Serpentine Desires

The prey

A week had passed since I stumbled out of his bathroom, breathless and shaken. My head was a mess, my body barely holding itself together. I could hardly recall the next half hour-only that Judas had dismissed me without a glance, his presence colder than ever.

Kyle drove me back to the dorm in suffocating silence. As soon as we arrived, I bolted to my room, collapsing onto my bed in damp jeans and a flimsy sweater, too drained to care. That's when I realized-I'd left my sweater at his place.

Guilt twisted in my gut. I had doubted his blindness. As if his strength somehow erased his vulnerability. But no one wanted to feel helpless, especially not a man like him.

I stared at the ceiling, willing my thoughts away from him. But they refused to listen.

His hunter's eyes. The way they speared through me-like he was looking and yet wasn't. A man who sounded like sin and danger wrapped in silk. My heart pounded. His face. His jaw. His sinful body.

What was I thinking?

Why was I thinking about him?

No man had ever made me feel this way-terrorized and enticed all at once.

The night blurred, and I didn't sleep. I couldn't. Whenever I closed my eyes, his mocking, teasing, intense eyes haunted me. This was definitely not normal. I had known him for two days, and here I was thinking of him. My mind churned with confusion and frustration.

Why him? Why now? I tossed and turned, trying to shake off the persistent thoughts. His grin, so infuriatingly predatory, replayed in my head. The feminine side of me admired his beauty, but the sane and rational side of me reminded me of all the layers he wore. It was harder to look inside him. and believe me when I say he was dangerous. My conscience was never wrong.

I sighed running a hand through my hair. This was pointless. I needed to sleep. I needed to get him out of my head. But the more I tried, the stronger his presence became. It was as if he had taken up residence in my thoughts.

I couldn't escape him. I couldn't ignore him, no matter how irrational it seemed.

❁

The first rays of dawn began to filter through the curtains. I took a deep breath feeling exhausted. Alina was still snoring when I showered and changed into a pair of black fleece leggings and a black sweater. Grabbing my books, I stuffed them into the bag with unnecessary tantrums. I laced up my boots and grabbed my brown puffer jacket. It was colder than yesterday, a woollen cap and scarf would come in handy.

By the time Alina shifted in her sheets, I was ready for the university. I ignored my mind for a while and rummaged through my drawer. Where was my lip gloss? Did I lose it again? Letting out a sigh, I grabbed my least favourite one and applied a decent layer before grabbing my bag and making my way to the cafeteria. I was early, giving me enough time to have breakfast which I usually skip.

Nothing special though. Scrambled eggs with cheese and plain pancakes. After having breakfast, I started walking towards the university. It was not that far, just a few minutes away. As I took a turn, I felt it. The unmistakable chill ran down my spine.

It had been a week since I felt I was being watched. All while I ignored the feeling of being followed. Maybe it was just my imagination or paranoia. Lack of sleep actually.

And my paranoid mind was humouring me with fear and terrifying thoughts. Even in the dorm, I felt invisible eyes on me. Not to mention the lack of sleep. I couldn't sleep at night. During the day, I found myself drifting in and out of reality and dreams, in class, I dozed off. I couldn't focus on my studies to my horror.