The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Hunt

Heath noticed the beautiful woman for the first time in late September. She came into the library every night and sat near him in the far corner of the library’s quiet study room. The first two weeks she barely made it in before the library closed for the night. After that, she started coming in earlier, about twenty minutes after dark.

He couldn’t help but see her when she arrived each night. She was blessed with the kind of lush body Heath craved and he never found on movie screens. Her hips were wide and her breasts looked naturally large. Her chestnut hair was long and shone even under the fluorescent lights. He made eye contact once, just once, and had to make an effort not to gasp at the clarity of her green eyes. Her warm smile made him melt. He dreamed about her each night, tossing and turning in his tiny studio apartment.

The second week of October, he decided to be brave and passed her a note as he got up to leave one night: Coffee? 10p tonight, Starbucks, turn left out of the library parking lot, second stoplight on the right. He paused in the doorway long enough to see her unfold it. She read it, looked up at him and dazzled him with a dimpled grin. As he felt his heart hammering against the walls of his chest she mouthed the word “sure” and gave him a thumb’s up before returning to her book.

His face felt hot even in the autumn chill outside the library. He leaned on his car trying to regain his cool. She said yes, he thought. She said yes. He glanced at his watch. Nine-fifteen. That gave him time to get home and drop off his books before he met her. He got in and drove home in record time. Once there he made a quick trip to the bathroom to brush his teeth and make sure his hair looked all right. Then he hurried to get to the Starbucks in time for the rendezvous.

Heath was relieved when he made it there before she did. He knew from past weeks she was one of the last out of the library, though, sometimes managing to stall until 9:45. He sat down at one of the smaller tables and pulled out his notebook.

Before he could write anything down he felt a tap on his shoulder. His heart pounded as he raised his hazel eyes and looked straight up into her deep green ones. They’re more beautiful than I remembered, he thought through a wave of dizziness. She smiled down at him.

“Hello! I hope I’m not late...” she broke the eye contact and looked around for a clock for a moment, which gave him time to stand.

“No, no, not at all! I’m glad you came. I’m Heath Edwards...it’s a pleasure to finally really meet you.”

Her hand was cool, her skin amazingly soft as she took his offered hand. “Gwen Cooper...it’s a pleasure to meet you, too. I mean, I’ve seen you for weeks, but I didn’t want to disturb anyone else studying. You know?”

He nodded as he gestured to the seat across from him. She smiled and sat down. “Thanks. Are we going to get coffee?”

“I was about to ask what you wanted, yes,” he said. “My treat.”

“Oh! Um. Just a hot chocolate, then, please. Thanks a lot!”

Heath felt his ears heat. “No problem. I’ll be right back.” He closed his pad, stuffed it in his back pocket, and hurried to the counter. She’s perfect, he thought. Absolutely perfect. I can’t believe my luck!

The barista was busy chewing her gum, so it took him a minute to catch her eye. He decided on hot chocolate as well. The last thing Heath wanted was to be so hyper he shaded into rudeness. When the barista sauntered over, he felt relief at the casual calm of his voice. It didn’t match the excited twisting in his guts. “Two hot chocolates, please...”

For all her slowness, the barista knew how to make hot chocolate. His mouth watered at the delicious scent as he carried the two cups back to the table. Gwen was reading her book when he got back. She carefully marked her place and laid the book aside. “Mmmm, that smells great...Heath. Right?”

“Right!” he confirmed as he sat down. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while, I see you there just about every night. Not many people are regulars to that extent.”

“Well, you are!” she pointed out. “I just like to read a bit before I go to work at night, myself, and it gets me out of the house to where I occasionally see people. You’re always neck-deep in books, though. What are you up to?”

He grinned. “I’m writing a book. I go over there every night after work and do research. I love interlibrary loan. It’s made my work much easier.”

“Really?” She leaned forward, setting down her hot chocolate untasted. “You’re a writer? What have you done before?”

He looked down at his own drink. “Well, I’m not published yet,” he admitted. “I’m really just starting out. I want to do this right, though, so I’m outlining and taking notes and researching. It’s a science fiction book, but it has a lot of psychology in it and I don’t want to get any theories wrong.

Gwen wasn’t put off at all. “Not being published isn’t the biggest thing. The biggest thing is doing it. When are you planning on starting to write?”

Heath sipped his hot chocolate. “I’m starting after Christmas. I’ve been researching for six months. I feel like I have a good grasp on the theories I need to thread into the work. If I get too perfectionistic, I’ll never get it written. My inner editor will be awake 24-7. So December 27th I’m going to take a deep breath and plunge into it.” I don’t want to talk about me too much! he thought frantically. Ask about her! “But researching a novel is boring stuff. The writing’s the exciting part. Researching is like work. Speaking of, you said you work late...where do you work?”

“I’m security with a local company. I work the grave shift because it pays better. It can get a bit lonely sometimes, but I manage. The librarians know me by name, and they make sure I have good reading material for the long hours.” Gwen swirled her hot chocolate in the cup. “The hardest part is when you go to do basic life maintenance stuff, and it’s like your eleven pm at nine in the morning. You’re sleepy and exhausted, and people aren’t in their day grooves yet. It can get really annoying.”

“I can imagine,” Heath sympathized. He was about to say more when she blinked and glanced at her watch.

“And I’m going to be late! I completely forgot I work at eleven tonight, not midnight. I’m so sorry! Can I take this with me?” She held up her cup. “And take a rain check for tomorrow night, when I work later?”

He swallowed back disappointment with a chaser of relief she wanted to meet again. “Sure! See you tomorrow night at the library, then over here from there?”

She nodded, picking up her book and standing up. “You’re very sweet to understand.” She pulled out her bookmark and scribbled something on it, handing the piece of paper to him with another dazzling smile. “Here...write me an email, OK? Tell me what you were going to tell me, ask me what you were going to ask me...I might even have time tonight to answer. I gotta run!” She gave him a cheery wave and took off for the door before he could even react.

He waved through the window as she got in her car and pulled out onto the street. After she disappeared he tucked the paper into his notebook and finished his hot chocolate, savoring both its flavor and the way the conversation was gone. It may have been short, he thought, but it was sweet. He stuffed a five in the barista’s jar when he left. He felt better than he had in days.

When he got home Heath wrote Gwen a brief email. He thanked her for coming and told her he was looking forward to seeing her at the library again. He sent it and then web browsed for a little while. He was too excited to write. A few minutes before midnight, his computer gave the soft chime that told him he had a new email message waiting.

He opened it as soon as he saw who sent it. A slow grin spread over his face as he read.

Hello!

I’m sorry I had to run like that, I feel really rude! That’s not typical of me, and I hope I haven’t given you a bad first impression. It’s really late, and I know you must be tired and sleepy. I know I always feel that way during the day, especially after a long shift at work and a lot of reading. I know research wears you out. I won’t keep you long. I just wanted to say that I’m looking forward to tomorrow night as well. I don’t get out a lot from work, so it’s really nice to get to talk to someone...or to listen to someone. You seem nice. I can’t wait to hear more about your novel. Once again, sorry for being so rude!

Sleep well,
Gwen

Heath composed a quick reply.

Gwen,

Don’t even worry about it. It happens. :) I do have to go to bed now, as a matter of fact. But I’ll see you tomorrow night. Take care!

Heath

He hit send and yawned. I am tired, he thought. I don’t remember feeling tired before, but I am not. I just got overexcited. I need to watch that tomorrow, or I’ll be dragging by the time she gets there.

Nevertheless, the next day he kept checking the time until his manager asked him if he had a train to catch. Heath kept imagining her smile. She didn’t respond to his second email, and even though he checked his mail all through the day he knew she was sleeping. After work he hurried to the library.

Once there he couldn’t focus on his notes. The characters in his head, usually so very noisy, were drowned out by the mental roar of anticipation. He flipped through pages and pages on Jung and Adler and their disciples, but he wasn’t seeing the text.

The door to the quiet room opened and he looked up quickly. She was there, dressed in a loose black sweater and baggy jeans. They should have hidden her body, but he could still see its beauty shining through. She met his eyes and he felt the dizziness again. She raised a finger to her lips in a shh-ing motion and pointed to the clock, mouthing “soon!” Then she sat down to read.

The fog cleared from his head and he beamed. The anticipation backed off and he could focus again. Heath hadn’t anticipated that. It didn’t make sense for him to anticipate the date less with her there. Even so, he was able to get another five pages of notes before the librarian began blinking the lights to let people know it was almost checkout time.

Even then, Heath was calm. He picked up his notes and reorganized them while everyone else cleared out of the quiet room. Gwen bookmarked her place and stood up, stretching and yawning. Heath fought down his own yawn. I can’t let her think I’m tired! he panicked to himself.

She crossed the room and touched his arm. He glanced over and felt the happy fog return as their gazes met. “I think we can go now,” she whispered. “I have all the books I need for tonight, anyway, so I don’t have to stay.” Her fingers were light on his elbow, but he let her steer him toward the door. He didn’t want to look away from her eyes. “Besides, I want to talk some tonight before you get sleepy. You want to anyway, I know...don’t you?”

Heath’s head was spinning pleasantly. He wasn’t sure why, but he wasn’t about to show any concern or alarm right at that moment and risk ruining the moment. “Sure!” he agreed. “I want to talk too.” He felt strangely detached as she guided him to her car. “Do you want me to drive?” he asked belatedly.

“No, no, I think I want to. That’ll make me keep things on time...I’ll have to in order to get you to your car. Besides, by then you’ll be getting tired, I imagine. Maybe you already are, a little.”

Heath decided that she was right. He was tired, and that was why he was feeling so odd. “Well, a little...but not enough to wimp out on our conversation,” he protested.

“It’s OK. Have a seat!” She had opened the door and was gesturing into her old station wagon. “It’s old, but it’s clean.”

He was glad that they hadn’t taken his car. He still had the McDonald’s bag from lunch on his front floorboard. “Thanks...” He sat down and buckled his seatbelt. A moment later, she was beside him and doing the same thing.

“Do you want coffee, or just to drive?” she asked.

“Hot chocolate, I think,” he told her. Some of the dizziness was clearing. “If I drink caffeine, I’ll never sleep tonight.”

“Good enough! Starbucks it is.” She put the car in gear and headed down the road. “I’m sorry I didn’t get to write back again last night. My boss gave me a head’s up that they were going to be installing cameras in the area last night, and I had to shepherd a bunch of electricians around. I wasn’t at the computer much.”

“That’s OK,” Heath reassured her. “I went to bed anyway.” He hesitated, then said “This is going to sound stalkerish, but I dreamed about you...”

Gwen blushed. “No, you didn’t! Did you?” She risked a look at him. “I mean, what was it about?”

Heath grinned. “It was a nice dream! I was just thinking about talking to you in my sleep, I guess. It wasn’t an offensive dream or anything like that.”

“I don’t know whether to be glad for that or not!” she said wryly as she pulled the car into the Starbucks parking lot. “Tonight is my treat!” she added. “Your turn to sit, my turn to deal with rude servants.”

He laughed. “OK, OK, but I get next time again. Fair?”

She grinned and laid her hand on his for a moment. “Is this shaping up to be a regular coffee date? Because if so, you’re so on. I’d love it.”

He resisted the urge to kiss her, but it took a real effort. “Me too,” he told her. “I dunno, there’s something about you...”

They went inside and talked for an hour. He told her about his novel. She even managed to tease the ending out of him. He learned about her big, weird family.

“We’re all night people, really,” Gwen said. “It’s all right, but it’s hard sometimes. Mother homeschooled us so we wouldn’t have to deal with the rest of the world’s schedule. I dropped out of college, though. It was impossible for me to deal with morning classes, and they just didn’t have enough evening classes in the major I wanted. I’m thinking about going back to a community college, though, or shelling out for distance learning.”

“It might be worth it,” Heath said. “Hard to get a job without a college degree these days.”

She smiled at him, tilting her head. “When you have security training, you can. I do all right. I just don’t know if I want to do this forever. What about you? Is your novel your big dream?”

“One of them. I also want to get a teaching certification, just so I can say I have it. That’s strange, isn’t it?”

“Not really.” She reached out and touched his cheek. He shivered at the unexpected intimacy, but he didn’t want to pull away. “Sometimes the dream is more important than why you have the dream, don’t you think?”

As she gazed at him so intently, he found it hard to think at all. “Well, yeah,” he agreed, wanting to lose himself in the deep green. “I like to dream...”

“Of course you do...you’re a writer. You’re all about dreams. You like to dream, and you like to share that dream, don’t you?” This time, she didn’t wait for his answer, staring at him intently. “That’s why you’re writing, you want to share that dream...and tonight you’re going to sleep on it and be able to write tomorrow while you wait for me. It’s time to write your dream, Heath.” One soft finger stroked down his cheek. “Don’t be afraid of your dreams, Heath. You want to share them. You want to share them with me. I can tell. Dreams are good for you, Heath...dream them for me and with me, and it’ll feel good to share. I’ve wanted to share your dreams.”

Gwen kept stroking Heath’s cheek. He felt his eyelids droop as he looked deep into her eyes and listened to her soft, quick, somehow important words. “Yes...” he agreed in a daze. “It always feels good to share what I’m working on...” That took work to say, he thought dimly. Next time, I’ll just agree.

“That’s right, Heath. And I know work makes you tired...I know you’re getting tired now. So I’ll take you back to your car and you go home and go to sleep. You have such sleepy eyes now. Before you sleep, write me an email to let me know you got home all right. Then it’ll be time for you to go to bed and rest deeply. I’ll see you at the library tomorrow night.”

He nodded and stood up numbly. She rose with him, never looking away from his eyes. “Dreamy eyes...” she murmured. “I like that. I like a man with dreamy eyes. That’s one reason I was attracted to you in the first place. You have soft dreamy hazel eyes...and a gentle, sweet face.” She smoothed his short black hair back from his forehead. “Why don’t you rest your dreamy eyes in the car once you get in? It would feel really good, and give you just enough energy to wake up for your drive home.”

He nodded, too dazed and sleepy to do much more than that. She took his hand and led him out of the coffee shop. He got into the car and closed his eyes, slumping against the back of the seat.

The next thing Heath knew, Gwen was tapping his shoulder. “Wake up, sweetie. It’s time for you to go home, and I need to go to work. Do you need me to take you home?”

He stretched and shook his head. “No, no. Listen, I’m sorry I fell asleep...” He tried to remember the end of the conversation.

Gwen shook her head. “No offense taken. Seriously. I know what I’m like at noon. Go on home, get some rest, OK? I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He gave her a warm, sleepy smile. “I’d like that, Gwen, I’d really like that.”

She waved as she pulled away. He made it home safely. Once he got into his apartment, a wave of exhaustion swept over him. He stayed awake only long enough to type an email to her, letting her know he was home and well. Then he staggered over to his bed and fell asleep still in his clothes.

The next day Heath woke feeling fantastic. He bounced around work all day with a smile on his face. As soon as he got to the library he pulled out his laptop and began to type the beginning of his novel. Before he knew it, Gwen was there. He didn’t hear her come in, but he didn’t jump when she whispered in his ear “Don’t stop working...I like watching you create.” Before the library closed, he had written five thousand words.

Coffee that night went much the same way as the night before. The week sped on into the weekend, and then into the next week. She met him in the library every night, and after the library closed they went for hot chocolate. He looked forward to the evening every day, and his novel grew.

Every night he slept without dreaming. He wrote in his personal journal “It’s like I pour out all of my dreams onto the keyboard. There’s nothing left for me to dream about at night. But when I wake up in the morning, I feel great. I can’t stop thinking about Gwen. She’s beautiful. She’s hot, too, but I’m taking this slow. When she gives me that smile, I lose track of everything except wanting to make her happy. I’ve never known anything like her before.”

“I’d like to ask you a favor, Heath,” she told him one night.

“Sure! What is it?” He leaned forward eagerly.

“Don’t ever call me at home? I don’t have an answering machine, and during the day I want to sleep and turn off the ringer. You’ll never get through. Email me. I get that really fast.” She took his hand and stroked his cheek tenderly. “It’s kind of a weird thing, and it’s been a deal breaker for some men. But I think you’re different. You understand my needing to sleep.”

Heath’s eyes lost focus. He blinked, and she was smiling at him. He couldn’t remember what she’d said for a second. Her words drifted through his mind. They sounded perfectly reasonable.

“I can do that,” he said. “I see you every night anyway.” He was about to ask about her cell, but she kissed his forehead and he forgot all about it in the blush that followed.

“I’m so glad you understand,” she purred. “I like you a lot, Heath.”

“I like you too...” he replied softly. “You’re very special, Gwen.”

“I hope I’m special to you,” she whispered. “I think about you when I’m at work at night. Speaking of work, I can see by your sleepy eyes it’s getting late.”

He yawned. “It is...” he agreed.

She stood up, running her fingers gently through his hair. The room spun pleasantly. “I’ll take you to your car now, Heath. I know you’ll sleep well tonight.”

His eyelids sagged half-closed as he rose to join her. “I always do...” he told her dreamily. “I dream of you.”

She smiled at him tenderly. “That makes me feel good. I like knowing that.”

He felt a surge of bliss. “And I like making you happy. You make me happy.” She was leading him toward the door. He followed without thinking about it. When she dropped him off at his car, she leaned over and kissed him gently before he got out.

“Sweet dreams, Heath,” she whispered. “I know you’ll write well tomorrow.”

He slept deeply almost from the instant he settled into the bed. His night was dreamless, but he woke invigorated and ready to write.

Before he knew it October was nearly gone. His novel was more than eighty thousand words long. Heath had never imagined he could write that quickly, but every lunch, break, and after work he was at the keyboard. Gwen was constantly encouraging him. He took to bringing her the pages he’d written that day. She listened during their coffee hour, taking notes she wouldn’t let him see. “I’ll give them to you when you’re done,” she told him. “Edit later. Write now!” The coffee and reading dates became the highlight of his week. Gwen seemed to look forward to them as much as Heath. Every time she saw him in the library, her face lit up.

One night Heath overheard one of the librarians as he picked up his interlibrary loan book. She was talking about Gwen.

“I think they’re in love. She won’t talk about it, but every time she comes in she looks for him. He hasn’t let her down yet. I don’t want to think what she’d be like if he did.”

“Crushed, I’m sure,” another librarian said seriously. “I told her when she first asked me if I knew anything about him that he was always polite and kind. She kisses him on the forehead every night when she goes into the room before she starts her reading. I’ve noticed. I really do hope they’re getting together.”

“Me too. Watch her face tonight when she gets here. You’ll see.”

Heath pretended not to hear the gossipers, but his heart warmed. She really does like me, he thought. That night, her forehead kiss of greeting held special savor.

The last week of the month she seemed somewhat preoccupied. Heath noticed but wasn’t sure what to do. Finally, two nights before Halloween he brought it up. “I hope it’s not me, but I’ve noticed you seem kind of distracted. Am I a problem?”

“We’re taking things pretty fast,” she answered slowly. “But I don’t think it’s a problem, no. You’re really respectful of me. Maybe it’s that my emotions are going faster than I expected. Halloween is coming up, and I might have to spend some time with my family. That’s what’s really bothering me. I’d love to spend more time with you...I always feel stronger after a night with you.” She looked at the floor. “It’s like something in me feeds off of you, off of your vitality. Maybe that’s wrong, but I do want this to go farther. You’re unique, and every night you give me a little bit of you. I like that feeling. I want it to continue. I just...there’s a big step I want to take. And I’m not sure it’s time.”

He took her hand and held it tenderly. “Gwen, you’re really special to me. I think I may be falling in love with you. But if you need to back off, I understand.”

She shook her head. “Not right now, I don’t. Thanks for being so understanding.” She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. “When you edit your novel, I’ll try to be just as sympathetic. I won’t let you pull your hair out, though.”

Heath chuckled and nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.” He still glowed from her kiss.

Halloween morning came, and with it an email. “Can’t make the coffee shop tonight,” she wrote. “But I want to see you. I have a surprise for you. I’d like to spend the night. Can I come over, even if it’s really late?”

Heath immediately fired back an invitation for her to come on in. He called in to work and spent the day cleaning the studio apartment thoroughly. Then he decorated it with white and orange flowers. By the time night arrived, he could look around the apartment and feel proud. He settled down to write for the evening.

As always, the words flowed freely. At the usual time to sleep, he felt himself getting tired. I’ll lay down on the bed for just a minute, he told himself. Just a minute, then I’ll be up and waiting for her. He got up and left a note on the door telling her to come in when she got there, then headed for the bed.

As he settled down he remembered her eyes and her smile. Instead of dropping right off to sleep, he felt himself slipping into the lazy, warm, languid drowsiness he always felt at the end of their nights together. He let himself flow with the feeling, eyes closed, drifting along. He could hear her speaking to him but the words were indistinct. It didn’t matter. Something within him told him he understood them anyway. He listened as best he could, but his brain fogged over with the soft mist that always seemed to come with her eyes. He never knew when he fell asleep.

He woke to her soft fingers on his cheek. He felt too lazy and good to open his eyes. His ears rang with a soft, distant hum. She was there and kissing his throat, licking and nibbling lightly over the skin. He whimpered softly at the feel of her teeth over his pulse.

“Am I dreaming?” he heard himself say.

She pulled back and chuckled softly. “No, you’re not dreaming. Not now. Or are you? Maybe you’ll dream forever...if you look into my eyes, Heath. Which you’re going to do now.”

His eyes opened before he realized they were going to. He gazed spellbound into her deep green eyes.

“That’s right, Heath. Very good. You can’t resist me. You’re doing very well at that. You can never resist me. And now it’s time for you to dream deep, with your eyes open. You did a very good job of decorating the apartment, you know. That’s a very good thing for you to do. I’m pleased with you.”

Heath felt a blissful shiver run down his spine at her words. His mind was still and silent, without so much as a twinge of alarm. He stared blankly upward.

“It’s Halloween night, Heath. That night is sacred to me, to my family. Long before witches claimed the night as their own, we were there. But you suspected that, perhaps at some point...or maybe you didn’t. I know you were attracted to me. I planned it that way.”

Gwen laughed and stretched. Then she looked down at him and licked her lips again.

“Didn’t you ever wonder where I lived? No, you didn’t. How about where I went every night? No, I was always at work, as far as you knew. But I have needs...needs you never thought about, did you? Of course not. I didn’t want you to think. Over time, you were losing your ability to think about anything except what I chose.”

Heath did not respond. Her words echoed inside his head. His mind felt like an empty room, with only her to fill it.

“All this time, your mind getting more and more conditioned to obey me, more used to my ecstasy slipping into your spirit. Some people are more of a challenge to control, but you...you made it easy. Always such a dreamer, such a romantic. It took eye contact to even plant the suggestion that you ask me out, but once you did, you were mine. Of course I lied to you about how I spend my nights, but then, you don’t mind. I won’t let you mind.” She ran her fingers over his jawline. He whimpered softly with pleasure, still unable to move, unable to summon the concept of motion.

“Never once thinking to question my request not to call me at home. Never once wondering if I had a boyfriend other than you. Never once asking to call me at work, when you thought I’d be bored. Always going home and sleeping deeply. Always creating by my command. And I do need you to do that, Heath. You sleep and eat and work and write, all by my command. All those dreamless nights, while I took from others in my control and conditioned you in your sleep. I drank so deeply of your dreams. You do a good job with that, you know. You can’t be concerned about it, and you wouldn’t mind if I did anything at all to you right now. I’m not going to kill you tonight, though, like I feared I might have to. It would be a waste.”

Heath knew he should respond to the word kill, but he was caught by the glory of her eyes. His body was alive with the pleasure of her touch. He moaned softly in the back of his throat as she ran her finger down his chest. It was a trail of ecstatic fire, but his body remained passive. Inside, everything turned white with the joyful stimulation.

“I need you to keep creating. My kind have a weakness for it. We can’t make anything ourselves, but we need to feed on people’s ideas and dreams.” She laughed. “And, of course, we feed on other things. But you can’t deny me anything, can you, Heath? Answer me.”

He replied instantly and fervently. “I could never deny you anything, Gwen...please...”

She smacked his cheek lightly. “Ah-ah. Not tonight. Tonight, and any night I come in your door, you are not to call me Gwen. You did such a good job inviting me in, by the way... But you will call me Keeper, because that’s what I am. Your Keeper. Sometimes your owner. Sometimes your Muse, yes, as I have been. It’s been good to watch you, to drink deep of your words as they poured onto the paper, to drink the ideas and dreams right out of you. You were always so hopeful, so eager for approval...which is good. You live for my approval now, and when it’s given it will be sweetest nectar to you. I am a Goddess to you now, Heath...and you will worship me.”

He agreed, but silently. His Goddess had not given him leave to speak again.

She smiled more widely then, a slow and sensual expression. “Good. You’re learning. But then, you’ve always learned fast. It’s one of the reasons I’ve chosen and groomed you, like a prize puppy. I’ll call you slave, pet, boy...but tonight I’ll call you food.”

He could not think to move or scream. He only watched her worshipfully as she ran her tongue over her teeth. He saw the pointed tips for the first time right before she knelt down next to his helpless body and pressed her mouth to his throat. There was no pain as she drank from his body, just as she’d been drinking from his soul. As he spiraled down into blackness and lost consciousness, he knew he would never dream while sleeping again.