“I—yes,” I manage to say.
“You were called here,” he says with a nod.
It’s not even a question.He’s stating a fact, even though I have no clue what he’s talking about.
He gestures to the bar with one hand when he catches me frowning.“If you made it inside, you’re meant to be here.Have a seat.You’re safe.No one will hurt you.I promise.”
I don’t know if I fully believe that, but my feet move anyway.I slide onto a stool near the end of the bar, hyper-aware of every creature in the room.None of them are staring outright, but I can feel they’re looking at me.They’re probably just as curious about me as I am about them.
“What is this place?”I whisper, my mouth suddenly dry.
“A refuge,” the bartender says, setting his glass down.“For those who exist between worlds.And occasionally, for humans who are drawn here.”
“Drawn by what?”
Before he can answer, the air in the room shifts.The conversations quiet and the music seems to drop lower.
Then Ifeelit: a presence behind me, powerful and ancient and utterly focused onme.
“Drawn by me.”
The voice is deep and resonant.I turn slowly on the barstool, and my jaw drops.The owner of the voice is standing in the shadows near the back of the bar, and even in the dim light, I can tell he’s breathtaking.
Tall, at least six and a half feet, with broad shoulders.His skin has a faint iridescence to it, like oil on water, and his eyes are the deep blue-black of the ocean at midnight.His hair is dark and damp-looking, pushed back from a face that’s almost human but not quite.The angles are too sharp for that.The beauty is too alien.And when he steps into the light, I see the faint shimmer of something beneath his skin.Something that moves, like tentacles, but surely that must be my imagination?
“Theron,” he says.
My name is on the tip of my tongue, but he speaks before I can.
“And you’re Lilith.I know you.”
Heat floods my face.“How?”
He moves closer with predatory grace.“Every fantasy you’ve poured into silicone and sold to people who crave something different.Every fantasy you’ve carried to bed, wishing it could be real… I know everything.”
Holy shit.Heknows?
He stops directly in front of me, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating off his body.
“I felt you tonight.Your need.Your longing.It was so strong, I couldn’t ignore it anymore,” he says.
My pulse races, and I swallow hard.“You… felt me?”
“I’ve felt you for years, Lilith.Every time you create.Every time you ache.You’ve been calling for me, whether you knew it or not.And I’ve been waiting for you to be ready.”
“Ready for what?”
His smile sharpens, and there’s hunger in it now.Possession.“To meet me.To stop pretending that the fantasy is enough.”
He leans in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper meant only for me.“You’ve spent your whole life dreaming of monsters.Of me.And I’m here to turn those dreams into something real now that your desire has finally opened the door to this bar.”
Chapter Three
Lilith
My heart is trying to pound its way out of my chest, and I’m doing everything I can to keep my composure.
Theron is still standing in front of me.He’s close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his body, which makes it extremely hard to keep it together.His impossibly deep blue-black eyes hold mine with an intensity I’ve never experienced before.
