Dark Instincts (Book 1 of The Beautiful Damned Series)

Prologue

Dark Instincts

~~ Prologue ~~

A tall figure approached as I poured the coffee liquor into the expresso martini I was preparing. I could feel that all-too familiar pulling sensation coarse through me, that unnerving aura I had learnt to ignore with great practice.

His pull was particular strong however; it was physically tangible, unhinging. I shivered as if to shake the feeling off. I stole a quick glance up at the figure through my false lashes and noticed instantly that his demeanour screamed self-importance, impatience, power. This man was used to getting what he wanted with a mere snap of his fingers.

I took my time serving the customers at the bar, dreading my impending encounter with this stranger who had creeped his way under my skin. I tried looking suggestively to the other staff to attend to him, but they purposefully avoided acknowledging his existence. Smart of them. They could probably feel it too- the aura that was slowly but surely building in the air. It was a creeping feeling, as if an insect or spider was crawling in my hair.

It was more than discomfort; it was that sensation you get when you walk down a dark alleyway despite your instincts or you keep your foot pressed firmly down on the accelerator as you pass a speed limit sign.

Your heart races, your throat dries, you know you shouldn't dare but you still inch towards the risk, tempted by it, thrilled by it.

Don't look him in the eye, Sage.

There were no other customers to serve now, he was the only one left. I closed the cash drawer from my last transaction and sighed. He was to the far right end of the bar, unmoving, demanding me to make my way over to him so I could take his drink request. I detected the faint hint of a smirk pass over his rather large lips.

I say jump, you say how high?

"What can I get for you, sir?" I ask, cringing slightly. My voice sounded too high, unsettled.

As he parted those plump lips to speak, I sensed the atmosphere shifting. It was as if the music in the club had been turned down, the song's tempo slowed, the lyrics distorted into undistinguishable hymns. An incredible darkness seemed to dominate the room despite the neon-flashing lights setting the dance floor ablaze. Worst still, the floor no longer seemed stable underneath me. I felt dizzy.

I could not help but surrender and lock eyes with him. Only for a second, but it was enough. They were particularly sharp and vibrant, almost glowing somehow from within, illuminating his disturbingly beautiful face. It was unnaturally beautiful, as if it did not belong in this club, in
this city or this entire world.

"Your most exquisitely expensive scotch," a deep, smooth voice ordered after a moment.

I had a suspicion he knew all along what his drink of choice was, but his prolonging of my attention was deliberate, calculated.

"And make it with a smile," he added testingly, that smirk a little wider now, almost canine-like. I reluctantly did as I was told.

I brought back a glass for him, but he shook his head with displeasure. "I want the whole bottle."

Again, I obeyed.

Before I could release it from my grasp, he had already reached out to seize it. For a second our skin touched, rebounded like a pair of parallel magnets, and then pain. Nothing but pain. It travelled up my arm and seized my whole body. As soon as we broke contact, the feeling vanished as if I had imagined it. I bite down hard onto my bottle lip, mustering all my courage not to turn on my heel and make a break for it.

Instead, like a docile, powerless, good-little human, I stayed put. I took the gold coins he left on the black stone counter surface, (a sum far greater than the one he owed), and watched him turn to leave until he disappeared out of sight amongst the crowd. Unfortunately, he didn't take that zapping, pulling sensation with him. Instead, it lingered, sinking underneath my clothes and settling permanently inside my pores.

That was most definitely not an ordinary mortal I had just encountered, and I sensed that he was a very dangerous creature at that.

I turned towards some newcomers and plastered on a fake expression of ease and boredom. I wish I hadn't given that man the satisfaction of seeing me so uncomfortable; it would not happen again. Frustratingly, the more cocktails and shots and whisky I pored throughout the rest of the evening, I could not erase that devilish smirk and angelic face from my mind.

xX dArK iNsTiNcTs Xx

----> I'm ready to reignite my passion for writing. Let me know if you want me to pursue this story! I have a rather large plan for this one which could extend beyond a single book. Pls share the love in comments and votes!