He'll have to break all the rules to keep her, but first she has to break just one and let him in...
It's taken four years, but Anna Fray has finally put the past behind her. Mostly. She fills her days working in a bar and her nights watching bad ro...
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My breathing hitched at the finality in that word, 'yes'. Just like that, weeks of wondering had been confirmed. Just three little letters, and my insatiable thirst for knowledge had been given a tantalising sip of the unknown.
As he watched me digest his confession, his head tilted slightly. "Does that scare you?"
I looked at him and slowly reached to pour myself a glass of water as thought about my answer. I knew my gut reaction, but was that just because he was pretty to look at? I'd been fooled by a pretty exterior before, and back then I'd let it cloud my better judgement. Was it the same this time? Was the 'no' bubbling in my throat just there because he sometimes made my heart race?
I thought about the strangeness of him and the power I'd seen flash in his eyes, and I knew I should be terrified. But, I'd seen the kindness he was capable of with Nightmare, and the genuine inquisitive nature he had when we talked. As mad as it was, that was enough for me. That and the alcohol in my system was doing a fantastic job of making me feel invincible.
"No."
Even I was shocked by the certainty in my voice. He must have been too because a small crease appeared between his eyebrows as he questioned me. "Why?"
That was easy.
"Because I don't think you'll hurt me."
The frown deepened.
"I think you could," I stressed, "but I don't think you would."
"Why?" he asked again, taking another sweet from the bowl, although not with his usual haste.
"Isn't it me who should have all the questions?" I said, my discomfort under his gaze translating into a need to make light of the situation.
"There will be time for that. First I have some of my own."
There was an authority in his voice, and it wasn't one that came with rank but with experience. It was miles apart from the tone Mr R used to take with me and for that I was thankful.
He looked at me for a long while before I remembered he was waiting for my answer.
"You've had plenty of chances to kill me. It would have been easy, but you haven't."
"Maybe I like to play with my victims," he murmured, and that power danced in his eyes, smouldering under the surface.
"Maybe," I replied simply, taking a sip of water to try and ease the dryness in my throat. The heat in his eyes was making me nervous but not in the way I should have been in this situation. It was like I was seeing him for the first time, now that the mask was starting to fall away, and what was underneath was captivating.
"You're still not scared, are you?" he asked, his voice velvety but curious.
"No."
It was true. The nerves I was feeling had nothing to do with the words he was saying or the cataclysmic meaning behind them. Their cause was something else entirely. Something more carnal than concerning.
