Page 9 of Bloody Quarter

The thought of her blood running red down the coffin had my body tightening and jerking in time to my hand. She would scream in pleasure as she handed herself over to me. My ass flexed, and I shuddered as the first jet of come shot from my body. Clenching my teeth, my hand moved faster along my shaft until every last drop had been squeezed from the end. My cock was still semi-hard and heavy, but the dangerous edge that I’d been balancing on had eased.

I took a few deep breaths as I pushed down the rest of the urges that plagued me. Before I learned control, I was erratic and killed way too many people. The only reason I didn’t get caught was pure fucking luck. The people I had chosen at random were easy prey and unsuspecting. From boys who pissed me off in class, members of opposing football teams who got too cocky, ex-girlfriends who got a little too close to my secrets, and a teacher who refused to change my grade. Fuck, I’d even killed a hooker who thought it would be fun to go after a seventeen-year-old and then her John when he came looking for her. So much glorious blood had been spilled, but I was careless and had little to no control.

Lennox was the only one who knew what I really was, and he was the only one who had been able to help keep me from getting my ass thrown in jail. He helped me clean up after I’d lost control and left too big of a mess for me to handle on my own.

That all changed when I saw my first newspaper article on The Chameleon. Now, he had skill. From the slick abductions to the artwork that he left behind, the lack of any evidence was god-like. But then he upped the ante and started going after higher-level targets. The FBI announced that they caught him and he was dead, but I knew better. The man who they claimed was The Chameleon was nothing more than a pathetic charlatan, copycatting real perfection. I didn’t know why his prey had changed, but I knew he was still out there killing. What worried me was that he hadn’t been active for over six months. But if I told anyone that I was concerned about a serial killer I’d never met, they would toss me in a loony bin right beside him. There was just something about his kills that had calmed me and showed me what I needed to become if I wanted to live the way I did and remain free. Every day since that moment, I’d been honing my craft and working on getting control of my impulses. It wasn’t easy. There was always a pull to let myself go and kill like I used to again.

Maybe that was why the chip and my hooded doll’s plea called to me. She was struggling with addiction, and I was no better. But where hers was for the taste of alcohol, mine was for something far richer.

I quickly finished up in the shower and tried to focus on anything other than the mysterious woman who had caught my attention. But once my mind was zeroed in, I became obsessed. Finding her and killing her would be the only way to stop it now.

Thankfully, the girls from the elliptical were nowhere in sight when I emerged from the locker room. Throwing my gym bag over my shoulder, I marched for the front door.

“See ya,” the new guy working the counter said, and I gave him my fake smile as I slid my sunglasses on and shouldered the door open.

Stepping outside, I ran right into someone. She swore, and a shiver trickled down my spine.

“Watch where you’re going,” she said, and I stared down into dark blue eyes that almost matched the shade of her hair, but it was the voice….

“Sorry about that. Are you okay?” I reached for her arm, but she stepped away and wrapped her arms around her body. She was wearing a black knit sweater that covered what looked to be a uniform. She eyed me like an animal would before stepping around me.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I watched her march off, and as she hunched her shoulders and looked back at me, the girl with the chip flooded my mind. No way. Could that sexy little thing be her?

My lip curled up, and I jogged after her. “Hey. Sorry, I didn’t get your name.”

She moved away again and turned to make sure that she could see me as she kept walking. Smart and sexy.

“That’s because I didn’t give you one. What do you want?”

“I feel bad for bumping into you. Let me get you a coffee to say sorry.”

“How about you leave me alone.”

Jogging backward, I pulled in front of her and gave her my best drop your panties smile, but she only lifted an eyebrow at me before she stopped moving and glared. This was a new response. I liked it.

“Is that look supposed to work on me?”

“It works on everyone.” I just wanted to keep her talking to be sure it was her. I took a step closer, and she looked around as if analyzing her best escape route. When she didn’t step away, I took another step. Her hair lifted off her shoulders with the breeze, and fuck me, there it was, the succulent scent from the other night. My hands itched to grab her and drag her into an alley as the fantasies roared to life.

“Yeah, well…I’m not everyone,” she said, and as quick as a cat, she stepped to the side and darted through the open door into a busy bakery.

Oh, she wasn’t getting away that easy. I stepped inside, but the line went all the way around the store and back again, and half of the people were wearing black. I looked for her unusual blue hair and caught a glimpse of her pushing her way into the staff-only area. Weaving around the bags of annoying human flesh, I darted between a gap and practically jogged through the door.

My senses were on high alert. I didn’t hunt during the day, but I couldn’t just let her get away again. Five people were working in the back, and they all looked at me as I stepped through the door.

“Sorry, just looking for my girlfriend. She has blue hair and is wearing a black sweater,” I said.

“She said she had a meeting with the boss about a job. The office in the back,” the guy kneading dough said.

“Perfect, thanks.”

Following her trail, I passed the office, positive that I wouldn’t find her inside, and instead went straight for the back door. Bursting out, I looked both ways along the alley and swore. It was empty, but she’d come this way. Her scent lingered, driving me insane. I ran my tongue over my bottom lip and could almost taste her. The corner of my mouth turned up.

Alright, doll, game on. Ready or not, here I come.

Alora

I stayed perfectly still and held my breath. There was no outward reason to avoid the sexy guy offering me a hot beverage, but like Thomas, there was something about him that set off all my alarms. He set off my body as well, but hooking up with a one-night stand for a hot fuck was not on my to-do list. Would it be nice? Sure. So would winning a million dollars and curing cancer and having my sister alive, but none of those were happening either.