Author's Preface
Dante's Pov
The heavy cabin door slammed shut behind us, the sharp, definitive click of the locking mechanism echoing like a gunshot through the small, enclosed space. Rose leaned heavily against the polished mahogany wood, her breathing ragged, shallow, and heavy with the sweet, intoxicating scent of alcohol. Her vibrant violet hair spilled like raw silk over her bare shoulders. The emerald floral dress she wore had slipped low, exposing the smooth, creamy curve of her collarbone as she fought to keep her balance against the subtle sway of the yacht.
She lifted her head, her golden eyes glazed, unfocused, and wide. “...Dante?”
The raw, breathless way she spoke my name sent thousands of tiny, electric pinpricks straight down my spine. My shaft strained instantly, tightening hard against the restriction of my trousers. I had never heard her call my name like that before, soft, vulnerable, and completely unguarded. My throat went completely dry as my chest constricted. She was the drug, and I was her absolute addict.
Clenching my jaw until the bone throbbed to keep the predator inside me chained, I took a slow, deliberate step forward, crowding her space. “Do you even know who I am, Rose?”
Her gaze dropped directly to my lips, a lazy, intoxicating smile slowly spreading across her features. “...My neighbor.”
A bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped my throat. “That’s all?”
God dammit.
Every single syllable sliding from her mouth made my carefully constructed self-control disintegrate into ash. I took another step, closing the remaining distance until the heat of our bodies blurred together. Her back pressed flat against the wall, trapped completely between the rigid wood and my chest. She didn’t shrink away.
She tilted her head back, her eyes dilating into dark pools as my shadow completely consumed her. “What...”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
I didn’t have an answer for her. For five agonizing years, I had lied to myself, swearing this dark, twisted obsession would eventually burn itself out. It never had. Every single morning, my eyes instinctively tracked the light in her bedroom window. Every evening, I stood out on my balcony, pretending to admire the sunset while my gaze devoured her as she watered her flowers. Every single day I swore would be the last time I looked at her, and every day I failed like a complete amateur.
Placing my hand flat against the wall right beside her head, I leaned down, crowding her until she could feel the cold radiating off my skin. My voice came out rough, deep, and thick with a lethal edge. “Tell me. What the hell are you doing to me?”
Her chest heaved against mine, her breath hitching as the fabric of our clothes brushed together. “I... don’t understand.”
“Neither do I,” I rasped, letting out a dark laugh that held absolutely no humor. “I don’t know you. We’ve never even had a real conversation. I despise people. So why...” I trailed off, my eyes dragging hungrily over her flushed cheeks, her trembling neck, and the pulse fluttering wildly at her throat. “Why can’t I stop thinking about you?”
She looked genuinely puzzled, her body softening and leaning directly into mine. “I don’t know...”
Of course she didn’t. How could she? She had lived right beside an apex predator for five years without ever realizing she had become the absolute center of my existence. I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second, letting her intoxicating scent fill my lungs. It was warm, sweet, and so dangerously familiar it made my fangs ache, pressing heavily behind my teeth. Standing this close to her was like standing in front of a buried memory I desperately wanted to rip open but couldn’t reach. My thirst in this room wasn’t just for blood anymore; it was a savage, consuming hunger for her .
Five years of agonizing restraint, maintaining a cold distance, and five years of pretending she meant nothing to me. Maybe I was the fool all along. Maybe if I stopped resisting this invisible, magnetic pull, and if I just accepted that she belonged to me... if I claimed her... this relentless madness would finally stop burning me alive.
Her eyelids fluttered closed, her battle against the alcohol and exhaustion finally lost. Her head slowly tipped forward until it rested heavily against my shoulder, her warm breath hot against my neck.
“...You’re warm.” She buried her face into the crook of my neck.
My entire body went completely rigid, every muscle locking tight as the friction of her soft skin sent a wave of heat straight through my dead veins. She sighed softly, completely oblivious to the absolute, violent storm raging inside me. For the first time in centuries, I wished I understood my own heart.
“...Can I stay like this...?” Her voice was barely a breath against my collarbone. Her forehead rested right against my chest, her body heat radiating through my clothes despite the cool sea breeze slipping through the slightly opened balcony door.
I knew the right thing to do was to push her away and walk out. Instead, I stood completely paralyzed, wrapping a hand around her waist to anchor her against me. Suddenly, a heavy thud vibrated through my chest. My heartbeat echoed loudly in the absolute silence of the room. It was impossible. My heart hadn’t reacted to a single soul in centuries, yet one drunk, fragile human girl had managed to reduce my carefully built composure to absolute ash. What the hell are you doing to me, Rose?
A loud, aggressive knock shattered the silence. Knock. Knock. Knock.
My lips brushed her ear, my body locking tight. “It’s your friend.”
Lily’s knock rattled the wood much harder this time. “Rose! Open the door! I’m getting worried!”
Rose stirred against my chest, letting out a sleepy, frustrated hum. “...Lily...”
She slowly lifted her head, her eyes still heavily glazed over. “Hmm... Lily’s here...” She made a weak, stumbling attempt to step away toward the door, but I caught her arm firmly, my fingers digging gently into her skin before she could lose her balance and crash to the floor.
“Careful.”
She looked up through her lashes and smiled absentmindedly. “...You’re nice.”
Those two simple words hit me harder than any physical blow ever could. Another sharp knock echoed through the cabin, followed by the distinct, frantic rattle of the doorknob. She hadn’t locked the door. Damn it. I had only seconds left. No human could see me here with her, especially not in a state like this. Without another word, I released her arm and stepped backward into the heavy shadows. By the time the handle fully turned, I had vanished.
*****
I stood silently on the narrow, pitch-black balcony outside the cabin, completely invisible to the human eye. The glass door reflected the brightly lit room behind me as the cabin door swung wide open.
“Rose!” Lily rushed inside, her eyes wide with panic as she immediately wrapped her arms around her friend. “Oh my God! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
Rose blinked lazily, her head rolling slightly. “I’m... okay...”
“No, you’re not! You’ve been missing for almost an hour,” Lily said, her eyes scanning the small cabin as her expression suddenly shifted into intense suspicion. “...Were you here alone?”
My gaze never left Rose through the glass, watching the way her dress clung to her curves. She frowned, looking thoroughly confused. “...No...”
For a brief, agonizing second, her violet eyes locked directly onto the dark glass door. My breath hitched. Did she see me? No, she looked away almost immediately, shaking her head. “He was...” Rose mumbled, looking around the empty room. “Where did he go...?”
Lily followed her gaze toward the empty corner. “Who?”
“...My neighbor...”
A strange, sharp ache settled deep in my chest. Even completely wasted, her mind hadn’t erased me.
Lily gently brushed a stray strand of violet hair away from Rose’s face, pulling her toward the exit. “Come on. Let’s get you back before you pass out completely.”
Rose nodded obediently. Just before crossing the threshold, she turned around one last time. Her violet eyes wandered slowly across the empty, shadowed cabin, desperately searching for me. Then, she disappeared into the hallway, and the heavy silence returned.
The ocean stretched endlessly beneath the brilliant moonlight. I remained standing on that freezing balcony long after they had gone, my eyes fixed on the empty corridor where she had vanished. Five years. I had spent five long years convincing myself she was just another regular, disposable human. Tonight, that lie finally fell apart.
I looked down at my palm, the exact same hand that had instinctively reached out to steady her, protected her, and held her soft body against mine. “...This ends now,” I whispered into the dark night air, trying to convince myself more than anyone else. “If staying away from you is impossible...” My fingers slowly curled into a tight, brutal fist. “...Then I’ll find out exactly why you have this power over me.”
For the first time in centuries, I wasn’t afraid of the monster living inside my chest. I was afraid of the answer.