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𪡠LYRA đŞˇ
The first thing she noticed was the cold.
It crept slowly into her awareness, seeping through her clothes and into her skin until it settled in her bones.
Her head throbbed with a dull, pulsing ache that made every breath feel slightly wrong.
Lyra groaned softly. The world swayed before her eyes when she forced them open.
There were thick tree canopies blocking most of the moonlight. Streaks of silver filtered through the branches above, barely illuminating the ground.
For a moment she didn't understand where she was. Then the pain in the back of her head sharpened.
Her breath caught. Her hands jerked instinctively, but they didn't move.
They were tied. Rough rope dug into her wrists, pulling them tightly behind the thick trunk of a massive tree. The bark scraped painfully against her arms every time she shifted.
"What the-" Her voice came out hoarse. Her legs were bound too. Fear crawled slowly up her spine.
Memories rushed back in an instant. She was walking back to the dorm when she noticed movements behind her.
Something had slammed into the back of her head.
Lyra sucked in a shaky breath. Her hair felt sticky where the blood had dried against her scalp. When she moved slightly, fresh warmth trickled down the side of her neck.
"Hello?" Her voice echoed weakly through the trees.
Lyra twisted her wrists again, ignoring the pain as the rope bit deeper into her skin.
The quiet rustle of leaves made her pause. A tall figure emerged from the shadows between the trees, the moonlight catching the sharp angles of his face as he stepped forward.
Damon.
He looked completely calm. Like he was out for a midnight walk. His dark hair fell loosely across his forehead, and his hands rested casually in the pockets of his jacket as he approached.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh," he said softly. His voice sounded almost pleased. "I knew I was going to have you, but I didn't know it would be this soon."
Lyra's pulse slammed violently against her ribs.
"You...You hit me." Damon tilted his head slightly as if considering the statement.
"Technically," he said calmly, "yes."
Damon inhaled deeply and stepped closer. Like someone breathing in the scent of fresh air after a long time indoors.
"God," he murmured. His eyes slid down to the side of her head where blood had matted her hair. "Your blood smells so damn good."
Lyra's skin went cold as Damon crouched slowly in front of her.
"The scent is driving me insane," he continued softly.
His gaze lingered on the thin line of blood trailing down her neck.
"You have no idea how hard it was to wait."
"You're insane."
"I get that a lot." He smiled wider.
His fingers reached out suddenly, brushing lightly against the blood near her temple.
Lyra flinched violently. Damon paused at her movement and then chuckled under his breath.
"Oh relax." He looked at the smear of red on his fingertip.
For a moment, he simply stared at it. Then he slowly licked it. Lyra's stomach lurched at the sight.
Damon's eyes fluttered shut briefly as if savoring the taste.
"Yeah," he whispered. "That's exactly what I thought."
"What do you want from me?"
Damon studied her quietly, like she was an interesting puzzle.
"I wantâŚ" he began slowly. Then he leaned back slightly, resting his elbows casually on his knees. "I'm not entirely sure yet."
"What?"
"You smell incredible. Your blood is different, and you're the only human I've seen tonight who didn't walk out of that auditorium like a sleepwalking idiot." His smile sharpened. "So naturally, I got curious."
"You killed her. Amara...you killed Amara. That's why all this is happening."
For a moment there was complete silence. Then Damon laughed, like she'd said something mildly entertaining.
"I did." He shrugged casually. "So what?"
"You're not even denying it." Lyra stared at him in disbelief.
"Why would I? She fucking annoyed me."
"She was a person!"
"No, no, no. She was food." The way he said it was so casual it made Lyra's stomach twist violently.
"You're disgusting."
"Probably." He didn't sound bothered in the slightest. Then his eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her more closely. "But that's not the interesting part. How do you know that?"
Lyra said nothing and Damon leaned closer, his glowing eyes locked onto hers.
"Because," he continued softly, "everyone else just forgot she ever existed." His smile grew wider. "But you didn't."
Lyra swallowed. His grin stretched further. He was completely crazy.
"Well now," he murmured. "This is getting pretty interesting."
He stood slowly, pacing a small circle around the tree like a restless predator.
"You shouldn't remember that," he continued thoughtfully. "Sebastian made sure of it. But you do. You really are something else, something rare. And guess what? I love collecting rare things."
Damon tilted his head slowly, watching her the way someone might watch a strange animal they'd never seen before. Not with sympathy, but with fascination.
Lyra felt her pulse pounding in her throat. The rope dug deeper into her wrists when she shifted again, but she barely noticed the pain now.
Damon was studying her. Really studying her. Not like a boy looking at a girl - Like a predator trying to figure out what kind of creature it had in its territory.
"You know," he said slowly, pacing again in front of her, "most humans scream by now."
"Most humans also don't get kidnapped and tied up by psychopaths in the middle of the woods."
"Fair."
He stopped pacing. Then he crouched again, resting his arms on his knees like he had all the time in the world.
"But I still can't get over it," he continued.
His glowing eyes drifted lazily down the side of her head again where the blood had dried.
"That smellâŚ" He inhaled slowly again. "It's ridiculous," he murmured. "I've fed tonight already. I shouldn't be this hungry. And yet here you are."
He reached out suddenly. His fingers wrapped around her chin and forced her face up toward his.
"You're bleeding," he said quietly. His thumb brushed lightly against her chin. "And it smells like heaven."
Lyra jerked her face away, but the rope behind her wrists kept her from moving far.
"Damn you." Damon didn't look offended. If anything, he looked amused.
He stood again and walked a few steps away, dragging a hand through his hair like he was thinking something over.
"You know what the funny part is?" he said casually. Damon looked back at her when she said nothing. "You're supposed to be food."
"What?"
Damon gestured vaguely toward the direction of the academy.
"You and all the other cute little things in the normal dorms. You're basically a walking buffet. Yet, why can't we fucking feed the way we want? Why establish some fucked up rule and leave us to starve."
"What are you talking about?" She asked, fear evident in her eyes.
"There it is," he murmured. "That look."
"You're all... monsters."
"Predators. Different word. Same idea. But what really gets me is how you remained the same after stepping out of the auditorium. What the hell are you?"
"I'm a human being tied to a tree by a lunatic." Lyra glared at him.
"I love interesting things. And Lyra? You are very, very interesting."
He reached behind the tree. For a second Lyra thought he was about to tighten the ropes.
Instead, the knot loosened and her wrists suddenly fell free. Lyra gasped as blood rushed painfully back into her hands.
Before she could react, Damon leaned close to her ear. So close she could feel the cold of his breath against her skin.
"Run."
"What?"
"If I catch you before you reach the academyâŚI'm drinking every drop." Damon stepped back slowly, smiling again.
The rope fell completely from her wrists. And Damon took one slow step backward into the shadow.
For a second Lyra didn't move. Her wrists were free. Needles of sensation stabbed through her fingers, making them tremble.
Damon stood a few steps away in the darkness, watching her like this was all some kind of game.
"Run," he repeated lightly.
Lyra's chest rose and fell quickly, her breath shaky. Her legs felt weak from being tied up for so long.
She looked toward the direction of the academy. Then back at him. The forest around them was pitch black, the tall trees swallowing most of the moonlight.
Lyra forced herself to stand upright, even though the back of her head throbbed where he had hit her. Her fingers curled and uncurled, testing the feeling returning to them.
"You're not going to let me go."
"I might." His eyes flicked down her body and back up to her face again. "But you'd better hurry."
Then Damon's expression changed, it happened fast Lyra couldn't pinpoint how it happened.
The amusement disappeared from his face like someone had wiped it away.
His nostrils flared and he snarled. The animalistic sound ripped out of him suddenly.
His eyes flared brighter, the red glowing unnaturally in the darkness of the woods.
And when he opened his mouth, his fangs slid down, long, sharp and inhuman.
Lyra's breath caught violently in her throat. The change in him was immediate and terrifying.
Now he looked exactly like what he was. A predator. His eyes burned as they locked onto her.
"Run," he growled again.