a horrendous idea. I should have let Shawn stay as he suggested, but I just wanted to be alone. I needed to process what I saw today or what I thought I saw. I still wasn’t so sure. My stomach rolled in fear as I stared into the darkness of my bedroom.

He was out there... I saw him.

Hell... he could be in here with me. Just waiting for the right moment. Just waiting for me to drift off to sleep and let my guard down. As soon as I got comfortable, he’d strike.

“Get a grip, Devani.” I muttered to myself, clutching the thin silk sheet across my cleavage. My second bad idea: going to bed nude.

Selene had pointed out, more than once, that sleeping naked was a bad idea, especially since I live alone. Usually, her opinions fell to the side like water on a duck’s back, but tonight... tonight I wished I had listened.

No noise could be heard outside on the street, even with my bedroom window opened an inch to feel the cool breeze of the night. The soft wisps of air made my translucent white curtains dance under the moonlight. They brushed against the window sill in a pattened caress, it made my eyelids droop despite the danger.

A deep breath pulled through my nostrils and I let it out, slowly, trying to center myself. The calmness only lasted a brief moment before his face was flashing in my mind again, sending my pulse racing. His confidence made my heart falter. Even if I did tell my new friends, they’d never believe me. And if they did believe, how would I explain?

When I blazed out of my previous life, I vowed to never speak of it again. MPD had done a number on my psyche and my body. Demons that I didn’t even know existed were bubbling under my skin, scratching to be let out.

My nails trailed up and down my arms, grabbing at the moisturized skin. A shudder hit my spine, shaking me hard enough to chatter my teeth. I pulled my legs underneath my body, forcing myself to sit upright on the plush mattress and reach for the lamp on the side table.

Just as my fingers brushed the edge of the lampshade, something big moved in the darkness. Shouting sharply, I jumped out of the bed, knocking the lamp to the floor. It shattered, sprawling sharp shards of splintered glass across the carpet.

Laughing to myself, I bent down and traced my fingers across the floor, pushing all the tiny shards I could reach into a pile. I looked up and froze, staring at the entrance to my room. The figure was still standing there, just out of range of the moonlight, and it wasn't just in my head.

A whimper built at the back of my throat, but I forced it down and dragged my tongue across my lips and watched him as I climbed back on the bed. He tipped his head to the side and stepped closer. Immediately I forced my body flat to the headboard, clutching the sheet around my frame.

Only the harsh rhythm of my breath was heard in the apartment. He seemed... relaxed, waiting patiently for my mind to find a new avenue of escape. Dimly I thought of my cell phone, still pressed underneath my pillow.

With my eyes still firmly resting on his frame, I reached out to find it. Another step was made in my direction as my hand closed around the cool rectangular device. Again, I froze.

“Don’t even think about it.”

I was nearly hyperventilating before I heard his low voice. My heart raced and I struggled to find some way to respond. He chuckled then, low and smooth like I was a small child grabbing anxiously at a toy.

“You know, it was a smart move.” My eyebrow raised in confused, but I remained silent. “Changing names.” He confirmed, settling into the chair I kept near my bedroom door. “Wasn’t enough to stop me from finding you though.”