|•| 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
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
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|"Awww, don't worry, sweetheart. It's all going to be over soon."Those two sentences—the last line of the chapter of the book I was currently reading, which had me hooked—echoed in my head. It thinned out the incessant chatters of the Café customers and the soft music in the background.The noise, which got under my skin, dissipated into nothingness, replaced by the words, which seemed to amplify my curiosity the more I dwelled on it. It rendered me restless and absentminded. A slimy substance splashed all over my face abruptly, filtering into my eyes and it had me blinking rapidly at the stinging sensation it left inside of them.I dropped the sponge in my hands, bringing them to my eyes to wipe the liquid off, but the stinging sensation only worsened.The mocking giggles that filled the air gave me an inkling of what was going on. Goddammit.I pried my eyes open. They watered effortlessly because of how badly they stung, but I didn't snap them shut. My eyes lan
|•| DESIRÉE DOYLE |•|The shrill sound of my alarm clock jolted me upright and I flinched, whipping my head up from the reading table. The unceasing sound had me groaning and I slammed my palm on the button to shut it down. I whimpered, propping my elbows on the desk but the rattling sound of my keyboard had me retracting them. I brought my hand to my face to brush my hair off but the glasses perched on the bridge of my nose obstructed me."God, I didn't." I groaned in distaste. I had fallen asleep by my reading table again. The dark screen of my laptop stared back at me. I glided my finger on the touchpad and it came on. The blank page on Microsoft Word had its mocking eyes pinned on me, causing me to release a frustrating sigh. I knew I should have just gone to bed when I came back from work yesternight but silly me wanted to see if I could come up with anything so that I could meet up with deadlines. And just like always, I slept off.Hissing thro