SHADOW

Insecure

I made a reservation at an upscale Argentinian Steakhouse. Eating was one of the many things I did for show. Food gave me no type of nourishment. It sat in my stomach until I could purge it from my system.

I told her exactly where we were going yesterday morning and the dress code. Hopefully she followed my directions, but if not I had a dress in just her size sitting in my backseat.

I put my car into park and quickly slid out, walking up to her large oak door. I knocked twice and took a step back, adjusting my shirt. A minute passed and finally the door swung open, revealing her clad in a form fitting white dress. It stopped above her knees and had a plunging neckline. Just enough for people to do a double take.

I shifted, reigning in my arousal.

"You look stunning."

She blushed and bowed her head. I offered her my hand, helping her outside. She locked the door behind her, sticking her keys in a satin, silver clutch.

I couldn't take my eyes off her. That dress was perfect. She looked like a real life angel. And the best part of it all was the fact that I'd rip it off her and defile her later.

"You look nervous," I commented, stopping halfway down her house's pathway.

"I am nervous. This is my first date."

"Be yourself. That's all I ask." I smiled at her warmly, instantly putting her tense figure at ease.

I turned and continued to walk down the pathway with her following close behind me.

I opened the door, helping her into the car and left her side to sit in the driver's seat. She looked at the leather interior and the high tech dashboard with the same amount of awe as the last time.

We pulled away from her house and cruised through the neighborhood. I enjoyed the monotony of it all. All the houses had almost the same design, the same clean cut, clipped grass and the trademark white picket fence. Unlike me she wasn't at all enamored and I didn't expect her to be. She had undoubtedly been exposed to this normalcy her entire life. I, on the other hand, had never had a normal moment in my life. Between having a penis and being a vampire there wasn't much of anything dull about the life I lived.

"What're you thinking about?" she asked as we turned out of the neighborhood.

I glanced at her for a second.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

From the corner of my eye I saw her squint her eyes skeptically. "You lie."

I shrugged. "What goes on in my head is none of your business. And besides it was nothing important. I was just admiring the neighborhood."

"Why??? There's nothing special about it."

"Exactly."

She stared at the side of my face hard before shaking her head. "Why is everything you say so vague."

"It's not."

"It is. You never give an explanation for anything and you always speak like you're a Cullen or something like that."

There it was again‒ that comparison.

It never failed to coax a heartfelt laugh out of me.

I couldn't help the way I came off or the way I spoke. It's just how I was. And on top of that it's the way I lured prey in.

For some reason women were always drawn into the mystery. It never failed to spark their curiosity.

It was almost like a mouse being lured into a trap with the promise of food, but instead all they found was death at the end.