CHAPTER4: Teeth Behind the Tongue

Lydia’s POV

Two days later. I don’t go looking for him.

At least, that’s what I tell myself.

I tell myself I’m out here because another body was found; drained, mauled and unburied, the kind of kill that makes both our kinds look bad. I tell myself it’s duty.

I tell myself a lot of things I don’t believe anymore.

The truth? I haven’t slept. Not really.

Not since the dream came back.

That boy. That bracelet on my wrist like a brand I can’t remove. My mind’s a mess, a tangle of memories that don’t make sense, instincts I can’t explain, and a name I taste like a prayer I never meant to say:

The alley is narrow, the kind that stinks of piss, spoiled beer, and secrets nobody meant to leave behind. Dark walls, cracked bricks, broken glass. The dull shimmer of blood pooling near a dumpster.

The body’s still intact..

Not human but a vampire.. Young and sloppy

Whoever did this didn’t care about hiding it. Or maybe they wanted it found.

I crouch beside the corpse, eyes narrowing at the bite. It smelt like a dead vampire but there was another sensual scent that I was familiar with. One I yearned for.

It coiled through the air and slammed into me with no warning. That same heat. That same quiet, wild burn. It wasn’t strong, like the echo of something long gone, but it was him.

He was here.

I closed my eyes and breathed through my teeth. Control yourself, Lydia.

And still, I couldn’t help but wonder, why?

Why was he showing up around deaths like these? Was it coincidence?

Or something else entirely?

What does a wolf like Leonidas do, anyway? An Alpha, they called him, what was his duty?

I heard him before I saw him, the steady, low rhythm of boots against pavement. Unhurried and confident. My heartbeat skyrocketed in my chest, excitement evident in my veins.

I didn’t turn around.

I didn’t have to.

“We keep meeting in strange places, Lydia.” His voice was casual, almost amused.

My eyes drifting higher to reach his face. I forgot how tall he was.

He was standing at the mouth of the alley like he owned the shadow it was built in. Hands hidden in the Leather jacket that hugged his huge muscles and broad shoulders tightly, almost ripping off. Torn collar, blood on his knuckles like he didn’t bother washing it off. His hair’s a wild halo around his face. And his eyes-

They glowed. Not bright. Just faintly. Like moonlight caught in the act of remembering fire. My body hummed. At the sight of his gorgeous face I hadn’t seen in days, I was moved to run into his arms.

“Another one?” he asks, nodding toward the corpse.

“Yeah. A vampire this time” I answered turning back to the body. He took long step to come stand beside me. His scent even more prominent now. Why did he have to smell so good?

I watched Leonidas as he accessed the body with furrowed brows. He wasn’t a vampire so he didn’t need to be here, but he was, I couldn’t help but wonder why.

“Ask your question,” he said, eyes still on the corpse.

I didn’t even have the strength to be surprised. I instead snagged the opportunity and asked him the first question that came to mind.

“You haven’t been to the parties. Why?”

Leonidas turned to stare at me, his golden eyes glinting the usual way it does when his eyes landed on me. I half expected him to mock me, to laugh in my face at my desperate question. But he simply smirked. “I was busy. Alpha. Remember?”

I nodded, my gaze darting to his boots.

“Is that all?” I glanced back at him. “Don’t you have more questions for me?” He asked.

I wanted to scream, yes I did. I wanted to ask about the first ball with which we met, about the second ball that he didn’t come for, about what the women said about him and his hatred for my kind. Why he was speaking to me or being nice to me. What games was he playing. They shouldn’t bother me, but gods! They did. So much.

But instead.. “yeah. That’s all.”

He watched me carefully, then nodded.

“These deaths are occurring too many times.” He said, glancing at the body and back at me.

“What are you going to do about it?” I asked.

“What do you think I should do?”

That look again, one of curiously mainly, not mockery or cruelty. He didn’t look at me like my father did when I opted to mention something. But I was still skeptical. He hated my kind, he hated my father. So naturally he hated me. I needed to leave before I did something I’d regret..

“I’m in no place to advise an Alpha,” I said coldly. “From what I hear, you’re powerful. Resourceful. I’m sure you’ll figure it out without my help.”

His gaze dragged across my face. He didn’t speak, but something flickered in his expression, something I couldn’t place.

I didn’t know why I was suddenly angry. Maybe because I knew this was too good to be true and I still fell for it. I still fell for Rina’s voice in my head saying to allow things to flow. But Leonidas would never do anything with a vampire. He was just like the rest. Appalled my us. I needed to rein in whatever I was feeling before it escalated.

“I’m gonna go.” I whispered more to myself. He didn’t stop me. Just stood there, watching in a way that made my legs feel unsure beneath me.

I turned away, heart pounding like it was trying to outrun me, partly waiting for him to stop me and partly hoping he doesn’t.

About to turn the corner,

“Lydia,” he growled.

I froze.

“Look at me.”

I turned instantly. Not because I wanted to.

Because my body obeyed before my mind could catch up.

I looked down at myself, startled.

What the hell just happened?

I stared back at him. “Wh-What did you do to me?”

He walked toward me, calm, deliberate. “It wasn’t intentional. It happens when I raise my voice.”

“What happens when you raise your voice.” I asked still shock and slightly afraid. He stopped a few feet from me, gaze steady.

“People tend to... follow whatever I command. When I raise my voice. Or even when I don’t. if I initiate it. It’s an Alpha thing.”

My heart warmed. “I don’t-”

“It’s complicated. I’ll explain when we see next time.”

When. Not if.

I remained quiet.

He stopped inches from me. Close enough that I could count the faint flecks of gold in his eyes. Close enough that his breath ghosted against my cheek, warm and alive and maddening. His scents clouded my senses, expanding my hunger to sink into him.

There was tensed silence, then he spoke

“You’ve been thinking about me.”

It wasn’t a question, it was sin said out loud.

I tilted my chin. Dislike seeping into my veins at how much he knew and saw, just like the boy in my past.

I shook it off.

“You flatter yourself.”

He leaned down slightly, not touching, not quite. But I felt it. That burning hum of tension.

“You smell different when you lie,” he murmured

I inhale sharply. My body betrayed me before my mind can catch up.

“You don’t scare me,” I whisper.

“Good.” His voice was softer now. “I’m not here to scare you.”

“Then why are you here?” My voice was sharper than I meant . “Why me?”

He didn’t answer.

Instead, he lifted a hand, slow and deliberate, like he was reaching for a weapon.

But all he did was tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. It shouldn’t have felt intimate, but it did.

His fingers grazed my temple, goosebumps scattered around my skin, and something inside me flinched. Not from fear. That same familiarity, that same unknown pull felt at the pit of my stomach.

“You look tired, Lydia.” His voice was low. Not mocking.

Just... too knowing.

“I sleep fine,” I lied

“Liar.” He turned from me, finally, like it costs him something to look away.

But then he turned his back to me, his shoulders moving in tandem to his slow breathing.

“Next time you want to see me,” he said turning as he stared at me, “just ask.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I snap, but the heat in my voice is weak.

He gave me a wink then turned to walked away without another word, disappearing into the shadows like they were built for him.

And I stood there, lips dried, fists clenched, heart loud. Eyes staring after him even after he’s long gone.

I didn’t know what feeling overwhelmed me as I watched Leonidas walk. But it was a feeling I was familiar with. One that happened when I watch my mothers body burn to ashes. That feeling of longing, the desire to be where she was..

I hadn’t experienced that feeling in a long time. But here he was, eliciting that feeling out of me.

********

I didn’t go home right away.

I wandered the city like it owed me an answer, but all I got was fog, sirens in the distance, and the constant hum of streetlight buzz.

Eventually, I gave up pretending I’ wasn’t shaken. I headed to Rina’s.

Her apartment smelt like peach tea and nail polish remover, warm, sweet, chaotic in a way that’s always felt like a fever dream to me. She’ got shoes by the couch, cereal on the floor, and a half-done painting drying near the window. It' was a mess. It was her. And tonight, it was the only place that doesn’t feel like it’s closing in on me.

I spent the night huddled under her arms, my mind refusing to stop the replay of todays event, my body still humming with electricity and excitement but my vampire warning me to be cautions. Leonidas was the enemy. He hated my kind. He was the enemy. No matter how much I wanted him. He was the enemy.

If only I believe it.