SCORPION

"Look at me," he ordered.

I didn't.
I couldn't.

Fear wrapped around my spine, rooting me in place.

Silence was not the answer he wanted. His grip tightened beneath my chin, lifting my face with deliberate force until escape became impossible. I was dragged into the gravity of his gaze-eyes so dark they didn't reflect light, only swallowed it.

My breathing faltered, shallow and uneven, as if my lungs had forgotten their purpose. Warmth slid from his hand, not rushing, not dramatic-just heavy enough to leave its mark as it fell against me. Every instinct screamed to fight, yet my body knew better. Resistance here was nothing but a lie I couldn't afford to believe in.

"Look at ..me."

The sharpness of his voice shattered what little control I had left. My body flinched before my mind could catch up. There was no choice left to make.

So I did what I was asked. I opened my eyes.

"What are you afraid of?" His tone softened, mockingly gentle. "Am I really that terrifying?"
A faint smirk touched his lips. "You're killing me here, kitten."

"Let me go..." The words escaped me at last, fragile but charged. "You monster."

I had never believed in such things. Not truly.
Until him, happened.

He wasn't offended. He wasn't angered.
He observed me. Slowly, carefully-like someone inspecting a fragile object before deciding whether it was worth breaking. Then, a quiet chuckle slipped from him, low and intimate.

My stare didn't waver. The amusement in his expression made my skin crawl. Fear was not entertainment. At least not for me.

"Oh, sweetie," he murmured, tilting my head slightly, asserting his control without effort. "Monsters do exist." He leaned closer, his voice dissolving into my ear.

"And they look just like people."