Scorched

Prologue- It's not stalking, it's protection.

Theo shifted his position, cursing the leather seats in his Lexus. Had it not been so easy to clean blood from them, he would have gone with cloth. The fabric was much more forgiving when sat in for a dozen hours.

He glanced at the dash, checking the clock for the hundredth time. 5:47p.m. She was late.

His nails dug into the dark fabric of his jeans, his other hand rubbing the fresh stubble on his chin and neck. He would need to shave soon. If he ever got the chance- stalking was a full-time job after all. His growing obsession with watching her every move had stemmed from an honest place of wanting her protection. But over the last year, it had grown out of control, his once-a-day check-ins had developed to twelve-hour stakeouts, then progressed to leaving solely to feed.

Across the street, the brass handle began to jiggle, the door hastily pulling inwards. A floral duffle bag flung out the door. Theo felt himself straighten in his seat, his hand clutching the onyx steering wheel tight enough that it threatened to crumble to dust.

There she was. Her pastel pink shirt cut modestly at her cleavage, revealing pale olive skin pulsing with life. Her silky raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail, different from her usual loose locks that framed her delicate face. His throat dried at the thought of puncturing that tender flesh with his fangs, drinking her blood as he forced his name from her mouth.

Your imagination is getting out of hand, he groaned inwardly, stopping his fantasy before it could bloom, too much time alone.

He could see the curve of her jaw to her pierced ears, the snowflake studs she loved so much glaring in the dreaded sun. He was grateful that the window-tint kept its ugly rays from entering through and burning him alive- or dead, depending on how you look at it.

His heart didn't beat, sure, but blood still flowed through his veins. Not his blood, though. His lungs took breaths-unnecessarily- He could consume human food, despite how revolting it was to him.

By all accounts, he could classify himself alive. Less fragile, but alive.

Dawn turned her head back to the door, a soft smile playing on her face. Theo felt a growl rise in his throat, the top of the wheel in his hand snapping. 'Prick,' he mumbled, watching blonde hair lean out of the house, and pass her a phone with a rabbit case around it. His thin lips puckered against hers, a sight that made Theo want to hurl the last bits of blood from his stomach.

He would snap that little fucks head from his neck the first chance he got. Her fiancé. The weasley little shit complicated things.

Theo would wait an eternity for Dawn, until he thought she was ready to meet him in return. Not like he couldn't say that he has handled this distance gracefully. This past year has been a nightmare, following her around every day like a stalker. Watching her eat, and sleep, and hear her fuck her poor excuse of a lover. It was like a stake slamming into his chest every day, hearing him thrash onto her without concern of her enjoyment.

His beloved was betrothed to another man, a weak, selfish human. Wasn't that a kicker, though, for his mated to be a human herself? Only he would be that fucking fortunate; it was like a human falling in love with a chicken. They were bred for food, not lovers, not mates. Theo wasn't his brother. He didn't have the compassion that made Leo, Leo. He didn't possess a need to protect humans and their short lives. Until Dawn, that is.

Fate is a fucking jokester apparently.

His fangs clenched, watching her declare her love to her idiot of a partner. It wasn't possible for her to truly love him, not when her soul was for Theo, who would sit there for hours, watching as she read. Learning everything she loved and hate. Imagining what it would be like to come up behind her, placing gentle kisses on the nape of her neck until goose prickles covered her entire body. He would pick her up then, with his teeth scraping her pulsing veins, cradling her against his chest as he walked her to the bed. His lips would never part from her skin, worshiping every inch of her sun-kissed body with enthusiasm.

Theo nearly jumped at the sound of her jeep starting up, the rumbling and knocking from the well-used engine filled the silence of his car. His hand adjusted the growing bulge. It was becoming painful to think about how it would be with her. His dangerous fantasies were beginning to take up far too much of his day.

Soon, he promised.

His tongue ran over his fangs, he would need to feed before tonight. He knew where she was staying, He'd even rented the room adjacent to hers for the week. It should take her two hours to get to the hotel, which was more than enough time to find a meal and evade the sun.

He needed to get the hell out of this car.