My Prey

Chapter 20: alone?

At first, the quiet is comforting, calming the thrum of my racing heart. As my breathing begins to steady and even out, it hits me that the quiet is.. almost screaming. Once again in a panic, I begin sprinting around the apartment, searching. Room by room, emptier than it should be. Finally coming to rest in Sarah's room, a sealed envelope mocks me. It's sitting on the floor in the otherwise empty room, unsigned. Collapsing beside it, my teeth cant tear into it fast enough. inside, Sarah's feminine handwriting is instantly recognisable. With a shaking breath, i begin to read.

Dearest Evelyn,

                                I apologise if the letter finding you like this caused you any worry. I'd like to preface this by saying I am safe and happy. I have moved in with my master, the man you met at the club that night. You are welcome to visit us anytime, you're family after all. You should see the house though, I couldn't turn it down, it's huge with a pool and everything. We even got a dog!

Enough about me though, where have you been? You didn't come home so I just assumed you got lucky but when you didn't return for days...I'm worried about you. I even went to the police but they told me you weren't missing, that I should drop it. You have been gone so long, you have been replaced at work. Master insisted on paying two months of your rent in case you came back but... please Evelyn, if you're reading this, please contact me. I miss you and I'm worried about you.

Loves always, Sarah x

The letter ends with an address, her handwriting becoming more shaky towards the end. My mind is overloaded by a million questions but, biggest of all, what am I going to do for work? Sarah's partner has given me 3 weeks remaining but my job is gone. The police knew I was missing and said everything was fine? No wonder Damien didn't seem concerned at all.

I dragged myself to my own room, untouched, and collapsed once more onto  the fluffy blankets littering my bed. For the first time in a while, I should feel safe, secure, untouchable but.. I can't shake the feeling of being watched. I'm paranoid, I have to be. A few days to relax in my own bed and I'll be okay. 

After making sure doors are locked and curtains are tightly shut, I settle on a nice hot shower, the water as close to paradise as a woman can get. Suds sliding over my body, I'm aware of how dirty I've gotten but the comforting warmth relaxes my sore muscles. My fingers are beyond pruned by the time I leave the shower heat's calming embrace. 

Padding barefoot back into my room, I grab the fluffiest hoodie I own and sink into bed again. It's almost enough to make the past month seem like a nightmare. Almost. Putting on a random movie, sleep claims my exhausted body, dreams flooded with fantasies, dark lustful dancers, women on full display. Otherworldly moans and hunger, passion and pure unfiltered sin. The dancers from the club, crowds of hidden faces behind masks, staring like they have discovered a rare treasure. In a whirl of reds and blacks, smoke and sweat, I'm on the stage. I have the crowd captivated. I'm the source of their feral, animalistic hunger. Control and power courses through me, alighting every nerve, setting my skin aflame. Untouchable, as much as they are desperate for a piece. Men and women alike, captivated.

Scanning the room, one pair of eyes stands out. watching my every move, the piercing blue orbs flood with pride. The stranger seems entertained by the swooning, thirsty crowd as he sits back in a plush chair, taking a long, steady gulp of a deep amber liquid. A single droplet spills down his chin, across his throat and I am inexplicably mesmerised. He catches it on a slender index finger before lashing a serpent-like tongue out to catch it, never breaking eye contact. Another spin onstage and the amber fades to red, deep crimson being lapped up by his tongue. Masks and people merge, becoming shadows, hungry and wanting yet still under my control. Nobody moves closer, they just watch, licking their lips, eyes darkening with every beat. The song comes to an end I wake in a cold sweat, sheets damp with arousal. 

Leather and chains flash behind my eyes for brief, reoccurring moments that night. I need to get laid.