Around us, the atmosphere simmered with seduction. Couples were drunk on each other—fingers wandering, lips grazing, restraint unraveling.
One man traced the swell of his partner’s breast as he whispered into her ear.
Another woman, thinking herself hidden beneath the linen-draped table, worked her lover’s cock. Her long, pointed nails gleamed as they moved.
I saw it all.
And Ifeltit.
The heat of the night soaked into my skin. Arousal surged through me like a wave crashing against stone.
Unable to resist, I crushed my lips to Alina’s, tasting her gasp as our mouths collided. My tongue plunged into hers, claiming every inch. She responded with a feral hunger, her nails raking across my back.
My hand slid down, curving over her core, pressing through the silk of her dress. She trembled, melting beneath my touch, her breath hot and fast against my mouth.
“I need you now,” I growled into her ear. “Don’t make me wait.”
Her eyes flared with fire. “Yes. Take me,” she whispered, breathless.
But my desire demanded more than pleasure.
It demanded blood.
I scanned the edge of the plaza. And then I saw her—a small, timid figure scuttling along the darkened path. Head down. Shoulders hunched.
Perfect.
She was meek. Inconsequential. The kind of soul who would vanish without a ripple.
“I’ll take the path to the alleyway first,” I told Alina, my voice rough and primal. “Meet me there in five minutes. No hesitation. I have an insatiable appetite that must be fed.”
Alina shivered, her lips parting. “Hurry, my love.”
I didn’t look back.
I followed the woman into the alley’s embrace, the sounds of the square fading behind me. Shadows thickened as I approached. I was upon her in one swift motion—my hand clamped over her mouth, dragging her into the dark.
She gasped, her body struggling, but I held her firm. She was slight, soft, and easy to subdue. Her fear pulsed like a living thing between us, her breath shallow, her limbs shaking.
And then?—
Alina appeared at the mouth of the alley.
She didn’t speak.
She didn’t move.
Shewatched.
With a flick of my wrist, I unsheathed my blade. Cold steel caught the torchlight for a breath of a moment before I drove it into the woman’s neck.
Her body spasmed. Blood sprayed, hot and immediate, coating my face in a warm mist. The gurgle of her final breath echoed off the stone as her body crumpled, lifeless, against the wall.
I stepped back.
Slowly. Deliberately.
I wiped the blade with a handkerchief and met Alina’s gaze through the darkness.
