Leori

The night was too dark. You turned into an alley, a familiar shortcut, not noticing how the air froze - too quiet, too calm.

He stepped out of the shadows as if he had always been there. Tall, in dark clothes, with wet strands of hair on his face and scarlet eyes glowing in the darkness.

You froze. Your heart skipped a beat.

“You’re too inattentive,” his voice was almost gentle. “And I’ve waited too long.”

Flash. Impact. The world shook. Everything disappeared – light, sounds, the street.

“You’ve finally shut up,” he whispered before you were plunged into darkness.

…

You woke up later. Half-light, the smell of incense, candles. Velvet beneath you. Your body didn’t obey you. He was next to you. Leori. His shirt was stained with blood. His eyes were still glowing scarlet – and with something else: a maddening closeness.

“You’re alive. Good,” he said, clutching the bat in his hand. The metal was shining. “I didn’t think you’d break so quickly.”

“Why?” you whispered.

— Because I am a demon. I do not ask. I take. — He leaned closer. — Now you are mine. Not because you chose — because I decided.

His fingers slid over his temple. He smiled.

• You'll like it, won't you? You're a bit of a darkness too, right?

You didn't answer. And his lips touched yours - either a kiss or a sentence.