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Angelina
I plastered a fake smile on my face to hide my boredom. My best friend and flatmate Cassie, and her boyfriend Jake, had set me up on yet another double date. It appeared to be Cassie’s mission in life to find me a partner. I’d given up protesting the fact that I was happy to be single, because she wouldn’t listen. And I loved her too much to hurt her feelings. Sean was pleasant enough, but dreary with a capital D.
“I’m just going to the ladies’ room, excuse me.” Not waiting for a response, I left the table.
I reapplied my lipstick and stared at my reflection in the large, illuminated mirror in the bathroom. God, how I wished I was anywhere else but there. My tired eyes glared back at me. Even the crowning glory of my deep auburn hair seemed dull. If only I could escape to the local rock club, where I always felt free to simply be me. A much better option would be the haven of my newly opened art gallery. A deep sigh slid through my lips.
“Mr Perfect doesn’t exist, Angelina. You should know that by now.” Cassie stood behind me, hands on hips, and a frustrated expression in her eyes.
I turned to face her, resting my back against the vanity. “You might be right, but I’m not going to settle for any guy just so I can say I’m in a relationship.” I folded my arms around my body and huffed out a frustrated breath.
Cassie walked over to me and leaned against the vanity next to me. “I know you shouldn’t. But you deserve to have a guy by your side.”
I faced her side-on. “Yeah, but I also don’t need to have a man to justify my existence. No way would I settle for anything less. Sorry, that’s just how I am.”
We fell silent. I honestly loved Cassie, but hearing the same conversation all the time frustrated the hell out of me. Closing my eyes, I did what I’d been doing for a while and conjured up my dream guys. Guys. Plural. For the last few weeks, I’d experienced some extremely erotic dreams. They involved me in a ménage with two beautiful males. Well, I got the impression they were gorgeous. The weird thing about these dreams… I never saw their faces, only their amazing physiques. My body flushed at the mere thought of those dreams, which woke me up panting for breath and with wetness coating my thighs most nights. I was so obsessed that I’d even painted a picture of the men… minus their faces, of course.
A nudge in my ribs took me away from all my wicked thoughts and fantasies.
“Hey, are you imagining those men in your dirty dreams again?” Cassie chuckled.
“I wish I’d never told you about them now,” I grumbled as my body became frustrated yet again.
“Nothing wrong with fantasies, honey. Just wait until you get the real thing.”
I shook my head. Being a relatively intelligent woman, I understood it was pure fantasy. No harm in enjoying the dreams though, right? Each night, I looked forward to falling asleep, to see if my sexy twosome made an appearance.
After coffee, Cassie was heading to Jake’s for the night. Our apartment wasn’t too far from the restaurant and I elected to walk home. It was a well-lit and safe district, otherwise I’d have hailed a cab.
“Let me walk you home,” Sean offered.
The eagerness in his expression, and the way he eyed my body repulsed me. And he was desperate, which put me off even more.
“No thanks, Sean. I’ll be fine. It was good to meet you. Bye.” I waved my hand and headed away from him.
“But it’s late,” he protested.
I waved my hand again, this time dismissively, and kept on walking, then made my escape before Sean followed me. I headed away from the bright lights and noise of the busy bar and restaurant district. Our apartment was on the top floor of a stunning old tenement building not too far from the city centre. There was a beautiful park close by, which always gave me the impression of being out in the countryside, rather than in the hustle and bustle of the busy city.
As I walked past the railings of the park, my stomach tightened and gooseflesh rose on my arms. The hairs at the nape of my neck tingled, and a buzzing sound filled my ears. Grabbing the can of pepper spray from my handbag with one hand and apartment keys in the other, I whirled around. A man stood close by the gates leading to the park. He was dressed in a designer suit, white tie, and black shirt. Warning bells sounded in my mind.
“What are you looking at?” I demanded.
The man pushed away from the gate and prowled towards me. My concern escalated, along with the banging of my heart inside my chest. I realised I should move away, or scream, but it was as though I was paralysed. He stood directly in front of me, giving me a much better look at him. There was no getting away from the fact that he was good-looking. But behind those good looks, I could sense evil lurking there. His eyes were a dazzling bright blue, but they looked almost like contacts, and I was certain his irises were rimmed with red. His hair was white-blond, and his skin was the palest I’d ever seen, almost translucent.
“You.” That one word froze the blood in my veins. My senses told me to run, but the man had me mesmerised.
“W… what?” I stammered.
He was nose to nose with me. His breath smelled of death and decay, in contrast to his attractive outer appearance. “You asked what I wanted, and I said you. Your innocence and beauty intrigue me. The Hybrids don’t deserve you, but I do.” His voice was like a soft purr.
Hybrids? What on Earth did he mean by that? Right before my eyes, the man dissolved and changed shape into the most hideous creature I’d ever seen. Straight out of one of the horror movies Cassie loved so much. I had to be hallucinating. Perhaps something I ate was giving me fantasies. I blinked rapidly to clear my vision. Nope, he was still there.
He remained human in shape, but now covered in black scales, with huge misshapen black wings, and a long tail. He had an elongated snout, although that wasn’t what terrified me the most. His jaws opened to show a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. Two of those teeth had elongated into five-inch fangs. Closing my eyes once more, I prayed when I opened them again, he’d be gone.
I attempted to move; my hands felt like they were strapped to my sides by some unseen bonds. When I tried to scream, it was like I’d been struck dumb. The creature raked a claw down one of my cheeks, drawing blood. The pain was excruciating. Hot tears trailed down my cheeks at the intensity of his touch. Its incredibly long tongue snaked out of its gaping mouth and licked my blood away from the wound.
“Hmm, delicious. Way too good for the Hybrids who seek you. I am going to ruin you and leave your torn body for them to discover. That way, they’ll realise their own deaths will come soon.”
None of his words made any sense. All I knew was death was heading my way… and there was nothing I could do to prevent it. He grabbed me in his strong claws and took to the sky. Terrified, I closed my eyes. A few seconds later, we alighted in the middle of the deserted park. Then he shuffled, with me still clutched between his claws, into a wooded area where he threw me to the ground. I couldn’t bear to see anymore, so I closed my eyes again as the nightmare from hell towered over me. If this was going to be my last few minutes alive, I’d rather not be witness to what he had planned for me. If only I could black out.
“Step away from her, demon.”
