The Stranger's Apartment

Esther

“I’ll be right back, my car isn't parked far from here.” His rich baritone is enough to send chills through me.

I watch his perfect butt as he moves, and when I’m sure that he is out of sight, I move in another direction, swooshing between the trees, and carefully avoiding the other side of the river.

I find myself face-to-face with him again, but this time he is dressed.

I blink in confusion. What makes the situation worse is the slight, fleeting smirk on his lips.

“I wouldn’t think about running if I were you. The amount of wolves on that side will take you the entire day. Also, if you try to run, I’m going to shift and I’ll catch you before you go far.”

“What do you want from me?” I hiss.

“To talk,” he says flatly, his dark eyes on me.

“I don’t think there’s anything we can ever talk about.”

“I’ll talk, and you’ll listen.”

“Who are you?” I take a step back.

“It doesn’t matter," he takes a step towards me.

“Do you know who I am? If something happens to me, you won’t find peace.”

“The problem is, you are in the wrong territory, Princess Esther Anne Carnegie. If anything happens to you, vampires won't have a case against us.”

He walks towards me, and I watch him carefully.

Before I can make out what is going on, I feel a jab on my shoulder. Everything feels blurry, and my eyes play a tug of war between staying open and closing.

********

I lazily open my eyes before the memories of how I got here jolt me awake. I stare at the ceiling. The lights are switched off, and the room is lit by the lights of the city. I inhale the scent of the stranger all over the bed, making me feel things I've never felt before.

“You awake,” he says softly.

I blink and turn to see the stranger sitting on a chair next to the bed.

“What did you do to me?” I yank myself out of bed in one swift motion.

“You don’t remember me?” He raises an eyebrow, his face unreadable.

I look at him in confusion, trying to figure out what he means. I look down at the oversized t-shirt I'm wearing.

“Seriously?" I chuckle in disbelief. "I remember you with the needle. You tried to kill me!”

“It didn’t work,” he mumbles, his shoulders sagging.

“Who sent you?”

“Sent?” He lets out a chuckle, and he gets up, towering over me. “No one sends me to do anything.”

“Then why did you try to kill me?”

He knits his eyebrows, his dark eyes on me, but his mind seems to be far away.

“Hello?” I say to distract him from what he is plotting. He is probably contemplating Plan B, now that Plan A didn’t work.

He sighs, deliberately showing that I’m annoying him with my thousand questions.

I walk towards the window of his penthouse and I look down at passing cars from his glass-to-ceiling windows.

“Where's my dress?”

“That wolf’s claw tore it. Remember?”

“So, you decided to borrow me your t-shirt?”

He shrugs.

I move at the speed of lightning, looking for the kitchen, and I turn around, holding a knife, when I find myself face-to-face with him.

He shakes his head with what could be almost a smirk, his eyes on the hand that is holding the knife.

He walks towards me, and I involuntarily take steps back, surprised that for the first time, there is someone who frightens me.

“What was in the needle you stabbed me with?” I point the knife in his direction.

“What are you doing, Esther?” He breathes. I get taken aback by the way he says my name with so much familiarity, as if we have been close for ages.

“It's Princess Esther to you,” I glare at him, the knife in my hand.

“Princess Esther,” he says dryly with a sigh.

“You are a werewolf. If I aim for your heart with silver, you are going to die. So, I’m going to give you a little encouragement to tell me why you saved me from that wolf, only for you to want to kill me yourself.”

Almost immediately, I move in a flash and I stab him in the shoulder. He winces and holds on to his shoulder, but I notice that he is exaggerating his pain.

“You are not hurt.” I eye him suspiciously.

“You think?” he growls, traces of blood soaking his t-shirt.

“I can see that you are exaggerating. What are you?”

“You have just told me that I’m a werewolf.”

“The silver didn’t weaken you.”

“I’m a strong werewolf,” he shrugs with one shoulder before removing the knife from his other shoulder.

“I know your scent, I’m going to come back for you.” I make it a point to get out of his apartment within a minute. I get to his bedroom to grab another shirt of his with his pure scent, and he follows me. I leave him in his bedroom, but I come face-to-face with him at the door.

“I was going to just let you go, but I need that shirt."

“How can you move so fast?”

“The shirt...” he says between his teeth.

My eyes widen in horror as realization dawns on me. A unique scent, a werewolf that is twice as fast as vampires in his human form, with an air of arrogance, and he wants to kill me himself.

“Dominic?”

He winces. “Who?"

“You are Dominic. That’s the only reason everything about you is so different.”

“Who is Dominic?"

I chuckle. “Why are you even asking who Dominic is? Every werewolf knows Dominic, he is like their king or something. So that’s why you want to kill me?"

“I heard that you have been given the task of hunting me down,” he ignores my question. His eyes bore into mine, his face unreadable.

“I almost thought you didn’t exist, or I thought you would look like some huge scary creature.”

“Well, here I am.” He keeps his gaze on me.

Yeah, looking as hot as ever.

“I heard you don’t have a scent.”

“What do you think?” He raises his eyebrows.

“You smell like oud. Why am I the only one who can trace your scent?”

“Ask those who gave you this task,” he says flatly.

I charge towards him, and he ducks, mocking me with a chuckle.

I try to slam his chest with my elbow, and he holds my elbow in his hand.

“I heard you are the best warrior, the standard for vampires must be pretty low.”

I use my left fist to try to punch his throat, and he quickly envelops my fist in his hand.

“I feel like I’m training one of the pups,” he taunts.

I groan in frustration, and his eyes light up, but his face remains stoic.

“When you are mad, you are bound to make mistakes, and right now, I could easily rip your heart out.” He places his hand on my chest, a little above my breast.

I glare at him before trying to continue with my attacks, but for every move that I do, he does a defence move. The heat of anger rises in me each time he blocks my attacks with ease. I hate Lycans.

“You know what your problem is? Anger? You hate losing, don’t you?”

“I didn’t lose!” I growl, slamming him against the wall, my hand on his solid chest.

‘Esther,’ my father’s stern voice sends a telepath message. ‘Esther, where are you?’

I pause, letting go of Dominic’s chest and stepping away.

‘Father,’ I respond.

‘Where are you? Your fiancé is worried about you!’

‘I’ll be there in twenty minutes.’

‘You better!’ He warns.

“Fun is over,” I glare at Dominic. “But I’m coming back for you.”

“Out of moves already?” Dominic asks.

I glower at him. “I now know your scent.”

“I’m aware,” he sighs.

“I’m going to kill you."

He chuckles. “How are you going to do that, princess?”

“I can’t tell you, but trust me, it will be memorable.” I reach out to open the door.

‘You selfish coward. I found your car. I hope you ran away to the far ends of the Earth.’ Charles sends a telepathy.

‘Just stand up to your parents, you moron!’ I retort.

‘Where's your food? Don't you dare say you ate them? I followed their scent, and it went as far as the airport. I'm going to catch you on video while you drink animal blood.’

I glance at Dominic, who is watching me with interest. Probably wondering who I’m speaking to. I block the telepathy channel.

I pounce at him, my lips crushing onto his. His movements are hesitant at first, and then he kisses me with so much hunger.

He breaks the kiss, holding my shoulders.

“What are you doing?” He asks, a little breathless.

“Defying my father and getting back at Charles.”

He grins, pulling me towards him. I hear a violent tear of the t-shirt I'm wearing, and in return, I tear off his t-shirt, the wound where I stabbed him already healed.

“Are you sure?” he asks.

“Yes!”