Off the Beaten Path: Eight Tales of the Paranormal Read online

  The burn in my belly grew into a hunger, now that I knew he felt the same as I did. Reigning my galloping emotions, I glanced down at the small vial in my hand. Rolling it around in my fingers, I saw a hint of red shining through the black serum.

  “Drugs?” I asked, amazed I was able to get the word out without choking on it.

  “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s an immunity of sorts,” he said. His brow furrowed, and now my curiosity was up.

  “Drink it.”

  I scoffed. There was no way I was going to drink that foreign liquid, no matter how sexy he was. Then I met his eyes again and again my resolve melted away. I could see forever in those deep pools. Before I even knew what my hands were doing, I had already popped the little cork out of the top of the vial and was bringing it to my lips. The alarm bells in the back of my head had turned into a full-blown siren, but I couldn’t stop.

  A thought flitted across my mind that somehow Nik was controlling me, making me want to do these crazy things, making me feel alive. But that didn’t stop the motion of my hand, or the willingness of my mouth as the small glass cylinder rested on my lips. In a quick motion, my wayward arm upended the contents of the vial into my mouth, and I gulped it.

  The richest delicacy I’d ever known slid across my tongue and down my throat. Even my reservations gave pause as I savored the unknown liquid. Time slowed as I felt it burn down my esophagus and fade away into my belly.

  I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, licking every drop of the fluid from my lips. I found Nik smiling at me. He seemed relaxed, and the tension in him that I hadn’t even noticed before was gone. I slumped back into the cushions, copying his mood.

  “What was that?” I asked, feeling dazed and euphoric. I giggled for no reason.

  Nik’s smile grew as he stood before me, drawing himself to his full height. He closed the distance between us to tower over me. Whatever I had just consumed seemed to kill all my inhibitions, and I reached my hand up to run my fingertips over his taut belly.

  As soon as my hand made contact with him, Nik sucked in a quick breath and grabbed my wrist. The way he purred his response placated me so I didn’t feel rebuffed from his denial. “Not yet, love. You’re not quite ready.”

  “Oh, I think I am.” I stood, surprised at my own aggressiveness. I couldn’t believe those words had just come out of my mouth. Nik grabbed my other wrist and spun me around, handling me like I was a newborn kitten. Butterflies flew rampant in my stomach.

  “Soon, love,” he whispered from behind me, making my skin tingle. “First, you must sleep.”

  “Sleep?” I giggled, feeling the same way I did after a couple beers. “I can’t sleep now!”

  A smooth, deep chuckle was his only response. It reverberated through me, and all I wanted to do was spin around and jump into his arms. I realized, though, that I wouldn’t be able to manage that maneuver. I was having a hard enough time walking, even with Nik there to guide me. Pouting, I stopped arguing as he aimed me toward my bedroom.

  I fell into my bed, laughing again for no reason. I rolled onto my back, stretching and trying to assume a sexy pose, bolstered by false confidence from my dose of the unknown. When I opened my eyes, I was happy to see that Nik was appreciating my display. The light in the room was dim, but I could definitely see a fire burning in his eyes.

  He sat on the edge of my bed, and I reached for him.

  He was quick to push me back down. “It’s time to sleep, now.”

  “But I’m not tired!” I said, reiterating my earlier point. I let him push me back nonetheless, still trying to entice him with my body language.

  “Relax,” Nik whispered to me. “I’ll be here when you awake.”

  I paused at that, taking the time to study him. That was when I realized the tension from before had returned. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he attacked, one large hand covering my mouth and nose. Panic and fear surged through me. I tried to fight, tried to scream, but nothing seemed to affect him. His hand was a vise against my mouth, and my hands and legs might as well have been flailing against steel.

  Flecks of black were starting to invade my vision, but I kept trying to fight. My lungs burned for air that I couldn’t get. My lips were crushed against my teeth and the taste of blood filled my mouth. I gagged and choked on it, but found no release. As my struggles died and the blackness took over, I focused one last time on the handsome man I had trusted. He looked down on me with sadness in his eyes.

  I wanted to ask him why.

  I awoke.

  Memories of being deprived of oxygen flooded through me and I gasped for air. The feeling of relief was unmatched as I was able to draw in a deep, unhindered breath. My fingers touched my lips, expecting to feel a bruise but everything felt normal. There was no soreness of any kind. No wound that was the source of the blood I swore I could still taste.

  My mind tried to battle through the haze. Had it all been a dream? A nightmare?

  I sat up and fought off a wave of dizziness. Blinking, I looked around my dimly lit room, feeling as if I wasn’t alone. The shadows moved.

  My shrill scream split the night.

  Then he was there – Nik was there – his hand over my mouth again in an attempt to silence me. I shook him off and he let me. It was only when I tried to claw him that he grasped my wrist and held me still.

  “Shh, love, shh,” he said, crooning in his deep, sexy voice. “No need to wake the neighbors. The worst is over.”

  I had drawn in another breath to scream again, but his words gave me pause. I stuttered in response, “The worst?”

  “Yes,” Nik said and nodded, releasing my wrists but drawing closer to me than he had ever been before. Every desire I had felt for him earlier seemed to crash back into me ten-fold, despite the fact that he had attacked me.

  “But you tried to kill me!” I yelled, reacting as much to ward away my unwanted feelings as to deter his advance. It worked against neither.

  “No, love. I’d never hurt you. You just needed to sleep.” He leaned closer to me, one hand straying to where my skirt had been hiked up, exposing my thigh. His fingertips traced a pattern over my bare skin, and goose bumps rose everywhere he touched.

  The voice in the back of my head came screaming back, telling me that Nik was somehow controlling me. I placed a hand on his chest, thinking to push him away but was immediately distracted by the firmness I found under my fingers. My intended block turned into a caress, and the look on his face was approving.

  “What did you give me?” I whispered, still barely holding onto a slim tendril of sanity.

  Nik’s arm slid around me, easily shifting my body against him. I sighed at the unexpected pleasure that shot through me. His face was a mere inch from mine. His voice was sultry and intoxicating when he responded, “Life.”

  A shiver ran through me as he leaned forward, closing the gap between us and his lips brushed against mine. A sigh of anticipation escaped a split second before his mouth captured mine. My world flipped upside down.

  Instead of pushing him away, I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him against me. I clawed at his shirt, finally able to free it from his body. The voice inside my head was still screaming its warnings, but I ignored all of them. I no longer cared.

  Nik pressed me down against the bed, a look of desire in his eyes. I licked my lips, feeling where they still burned from his kisses. Watching as he grasped the silky fabric of my chemise, the voice reached a crescendo in my head. Then he ripped the fabric asunder, freeing me and silencing the voice forever.

  I awoke again for the second time that night, this time in much better circumstances. I lay against Nik, naked and fulfilled. My arm and leg draped over his bare body. Our lust was satiated for the time being.

  Sensing I was awake, he reached a hand up to caress my cheek. It was sweet, soft, and gentle. A loving caress. I stretched against him, content with the night.

  “We must go,” he said cryptically.

&n
bsp; “Go?” I raised up to meet his eyes, confusion furrowing my brow.

  He met me with a knowing smile that instantly made me feel at ease. “You’ll be hungry soon. You’ll need to feed before sunrise. I know the perfect place to grab a bite.”

  “Feed?” I asked. The word sounded odd in my ears.

  Nik rose, sliding out from underneath me like I weighed nothing. He cast a look back at me as I sat up in the bed, and he grinned mischievously.

  “Feed.”

  He quickly collected his clothes and turned to disappear from my bedroom. I jumped up in my haste to follow, somehow finding my skirt to pull on as I staggered after him.

  “Why the rush?” I called out.

  “You’ll feel it soon,” he answered, stepping back into view and tossing something toward me. “We must hurry.”

  I snatched the object from the air, and I was surprised to find it was a piece of fabric. A second later I realized it was the shirt I had worn to work the day before. With a smirk, I slid it on, knowing how much flesh it would expose without the chemise underneath. I stepped into the light and noted Nik’s approving glance.

  He stepped forward, sweeping me into his arms for another long, passionate kiss that fanned my fires again, but he pulled away too soon. “We must go.”

  I pouted when he let me go, but I obediently fetched my heels. As I started to slip them on, I noticed that I had somehow lost the bandage I had applied a few hours ago. Then I noticed that there was no wound. Confused, I looked to the open doorway of my balcony and saw that broken glass still littered the floor.

  Nik met my confused stare with a knowing smirk. He simply stated, “Life.”

  I stopped questioning things and just went with it. Now that the voice was gone, the confusion was making its own sort of sense. I finished slipping on my heels and followed Nik out the door. He led me through the silent halls of my apartment building to the garage below. Although we didn’t speak, he held my hand in his and I felt safe. It was as if his attempt to suffocate me a few hours ago never happened.

  Few people roamed the streets this early in the morning. All the drunks had fallen into their stupors and most of the working world had yet to wake, all except a few over-achievers that were already making their way to their paying jobs.

  Although Nik still hadn’t spoken, I knew where we were going. We were heading straight for Lankin. At this early hour, only a few people would be there, and Matt would be one of them. His habit of working late and arriving early was well known throughout the whole building. He wasn’t an over-achiever, though; he was simply posturing for appearances. Upper management only cared about appearances. I scoffed.

  My belly rumbled with hunger and anger. Nik looked down at me and squeezed my hand. I met his concerned look with a smile. Things were starting to become clear in my mind as the confusion melted away. He nodded, and we continued our walk.

  As we drew closer to the building, I caught sight of a bright, yellow Camaro in the parking lot. That obnoxious car was Matt’s mid-life crisis. The sight of it provoked my anger again and my belly rumbled with rage.

  Slipping into the building was easy enough, and we never even saw the security guard. It’s possible he recognized us and saw us as no threat, letting us go on through. As we stepped into the elevator, Nik finally spoke, “Are you ready?”

  “More than ready,” I answered quickly and confidently. My answer was almost a snarl, which earned an approving nod from Nik. We were silent the rest of the way up.

  On the fifth floor, the elevator dinged and Nik finally let go of my hand. “I’ll be right behind you,” he whispered, as I slipped out into the darkness. The main overhead lights hadn’t been turned on yet, and the only light on the floor was the one streaming from Matt’s office. My footfalls were silent as I made my way through the maze of cubicles, straight for the light.

  I was a shadow standing just outside the doorway, watching the detestable man for many moments without him even knowing I was there. He was intent on his computer screen and the sounds of a woman’s moans and rhythmic thumping coming from his speakers left no doubt about all the hard work the good Christian Matthew Valencia dedicated himself to every morning.

  The ache in my belly wound its way up into my throat. The need for food began to morph into an almost unbearable thirst. I stepped forward and still Matt was so far absorbed in his work that he hadn’t noticed me.

  I growled.

  Matt jumped back, finally becoming aware of my presence. It was comical watching him rock back in his chair as I startled him and his ensuing fumbles to close whatever website he was on.

  “Laura,” he said, stuttering and finally spinning in his chair to face me directly. “I see you’re here early. Finally going to get some work finished on time?”

  It was a standard comment from him, but the jab lacked his usual bluster. I didn’t respond. His face flushed a deep shade of red, and I enjoyed watching him squirm in his discomfort. Taking slow steps into his office, I found I could smell his nervousness as I closed the distance between us.

  Matt stared at me, seeming unable to form words, waiting for me to speak. I was content with the silence. His eyes flicked down to my attire, stalling on my breasts for a few heartbeats. He tried to meet my gaze again but couldn’t seem to make his eyes behave. It took him several moments to formulate his next thought.

  “Wasn’t that what you were wearing yesterday?” At that, he stopped trying to look away. It was as if the question gave him an excuse to ogle me, and his eyes were glued to my curves. I squinted my eyes in anger, but he never noticed.

  My stomach rumbled and my throat burned.

  When I reached his desk, Matt finally tore his eyes away from my body to meet my gaze, and I could see the lust written plainly on his face. I sneered at him, and was satisfied when uncertainty broke through and the smooth line of his brow furrowed. The nervousness was tinged with fear, a sweet smell that I instantly knew I would savor.

  “Laura?” he questioned, as I slid around the desk to stand over him. He shied away from me and I was able to see why he was reluctant to stand up. He had unzipped his pants to better enjoy his extracurricular activities.

  I growled at him. “You disgust me!”

  “Now, now,” he said, stuttering again and reaching under the desk to zip up. “Why don’t I give you a free pass on those articles and we can forget this ever happened.”

  Anger boiled inside me. He rocked back in his chair as I slapped him. The loud crack that resonated through the room was testament to how hard I had hit him. My grin was sadistic as I once again found myself enjoying his pain.

  I waited almost patiently for Matt to shake off his daze. It only took a few seconds, and then I found him towering over me as he jumped from his chair in a rage. I smirked at the bright red hand print that now marred his face.

  “You bitch!” he said and seethed. His normally slicked back hair was now sticking up in wayward, gelled strands, and his blue eyes were wide and wild. Both of his hands were clenched into fists, and I knew he was fighting down the urge to return the blow. “It’s your word against mine. I’ll have you out on your ass before the first bell.”

  “No,” I replied calmly, unmoved and unshaken by his threats. “I don’t think you will.”

  “Time for you to go.” Matt’s voice was loud and stern. It was the voice he put on when he brooked no argument, but I was still unfazed. He reached for me, probably an attempt to force me toward the door, but I easily batted his hands away.

  Matt sputtered as I watched him try to process the events happening before him. He was out of his normal controlling element and his confidence was now on shaky ground. The uncertainty had dug into him, and I smirked, biding my time.

  When he reached for me again, I balled up my fist and jabbed him sharply in the chest with more power than I knew I possessed. He flew backwards only to be caught by his chair, the force of his landing rolling the chair into the wall and bouncing off.

&n
bsp; “What the hell?” he asked and gasped in shock once he was able to draw in a ragged breath. Matt tried to rise against me again. And again, I easily put him back in the chair with one hand on his shoulder, not even using all my strength. Shock registered first on his face, but then I smelled it. The sweet aroma of fear began to drift through the air. That wasn’t enough; I wanted it to permeate the room.

  “Laura,” he said, still stuttering, unable to form a follow-up protest or plea. I arched an eyebrow and cocked my head to the side as I smiled wickedly down at him.

  “Yes, Matthew?” My voice was sweet, like honey.

  Deceptively innocent.

  “Let’s take a step back.” He finally managed to spit out after a few moments. I furrowed my brow in mock curiosity and leaned back against the desk, releasing my hold on him. I didn’t care what he had to say, I just wanted to watch him squirm… just a little longer.

  “The Greenwald research from last month,” Matt said, stumbling over each word. As he leaned forward, I noticed he had started to shake, and a twisted grin crept back onto my face, which only made his shaking worse. “I can fix the files for you. Submit it to Edwardson under your name. You’ll get all the recognition. He won’t ever know I touched them.”

  Even now, his over-inflated sense of self-worth reared its ugly head, and rage engulfed me. My hand swept out to grasp the side of his face, and I slammed his head into the desk. He fell forward onto his knees, obviously dazed by the blow.

  “There’s nothing wrong with my research,” I said, snarling, even though I knew it would make no difference. Nothing I could do or say would be able to shatter Matt’s infallible ego.

  I reached my thin arms around his torso to pull him from the floor and throw him across the desk. It was ridiculous that my small form could pick up such a large man, but I completed the task with ease, trusting in my new found strength.