Her touch was as cold as death as it brushed the back of his neck. He could feel her presence from across the room, feel her eyes burning into his back. It was all he could do to stop himself from trembling.
âYou seek me human?â Came her voice.
It took several attempts to answer. âI do,â he replied.
His response was met with silence. All he could hear was the soft tapping sound her heels made as she walked around him. It would have been a relief to at least hear her breathing but the absence of breath just served to remind him of what he was dealing with here.
âYou fear me,â she stated. âThat is good. That is proper. To fear me is to know what I am.â
An involuntary bead of sweat ran down his neck, scurrying down to bury itself in his chest hair. Too late, she swiftly licked it from his bare neck, an action that caused him to jump. She was amused by his reaction.
âDo not fret little one,â she purred, âI havenât decided whether to bleed you yet or not.â
Her black fingernail traced a path down his back.
âNot everyone gets to be my playthingâŠâ
Silence followed but he could still hear her strutting in the background. He knew that she was analysing him, taking in the shape and form of his body. He recalled what he had read in the books, how the slightest display of weakness would be met with death. And not the kind of death he could hope to come back from either. But then, he knew the risks and had been completely at peace with becoming a statistic before he had even begun this journey. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, he was already dead.
âFace me.â
Heeding her command, he turned on his heel.
âOpen your eyes, see what I am,â she commanded.
Shuddering at the thought of what he might face, he tentatively opened his eyes. Before him stood the shape of a beautiful woman. Sleek and sensual, her body coiled inside a pair of leather trousers and a black shirt. Dark, raven black hair contrasted with pale, china white skin as it cascaded past her face. To the casual observer, one might think she was a dominatrix of a kind. But no, she did more than control the body. One look into her black eyes could tell you that she controlled the soul as well. And that was why Adam knew she was who he had been looking for.
She had been hard to find at first. Everyone had heard of her, but no-one knew where she could be found. But he had been persistent and after dozens of leads that turned into dead ends he had found himself here. Unfortunately, having now got here, his only desire was to leave as fast as he could.
âWhy do you seek me?â she asked, a knowing smile betraying her amusement.
Adam tried to answer but his breath was caught in his throat. No matter, she finished for him.
âYou want me to gift you,â she continued. âYou want my blessingâŠwhy?â
âI wish to be like you,â he managed.
She smiled at this. It was a wicked smile, as if she had heard this story before from many others. She had, but Adam wasnât to know this. She studied his body. He was strong, well built although not especially muscled. That would change, she thought to herself. She could smell the blood in his veins from here, the sound of it rushing around his body arousing her.
âLet me tell you what you want boy,â she said, idly examining the small knife she had picked up from the table. âYou feel your life has no meaning and that you are an outsider. You figure that if the world considers you an outsider, you will accept your role and have thus sought me out to be with me and my kind.â
Adam tried not to answer. She had him to a tee. He was a fool for coming here. He had thought he was going to find liberation but now knew he was staring at nothing less than death itself. He wanted to run, hide.
âClose your eyes.â
He shut his eyes, involuntarily squeezing them shut in an effort to block out the coming nightmare.