Off the Beaten Path: Eight Tales of the Paranormal by Sharon Sant, Angela Roquet, Jason T. Graves, Monica La Porta, Chip Putnam, D.R. Johnson, Kath Langdon Page A

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.
    “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’l l 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