|•| IRIS CORTEZ |•|I heaved a sigh out of boredom, tossing my phone into my clutch. I picked up my tumbler, taking a sip from the little rum that was in the glass as my gaze travelled lazily across the room pulsing with energy.Again, in the sea of the drunken crowd and sweaty bodies, music blaring from the speakers hidden somewhere in this ridiculously large Penthouse with its living room bedazzled in red neon lights, my eyes caught his for the umpteenth time.I wasn't quite interested at first. That was because I was bored out of my mind and I was beginning to think that coming to this party was one of the worst decisions I had ever made. Not counting the fact that it was lame, but the energy around here was only ruining my vibe.However, the lean blonde seated amidst his loud friends wouldn't stop glancing at me since I stepped into this party, and given that boredom tends to make me cranky, I didn't see a reason I shouldn't put up with whatever it was he had in mind.So, with my
|•| IRIS CORTEZ|•|The reflexively husky, masculine voice eased into the room like a honey drizzling into a teacup, swiftly grabbing my attention more than it ought to. I froze, the whiskey bottle hanging in the air. I was definitely hallucinating. I mean, I knew I had been thinking of the guy a little too much lately but there's no way in hell he was here.“He is not here. He is not here.” I muttered to myself, trying to steady my shaky hands.“Ouch, does that work all the time?” he queried, sounding confused. I knew I was fast, but I didn't think I was fast enough to snap my head in the direction of the doorpost in what seemed like the blink of an eye.“Pretending that people are a product of your hallucination?” I saw one of his perfectly carved brows tug up a little, inquisition etched on his strong features.He didn't move a muscle from where he was leaning on the doorpost, his muscular frame eating up every inch of the opening behind him. His large
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|I slipped into the Cafe, the thick glass door slamming itself shut behind me. I was instantly repulsed at the sight of the all-in-your-face decor and the bustling energy of my surroundings but I had skipped work enough to know that any other slip-up from me was going to be my ticket out of there, so I swallowed my revulsion, taking a step forward.My eyes instantly caught Charlotte's brown ones from across the room and her eyes lit up immediately. She threw me a childlike wave and my stiff lips stretched in a smile to reciprocate her excitement, even though she was the last person I wanted to be around right now.Charlotte had a way of being a pest with how inquisitive she could be whenever she sensed that something was going on with me. I wouldn't want to be the reason our friendship strains because I knew the new me wouldn't hesitate to go off on her if she pushed the wrong buttons.Funny how it has only been less than two weeks since my whole life crumbled and
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|I hummed in satisfaction, wiggling my newly painted nails under the lights hanging over the Queen-sized bed of Iris’ room. I had doubts about trying red colour on my fingers but I didn't think it'd turn out so well. I giggled, picking up my book and throwing the covers over my head to continue reading.The door to the bathroom was abrasively flung open, causing me to push the covers off my body at once. With furrowed brows, my gaze flitted to the taller girl marching into her closet like a giant alien. A worried sigh escaped me, my eyes fixed intently on the entrance leading to the closet as I patiently waited for her to step out.Iris’ mood swings can be linked to two things. Her hormones and the possibility of someone getting on her nerves. It was either the first one or the second one. It could be both at times too and it always made her a ticking time bomb threatening to go off. However, call it a gut feeling or whatever, but I strongly believed that it wasn'
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|I drowned out the eerie silence trailing behind me from outside when I stepped into my apartment. I switched on the lights, tossing my bag somewhere in the disorganised space. My muscles and limbs ached from standing all day and I could barely feel my legs. The only thing I wanted to do was to get in bed and sleep the whole day.I shimmied out of my jeans, kicked off my sneakers, and sauntered into the kitchen to fetch myself a glass of water.I didn't miss how weird the atmosphere seemed when I came back to the living room. It flat-out felt like I was being watched, goosebumps creeping onto my skin. The coldness from the inside radiated outwards and I felt myself shiver from the effect. Even if I wanted to dismiss everything. I couldn't dismiss the sheer curtains that were blowing fiercely. I mentally cursed myself for forgetting to lock the windows.I suppressed a shiver, garnering the courage to advance forward. I hastily dropped my glass of water on the centr
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|The moment those words left my lips, I knew I had just allowed everything else to go up in flames. I knew I was venturing towards an edge that'd change everything, but a huge part of me didn't care.Andre's eyes thickened with want, his breath shallow and heavy. I could see the restraint swimming in his eyes, even though his hunger for me was slowly overshadowing.“You have to understand that there's no coming back from this. Do you really want to risk everything and completely blur the lines between what we have?” he whispered.“I don't care. I am not going to stay in a world where you do not exist.” The weight of my words released a sharp breath from him, his eyes conveying his surprise.“You'll be the death of me.” His knuckles glided over the skin of my face in a dainty caress and my skin erupted in flames.I inched forward desperately, brushing his lips against my tentatively. With the way he crashed his lips against mine, stealing my breath from my lungs, I
|•| DÉSIRÉE DOYLE |•|I stirred awake, catching a whiff of his aftershave lingering on the sheets that were carelessly wrapped around me.I pushed my hair off my face tiredly, my eyes drifting through the room, catching my panties lying carelessly away from the bed—a blush crept up my neck to my face—before it occurred to me that he wasn't in the room with me.Unlike the first time I woke up in bed with him to find him missing, I wasn't freaking out and going out of my mind. Instead, it gave me time to come to terms with the fact that we spent the entire night exploring our bodies. But somehow, I feared that it might not have been enough because I lacked experience in bed and I might not have been able to satisfy him last night.My chest twisted, and embarrassment washed over me. I didn't know why my insecurities decided to weaponize themselves against me, conjuring an image of a dark-haired bitch pleasing André in ways I never would. A frown mounted on my face, and I shook my head to
BULGARIA, 1923.His eyes travelled around the scanty bar, and just when he was about to pick up his tumbler, his eyes settled on the blonde-haired woman, who had her hair in a high up-do. Her beauty and the poise at which she strutted from her seat and headed out the door wasn't what caught his attention.It wasn't the muffler on her neck either.It was the part of her neck where the shawl wasn't covering. The strong smell of fresh blood hit him and he froze in his seat, taking in the double holes that were punctured on her neck.She had just been bitten.He could tell.And that only told him the one thing he was scared of confirming because he knew he didn't feed on that woman. They are here.He downed the rest of his whiskey at a go, shooting up from the bar stool. The bartender happened to walk in at that moment. He latched onto the collar of his shirt, raising him to eye level like he weighed nothing. He peered at him intently. The bartender struggled valiantly in his arms, trying