My eyes snapped open, and I gasped in fear. My spine protested as I threw my upper body off the floor, sitting up and looking around. I was curled on a hard stone floor, my skin covered in a cold sweat. Night streamed in through the small slitted window, too small for any person to squeeze through. I wrapped my arms around my knees, pulling them to my chest and trying to remember where I was or how I'd gotten there. It was no use; the last thing I could recall before the world turned black was the swoop of a cloak and a terrible scream that froze me through, accompanied by horrible, soft laughter. I shivered; a cold wind had blown through the room, chilling me. As the wind died away, I suddenly felt the terrible sensation that I was being watched. I scrambled to my feet and turned in a tight, crouched circle, searching the room as best I could in the semi-darkness, but seeing nothing. The dreadful feeling didn't go away. I straightened, crossing my arms across my chest for warmth. From behind me, I heard a low, rumbling chuckle and felt a puff of breath by my ear. I gasped and whipped around, trying to catch a glimpse of my laughing captor, but no one was there. Quiet footsteps echoed around me, circling me, and I had the distressing notion that I was being hunted by an unseen predator. Strong hands curved themselves around my hips, and I froze on the spot as somebody pressed himself against my back. I trembled as I felt breath on my neck, then the light brush of cold lips. I didn't move, didn't try to escape him, fearing he would kill me or worse. I simply stood as still as I could, trying in vain to control my shaking limbs. His hands slid up my sides and rested on my shoulders. Suddenly, ferociously, they clamped tightly around the tops of my arms and spun me around to face him. I felt a scream rising in my throat, and bit my lips to hold it back. His thin, pale face loomed over me, his black eyes shining. He smiled, an expression that seemed so out of place on his thin, cruel mouth that it almost stopped my heart. Malicious amusement stole into his glittering eyes, hard like gems and just as cold. He released me, and out of instinct I backed away, farther from him, until my back hit the solid stone wall. I was trapped. He advanced toward me, his movements full of arrogant grace and dark elegance that made me fear him all the more. His legs were long, and he crossed the room in a few slow strides. He stopped inches from me, placing his hands flat on the wall on either side of my head, and leaned into me. His eyes closed and his nostrils flared as he breathed in my scent. Choking back bitter terror, I turned my face away from him, my heart in my throat. Two long fingers snaked under my chin and turned my face back to his. I didn't want to look at him, to see the predatory gleam in his eyes, but the strength of his hands made it impossible to turn away. I closed my eyes, and for the first time, he spoke.
"Look at me."
As much as I hated the thought of being confronted with his stare, I was helpless to disobey him. I opened my eyes, my vision immediately blurred by tears. I blinked them away, and my sight stayed clear.
"I can hear your heartbeat, my dear. It tells me that you are afraid of me."
His voice was a low murmur, his tone monotonous.
"Are you?"
I didn't speak, for fear had frozen my voice in my throat.
"Answer me!"
His voice grew louder, sharper, and his fingers dug into the flesh of my throat. Immediately, I choked out, "Y-yes."
The pressure on my windpipe eased, and I closed my eyes again. This time, he let me keep them closed. He touched his forehead to mine, his voice becoming soft again. "You are more fortunate than you know, to be able to fear." His hand wrapped around the column of my throat, his touch gentle, not constricting at all. His lips brushed along the ridge of my cheek, stopping at my ear as he whispered. "Hold on to that feeling; you may never feel it again."
I opened my eyes, this time of my own will, to find his face a fraction of an inch away from mine. His eyes burned and smoldered, black witchfire dancing away like the very flames of Hell. He touched his cold lips to mine, and I felt the strong urge to pull back, but the stone wall prevented my escape. He seemed almost hungry, ravenous for me, and I tried to cry out as his teeth fastened on my lower lip hard enough to hurt but not quite hard enough to draw blood. I could manage no more than a moan, but it seemed to catch his attention, for he released me. The hand that had forced my head around now settled on the swell of my chest, directly over my frantically pounding heart. I could feel it beating feverishly against his hand, trying to break out of the body it knew was going to die. Perversely, my pulse quickened as he lowered his mouth to my neck, his cool breath against the sensitive skin causing goosebumps to prickle up and down my arms and legs. His lips brushed my skin, then he lifted his head, and I saw his eyes change from obsidian to icy blue. His teeth grew long and sharp, two wicked points, and he buried them in the soft flesh of my throat. This time, the cry that had been trapped in my throat tore free, and I lost myself in terrible blackness, followed only by the siren of my scream.
