Page 14 of Summoned
He lowers his arms to his sides and steps closer. His shadow engulfs me, and my skin prickles from the ominous proximity. That scent—his scent, I realize— surrounds me in a suffocating cocoon.
He extends his hand to me. My heart pounds as I run my fingers over the tattooed symbols. Every cell in my body yells at me not to touch him.
But as if drawn by an invisible force, my hand reaches out. I gasp and try to resist, yet whatever is guiding it is stronger than me. The man’s palm closes around my fingers like a trap. His skin is so cold that it burns. Needles spread up my arm.
He pulls me to my feet.
I mean to check what’s wrong with my hand, but the moment I’m mere inches from him, that damned scent saturates my senses and makes me light-headed. Up close, he’s even larger than he appeared at the party.
I tear through my mind, searching for a memory that could betray his identity.
There’s nothing.
And really, could I ever forget someone like him? His features might have faded from my memory, but that predator’s energy would have left a lasting impression on my senses.
I glance at the windows of my house. My father must be in his study, glass of whiskey in hand, reviewing his projects. If I scream, he’ll hear me. No, I won’t resort to something so desperate. Not before I find out who my stalker is.
I square my shoulders, trying to make myself appear more imposing. It doesn’t work—this man is huge. Still, Ilift my chin and summon my sharpest tone. “Why are you stalking me?”
“I don’t like being called a stalker.” His tone is low, with a hint of amusement. As if he finds this entire encounter entertaining.
As if I care what he likes or doesn’t like to be called.
The darkness in his contemptuous tone prevents me from voicing my last thought aloud. “What do you want from me?” I ask instead.
He raises an eyebrow. “Just your soul, bunny.”
“I’m nobunny!”
I bite my tongue. I shouldn’t show my irritation. In a standoff between attacker and prey, every move can shift the balance and give power to the other.
But what he does next obliterates my self-control.
He swings his arm through the air and—out of nowhere!—a scroll appears in his palm. “The terms of our contract are quite simple, but I’m obliged to present it to you,” he says. “It’s signed in blood by both parties, and there’s no way to undo it.”
He unrolls the scroll into a thick, dark red parchment, its color similar to dried blood. The surface glimmers in the light as the stranger stretches it between his hands and thrusts it toward my face.
I blink. There’s a text on it…
Text I won’t be reading!
I jerk back and draw my shoulders up. My pulse pounds in my ears, and my fingers tighten around the keyring.Despite being surrounded by darkness and standing face-to-face with a stranger radiating somethinginhuman, I refuse to let fear take over.
“My father’s home. If you’re not gone in five seconds, I’m going to scream,” I say, my voice thinner than I’d like.
The man shakes his head. “Why do I even bother, whenno one ever takes it seriously, anyway?”
He tosses the scroll into the air, and it…vanishes.
Right. I’m done playing it cool.
Dread surges in my chest. I open my mouth—
He snaps his fingers.
“DAD!” The scream echoes in my mind, but no sound escapes my throat. I reach for my neck, trembling fingers brushing the skin there. Something’s wrong.Something is very, very wrong.
I’m about to tip into full-blown terror.
