In Her Shadow

by Lilah Raine

I’ve just woken up with a six-foot-three, tattoo-covered stranger in my apartment and taken the two pills he gave me without question…this has serious true crime documentary potential.

“You date a cop five times, he takes you to the best restaurants in town, and you get excited by the half-naked creep who pulled you out of an alley.”

“Come on, if it makes you feel more comfortable, I’ll let you follow me inside.” She winks, and her attempt at being funny is so fucking cute it scratches another scar into my heart.

I should be nervous, not excited. His eyes are so menacing, his tattoos are as hot as they are intimidating, and I’ve picked up on the hint of psycho energy he gives, yet here I am, inviting him up here for dinner, and wearing my best underwear…just in case. I’ve never had a just-in-case scenario in my entire life.

“This pussy is mine now, you’re mine, Eloise. No one will ever fucking hurt you again. Do you understand?” I don’t care if I’m coming on too strong, I’m just letting the girl know how it is, because there's no going back from this now.

“You should be scared of me, Kitten,” I start to thrust hard inside her, fisting her hair and looking down at how beautiful she looks as she takes me. “You should have fucking ran when I told you to, because I’m never gonna let you go, not now.” Instead of looking worried, she smiles at me, and it makes me seriously doubt this girl’s sanity.

I have no idea how, but I’m pretty sure he just made murder sound romantic. I’m totally blaming the pregnancy hormones for that.

“Ren.” She waits for me to pull away so she can get her breath back. “Do you have any idea how warped and fucked-up this is?” She’s doing her best to be angry, but she needs to try better; her eyes can’t lie, and they’re smiling back at me, sparkling with the same thrill that was there the first time I fucked her under those train tracks.

“You bleed good. You bred good. Is there anything you can’t do perfectly, Eloise Ashcroft?” I drop the knife onto the bed, catching the blood with my tongue as it drips down her back and trailing it all the way back so I can lick her wound better.