The Bath

Chapter Five:

She kept blinking like a fool, her tongue dry and all her words nowhere to be found.

Oh heaven, please slap me. Let me wake up from this motherfucking nightmare. She prayed, tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.

"Am I clear, my dear?" He growled again, and the sight of his fangs made her flinch.

She nodded, trembling. He let go of her waist and backed away.

She rushed to the bathroom and slammed the door shut, heart banging out of her chest.

The night creature smiled at her departure before walking to the mirror.

The image of her frightened brown eyes made his already red eyes glow more.

She was delectable in his eyes.

&&&&

She closed her eyes as warm water from the shower touched her delicate, mud-covered skin.

The earth had dried on her, so she soaked to let it come off.

Slowly, she took off the torn singlet. Water kissed her bare, fairly matured chest. She scrubbed again before removing her shorts.

Then her mind drifted to last night.

A wave of after-fear hit her. She felt cold despite the warm shower.

She couldn't imagine what could have happened if that rapist had caught her.

She'd never been through anything like that.

She considered herself ugly , just the way Margaret had made her believe.

One could call her too skinny. Ugly, even. But the truth? Monalisa was a good-looking teen with low self-esteem.

So what would a fair-skinned drunkard want with her? He was high on weed. In his right mind, he wouldn't spare her a glance.

But at least she was saved. By a lovely young man who turned out to be a vampire.

Who knew some blessings were curses?

She wouldn't have believed he was a vampire if she hadn't seen his real form.

Those fangs reminded her of the dogs that once chased her on an errand for Margaret. Horrible. Unforgiving.

The thought of him sinking into her neck, sucking her dry till death shivers.

Why was this her fate?

She was a ruthless teen. Hated by all. Stubborn. Why would she meet a vampire?

Why didn't he kill her overnight?

Why didn't he touch her?

Not that she wanted to be touched. But it made her feel worse about herself.

Could she ever be appealing to anyone?

Every girl had at least five guys drooling over them. Admiring stares everywhere.

Her case was different.

Only one guy had ever "fallen" for her ,Somto. The same guy Margaret accused her of sleeping with.

The problem wasn't her looks. The problem was that no one saw her beauty.

So what attracted this vampire?

---

Finally done with her bath, she grabbed the towel from the rack and wrapped it around her skinniness.

She stared at her reflection in the mirror. A smile spread on her face.

"I'm beautiful. If only they could see it."

The smile faded.

No. She couldn't step out. What if he was waiting to pounce? Drain her dry?

What if he wanted her clean before he fed?

Self-defense, Mona. Self-defense.

Lord, please let this creature not harm me.

She prayed before opening the door.

---

He was dressed now. Black sweatpants. Black hoodie. Eyes on his phone.

His hair looked shiny. His beard matched perfectly with his muscular, smart, breathtaking dark face.

His eyelashes veiled his eyes as they monitored the screen.

He had a Superman physique ,the kind that looked ready to burst out of his hoodie.

Honestly? If she told anyone he was a vampire, they'd never believe it. Not with that relaxed expression.

"Your body will dry. Rub the lotion," he said without looking up from his phone.

She felt ashamed. He'd caught her drooling.

Rubbing cream wasn't the problem. Rubbing it with a male vampire stranger? That was the problem.

She'd never had encounters with males. This only made her more uncomfortable.

"Sir... I want to—"

"There's a dress I picked for you. Wear it." He walked out, that creepy smile still on his lips.

Okay. Behave well. Escape later. She said to herself as she began to dress.

She wouldn't cause any problem that might trigger his real form.

---

Minutes later

The vampire smiled as his eyes landed on the slim girl clad in the blue dress he'd picked.

It fit perfectly, bringing out the outlines of her slimness — just the way he wanted.

Nothing would stop him from sinking his fangs into his beautiful brown creature.

Monalisa, on the other hand, was scared to the teeth.

What if he was a ritualist? Would he use her to buy a Benz?

She'd run from this night creature. No way would she stay near him.

"Shall we?" He offered his arm and a smile.

She smiled back nervously. "Um."

She caged her arm around his.

The vampire smiled at her nervousness as they stepped out of the hotel, meeting the warm greeting of the sun.

Monalisa could only wonder where he was taking her. And she prayed she wouldn't meet anyone she knew even for the sake of her reputation.