I dropped my keys on a small table next to the entryway, letting them clamor loudly when they smacked against the wood.
A soft shuffling was heard.
There was no particular purpose to my direction as I wandered through my home. Slowly, I took each step, wondering if I was getting warmer or cooler with each move.
When I entered the long hallway leading to the rooms on the first floor, I caught a scent.
The deep chittering sound from deep in my chest bloomed with excitement as I followed, just far enough behind her so she thought she was doing well at this game. I could hear hershuffling through the connected rooms on the left side of the corridor.
I followed the scent closely through one of the lounging rooms, then to a connecting one.
There was a brief flash of a shadow from under one of the doors.
There you are.
As I made my way down the hall, the scent got closer and closer until I reached the room she was hiding in. I did not go in. She was right next to the door on the other side. I leaned against the wood, quietly taking in a breath. I could smell her fear—the sweat dancing across the back of her neck, the heat that would undoubtedly be burning her cheeks.
Rushing such a special occasion would be a waste. I had been waiting so long for some effort on her part. The windows on the first floor could not be opened, so she would have to come out eventually.
I stepped back from the door, walked down the hall, and stopped at the end.
I’ll wait.
It took everything in me to push down that involuntary clicking that wanted to burst through my throat. It hurt to hold it back, but seeing her emerge would be worth it.
Like clockwork, it took twenty minutes for Alina to calm her heart enough to make her next move. I could smell every pulse that coursed through her veins. The adrenaline was a spicy tinge to her typical aroma.
The shadow slipped out, looking at the opposite end of the hall first—a dead end. Then she turned her face toward me.
Her expression made me salivate. Those blue eyes narrowed at the sight of me. A flash of horror graced those delicate features before her mind was lost in calculation, putting up animpressive facade to hide the terror that lingered under her skin.
What will you do now that you’ve been caught on your own terms? You started it this time. You will have to forgive me for what I do next.
The low chorusing vibrated from my throat and deepened in my chest cavity as it became hungrier,coveting.
Instead of panicking, she stood straight and moved to the middle of the hallway, fully in view.
There is no use in hiding. What is next?
She stood there, her eyes scrutinizing me from head to toe, assessing her options. There were none—not many at least.
Removing my hand from my pocket, I checked the timepiece on my wrist. I was not particularly curious about the time, but I was sure it was like an eternity for her. Every moment that I did not move or speak, I could feel the trepidation festering inside her, even if she refused to show me. I would grant her five more minutes, and then I would force it out of her.
“Three twenty-six,” she said.
I glanced in her direction.
“The time,” she clarified.
“I gathered.”
“How many more minutes before you move?”
“I thought it was clear that I was waiting on you. This is your game, dear.”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Darling?”
