Stranger Danger

Chapter Four: The Cafe

I sat in the cafe, sipping on my frozen caramel coffee while I flipped through my textbook. I hated studying almost as much as the libraries but I was almost done with school, so I pushed through. I will have my medical degree in less than a month so I was putting all my effort possible into these last two finals. I already even had a job lined up at Evelyn's dad's hospital. She was going to be a surgeon while I was going for pediatrics and her father let me intern there so that once I got my degree, I was in.

The only real problem with all of this was Brian.

Because I was finally free of him, he hadn't stopped coming in my dreams or showing up wherever I was at. He even got back to taking me to his manor for days and weeks at a time, and my mind just wouldn't get over him. When I'd finally got him to let me leave, it was almost as if I were being called back to him. He claimed to have known nothing about it but I knew he was lying. It was like some of the dreams I'd been having were almost real, like they've happened before in the past -more like a past life- but I didn't bother bringing that part up to him in conversation in case I was just going crazy. But also because I knew that he wouldn't tell me until I was 'ready'. It was bad enough that he was inside my head as is, it wasn't the easiest keeping certain thoughts away from him.

The one true good thing about all of this was the sex- now that was something that truly was absolutely amazing about us, I'll admit to that much but there was something he wasn't telling me, something big and it involved me and the other me from the painting in some weird way. It had to do with him not being human, I know that much. But it seemed like he wasn't just in my life just because.

Even though I knew what he'd been doing when he bit me, I finally fully accepted him not being human only a few weeks prior to my most recent imprisonment. Yeah I know I'm stupid but what could I do? He bit me!

~Flashback~

"Hey, Evie?" I asked as I heard the front door open. It was the first day I'd been home in weeks.

She'd been at the hospital, doing her first mock surgery exam and she was very nervous. I knew she had it down pact because she was made for it, she'd been watching her mother since she was old enough to understand.

When I didn't get an answer, I walked away from the fried chicken, collard greens, and mashed potatoes she'd asked me to cook for her celebratory dinner and because it was our usual for Sundays to walk towards the front door. He was standing there, leaning against the wall and waiting for me. I stopped short, about ten feet from him and stared at him for a minute.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked smartly, arms folded and hip cocked to the side. "I thought you said I was getting a break from you and your life? Isn't that why you let me come back?"

"Is that how you greet me, kitten?" He smirked as he closed the distance between us. His arms came around my waist, pulling my smaller frame up against his. I hated that he was so tall, it made me feel short even though I wasn't.

"What do you want? I don't even know your name yet you keep showing up at my house and taking over my life," I said as I pushed at his chest.

He kissed my lips and I made a face. "Brian, and don't act as if you didn't miss me." I did but I wasn't going to admit that aloud. "You don't have to, your thoughts are loud enough."

I jumped back, "I'm sorry, what?" I asked in shock. There was no way he could've heard what I was just thinking.

"But I did," he replied to my thoughts again. "I hear any and every one of your thoughts, kitten."

"How?"

"Because I bit you," he answered simply. "Speaking of, I am hungry."

"No, hell no," I said as I quickly stepped back once he got closer to me again.