RED NIGHT ~ VAMPIRE FILES TRILOGY (Book 1)

3

 It's nighttime, and I find myself alone in a forest. The only light comes from the full moon hanging low in the sky. Mist covers the ground and flows through the forest floor as though it's alive.

I'm alone and absolutely terrified.

No, not alone.

Something is in the woods. It's coming for me. I can feel it getting closer. Fear rises up through my chest, threatening to suffocate me.

I start to run with everything I have. Branches, like gnarly claws, snag and tear at my clothes and hair. I can't catch my breath, and my heart feels like it will implode in my chest.

It's getting close—the thing I can't see. In my panic, my foot catches on something and I begin to fall.

Suddenly, the mist clears and the forest is gone. I'm surrounded by cold hard concrete, but I'm no longer afraid. I'm in the parking garage again. I can see myself from the dark corner of the garage. I see the shocked look on my face as I lower the camera, but it's not my fear that I feel. I'm seeing myself through his eyes.

His emotions are foreign to me. It's as though I've hitched a ride in someone else's body. His body!

We feel irritation at being disturbed, fury with the reality of being spied on, and then something else...hunger. No hunger that I've ever known. It feels strong and powerful. For him it's as basic as breathing. An itch that must be scratched.

Next thing I see; I'm looking down at myself. I'm on my hands and knees. My hair hangs over my face and I struggle to move it out of my way. I see the look of frozen terror on my own face as I must have appeared to him.

My terror does not surprise him. He's seen it on countless faces over endless years. Slowly, the hunger begins to change, shifting...blending, growing. Now hunger feels more akin to desire or lust. Maybe they're one and the same.

Hunger.

Desire.

It feels...primal, instinctual; elemental, yet powerful. I'm overwhelmed by these emotions. I feel him pause, taking me in. He's surprised, caught off guard by this sudden shift.

Before I can comprehend what is happening, I'm no longer in the garage, and my emotions and feelings are mine once again.

So is my fear.

It hits me like a violent wave crashing against the rocks. I'm in the dark forest once again, but now I stand at the edge of a cliff. Dark haunting woods behind me and an even darker chasm before me. My instincts hint that jumping to my death may be better than facing the thing in the woods.

Before I can consider my options, something slams into me and my back is crushed against a nearby tree. All the wind is knocked from me, yet I couldn't take a breath if I wanted to. The length of my body is pinned between the tree and something hard and unyielding. Sharp edges of bark scrape my backside.

Slowly, I raise my head to see what has me trapped, and I'm looking straight into the eyes of the stranger from the garage. Eyes so blue they seem to glow in the darkness, but this time I know some of what is behind those eyes, and I...scream.

I wake to the sound of my own strangled voice. My body is soaked with sweat while my throat is raw as though I've been screaming for hours. My hand is shaking when I reach for the water next to my bed and take a sip. My bedside clock says it's midnight. All I can hear is my labored breathing from the most realistic nightmare I've ever had.

Dragging myself into the shower, I once again let the warm water wash away the stronger emotions from the dream. I slip on a clean t-shirt and panties. Preparing to climb back into bed, I notice a cool breeze. As I walk into the living room to investigate, moonlight spills into the room from the balcony doors that stand open. The curtains and my hair blow softly in the cold breeze.

Do I back into my bedroom for my phone to call 911 or run to the hallway and scream for help? I'm frozen by indecision for what seems like forever.

Finally, I creep into the kitchen and pull my largest knife from the drawer. Looking around warily, I walk to the open doors before taking a cautious look outside. No one is on the balcony, so I check the front door and find it still securely locked.

I re-lock the balcony doors and search the rest of my home, turning on all the lights as I go. I open all the closet doors, and even take a look under the bed. Nothing. I'm painfully alone.

There is no way to reach my fourth-floor condo from outside unless you felt like rappelling down from the roof of this building. Sorry, but there are much easier homes to rob than mine. I dismiss the notion immediately.

My body is humming with energy. The strange dream begins to swirl around my mind. I rarely remember my dreams, but this one felt so real that I can still feel the heat from his body when he was crushed against me. His feelings and emotions felt like a rush. The memory of his lust and hunger causes my cheeks to flush. A shudder passes through me. I've never felt anything like that.

Hands down, the strangest dream I've ever experienced. I guess stress can mess with your mind.

Maybe chamomile tea would have been a better choice to have before bed.

Problem is, I know I closed and locked those doors...

And there it is—an ever-so-soft scent that lingers in the air as I move through the rooms. A scent that shouldn't be in my home. I know this smell. It was there, in the garage, when Blue Eyes descended on me. I caught it then, but didn't remember or recognize it until now. It's musky and masculine with a hint of expensive cologne. There's something more underneath it all that I can't quite put my finger on.

I grudgingly admit to myself that I like this scent. Just not here, not now, and not him. There is only one way for that smell to be here. The room starts to spin as I realize: the doors, the smell, the dream.

Was he in my home tonight? Why would he be in my home? How does he know where I live?

I don't have any hard evidence but I feel like he was here. It doesn't make any sense. I'm far too tired to think straight anymore. He isn't here now. I'm alone. Leaving all the lights on, I crawl back into bed, tuck the knife under my pillow, and pull the covers over my head. Saying a little prayer, I count all the blessings in my life before attempting to sleep again.

It takes some time before a dreamless sleep finally claims me.