It’s been so long since I’ve heard anything from her other than panicked begging and screams. The husky, warm tones seep into my frostbitten limbs, pins and needles stabbing into me as the ice dissipates andsomething unexpected replaces it. Something new, burning like a banked coal low in my abdomen.
I press my hand against my stomach as I peer into the window, the game of lurking in the shadows forgotten entirely.
There’s no sign of her at first. Only her living room bathed in flickering golden light from the fireplace. Red bins are stacked up against one wall, some of their contents laid in a pile on the coffee table, and a deep red and green throw adds a splash of color to the normally stark space. I drink in the new details, the anger from before settling some as I see she’s putting up decorations.
“Come on out, Princess,” I murmur, body trembling with the need to see her.
The plan was to hide in the shadows and let the sensation of her being watched build until it became so unbearable that she went outside to check, and that’s when I’d strike. But when minutes pass and there’s no sign of her other than her soft singing, I’m the one that grows agitated and restless.
I leave my post at the window and head to her front door, yanking on the handle and finding it unlocked, stepping inside before I can think better of my actions. This definitely isn’t how things are supposed to go, but rather than the sick, dizzy feeling that often accompanies any attempts at deviating from my purpose, that molten sensation in my gut grows.
With at least enough sense not to let the door slam shut behind me, I slip into the living room and get a better look at her collection of decorations. There’s a pair of stockings for the fireplace, cream and gold to match her normal decor. Something about them upsets me, though I have no clue why. With an irrational, irritated huff, I toss them on the floor and kick them under the couch.
The music crackles as one song fades to another, spun from a vintage record player in the corner. My heartbeathammers in my ears in the moment of silence, light from the fireplace dancing across my skin and casting unnatural, eerie shadows on the walls.
The sudden urge to flee rises at the sight.
I don’t belong here. My presence taints everything, ruining this sliver of peace and happiness she’s found. Her song swells again, bright and resonant, and my shame becomes so potent it threatens to choke me.
I’m paralyzed by guilt as the siren finally enters the room, and I stand there in her space in plain sight, rather than darting behind cover so I can strike when she comes closer.
Her perfect, plush pink lips fall open in a gasp, the trinket in her hand falling to the ground and shattering, punctuating the loss of her dulcet voice. She stumbles backward, her shoulder colliding with the doorframe to her bedroom, hand coming to her chest to rest over the abundant swell of her breasts.
Breasts that are practically spilling out of her robe, the fabric made almost transparent by the firelight. The vision makes my mouth water, my eyes roving over the rest of her hungrily. The coals in my stomach are stoked into a searing flame by her soft, rounded belly, wide hips, and thick thighs, all on tantalizing display.
“Who are you? What do you want?” she gasps, clutching her robe tighter as she watches my eyes rake across her body.
A dark sound halfway between a laugh and a groan pulls from my lips. “You know who I am, Princess. And you know what I want.”
My feet unfreeze, and I’m across the room, pinning her against the doorframe before she can get away.
“I d-don’t know you,” she protests, trembling in my grip. Her wide, glossy eyes search my mask in horror as she takes stock of me and the danger she’s in.
I scoff, wishing I could tell her just how wrong she is, but the words stick in my throat,coming out as a growl instead.
“I’m s-sorry!” She winces at the feral sound. “P-please don’t hurt me. I’ll give you whatever you want,” she begs, tears spilling down her pale cheeks.
Her terrified voice rakes against my senses. I want her song back, even though this is what I’m meant to hear. My fingers flex, ready to wrap around her throat once more, but when I place them across the delicate column of her neck, I don’t squeeze.
“WhateverIwant?” I’m not sure why I’m bothering with the question. This has never been about me. What I want is meaningless.
And yet… that flame inside me rises even higher as her chest heaves and something new sparks behind her eyes. Something other than fear.
“Y-yes,” she stammers, more tears splashing from her face down to where I’m gripping her.
Her breath hitches when my fingers twitch, and I lean in closer, my tongue darting out instinctively to lick the rivulet gliding down her impossibly soft skin. A feral sound tears from me at the salty taste. She whimpers, trembling in my hold but not fighting to get away.
Fuck, this is wrong, but so, so right.
“What if I want you to sing for me again, Princess? How can I get you to make those pretty sounds again?”
She lets out a soft moan as my tongue trails down, following the path of her tears.
“Mmm, like that,” I rasp, the sweet sound from her making my body prickle with awareness and need.
“Please,” she begs, but I’m not sure what she’s asking for.
My purpose for being here tangles with the way she’s looking at me and the heat inside me that nearly drowns out the compulsion to destroy her. It mingles until it’s all a muddied blur, and I can’t think. Until it feels like the only thing that will save me is pressing my lips to hers.
