Black Panther Shorts

The Bookstore Pt. 4

A few weeks later and Erik had become begin to become a staple in your life. He wasn't always right next to you, he simply popped up when it was most convenient for him. Especially when you saw a cute guy a the mall, who had the gall to approach you and ask for your number.

Nope. Erik definitely shut that down.

Or when you went out for a night on the town with friends. You were having a great time at dinner and planned to go dancing afterwards.

He shut that down too.

His excuse was he was thirsty.

He was in your apartment, constantly in and out. You threatened him last week that he would need to start paying half the rent.

The next morning you found a stack of money under your pillow.

And in your microwave.

He spent so much time at your place that you began to find things of his that he left in your apartment when he left to do God knows what with that quiet cousin of his, T'Challa. Last week was a sweatshirt, that you decided to keep for yourself. Hey, you needed more clothes anyway, and it smelt so good.

Today you found that he left a black journal and the brown geography book that he bought a while back. You were curious and so you sat down at your breakfast table to take a better look at it after you finished your coursework for the week.

You needed to use the Xhosa book that he'd gotten you, a few of the words in both of the books needed to be translated.

You were in the middle of the third page when you heard your door clicked open. You quickly ripped out the three sets of coordinates that stood out to you, and stuffed it into your pocket.

"Aye. Shorty you see-" He cut himself off when he saw you at the table. You shrunk back in fear when you saw his eyes darken.

"You going through my stuff?" He demanded an answer.

"You shouldn't have left it here in my space if you ain't want me to go through it!!" You retorted.

He snatched the journals off the table. And trapped you between him and the table. His eyes menacing as they tried to find balance between blood red and deep brown.

His hand crept around your throat and tightened. He evilly smiled at you.

"You must've forgotten what I am."

"No. I'm just not afraid of you. I know you won't hurt me." You stare back unflinching. A smile appeared on your face too.

His grip on your neck tightened, your heart rate increased. He watched you become aroused.

"Oh yeah. And how you so sure?" He licked the side of your neck and bared his fangs.

"Because you can't. You need me." You stared defiantly back at him when he came back up

"Need you? I need you? For what shorty?" He responded incredulously.

You stared back in silence. You refused to give him the satisfaction that you had no answer. Just a feeling. A strong one.

He let you back onto the table. His eyes rolling over your body. You gingerly touched your neck gasping for the air you'd lost.

"Don't try and act all innocent now. I can smell your arousal every time I put my hands on you. Especially when I choke yo ass." He stared blankly at you as he leaned against the wall. Your eyes widened in horror.

"You can what?"

"I can smell when you be getting wet and shit. You know 'vampire smell'" He spoke casually and threw up the quotation marks.

You stared at him embarrassed, and thought of all the times he made it so you needed to change your panties.

He smirked at you as if he knew where your thoughts where.

"That's so unfair." You raged. He shrugged and snatched his books off of your table.

"Don't go through my shit." He stared down at you and pressed his full lips into yours. You closed your eyes to savor the moment and when you opened them he was gone.

****

Later that week you invited Tammi over to watch some movies with you after work. You guys spent most of the time laughing and gossiping like usual.

She didn't ask you about Erik anymore, which made you happy.

"Girl you need to call Jason. Why won't you text him back." Tammi inquired.

You actually forgot about him and honestly, with Erik around who could blame you.

"It just slips my mind." You replied, your attention remained on the TV screen.

"Yeah I wouldn't call him back if I had all of those hickies on my neck either girl." You moved to cover your neck with a blanket. "Uh nuh. I already peeped them. Erik really be putting it down huh?"

You blushed. You couldn't tell her that the passion marks on your neck were a mixture of hickies and leftover bites from when Erik drank from you.

When you didn't respond, Tammi sighed. You guys finished watching the movie in silence.

"Aight girl. I'mma head home and get ready for work tomorrow. I'll see you later at shift switch." You smiled and walked her out hugging her goodbye.

You sat on your couch for a while and watched the beginning of another movie that came on while Tammi was leaving, when you heard a knock at the door.

You adjust your clothes and rush to open the door thinking Tammi came back because she left something, which happened often.

"Girl what did you leave this time." You say as you open the door wide.

The hallway was filled with darkness. As if the lights had gone out. Three men stood in silence each of their eyes dark red, veins protruding. Fear gripped your body.

The man in the middle, the tallest one, stepped toward you as you stepped back into your apartment.

"Where is he?" His voice echoed in an inhuman way, his fangs dripped fresh blood. You prayed that it wasn't Tammi's.

You didn't speak. You couldn't. You knew they were asking about Erik. And even if you knew where he was, It felt like you swallowed your tongue. Your heart beating out of your chest. His chain that held the ring was heavy and cold on your chest. The weight of it mocking you.

"Grab her." The middle one spoke again, sending a chill down your spine.

A scream broke through and pushed its way out of your mouth. The two men quickly threw a bag over your head and heaved you over their shoulders, purposely knocking your head against something to knock you out.

You saw stars from the hit, and your hearing began to fade in and out.

"Whats the plan Vee?" The one holding you spoke. You struggled a little more before they knocked your head against something again. Your body went limp and the last thing to cross your mind was Erik.