Chapter 6

Chapter Six

DESCENT

"Elena? Elena, are you even listening to me?"

My editor's voice snaps me back to reality. Sarah has been talking for at least five minutes, but I zoned out and didn't hear a word. My mind keeps drifting to last night's encounter in Torrin's library, to the feel of his fangs against my throat...

"Sorry," I say, forcing myself to focus on the phone call. "I was just thinking about the new manuscript."

"That's what I'm trying to talk to you about," Sarah says, exasperation clear in her tone. "The pages you sent yesterday... Elena, they're brilliant, but they're nothing like your usual work. The darkness, the eroticism, the psychological tension – it's like you're channeling something completely new. "

If you only knew , I think, touching the spot on my neck that still tingles from Torrin's touch.

"I'm trying something different," I tell her. "Exploring new territory."

"Well, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. This is the best writing I've ever seen from you. It's like you've tapped into something... primal. Real ." She pauses. "Though we might need to tone down some of the bloodplay elements for the trad market."

I barely suppress a hysterical laugh. If Sarah thinks the sanitized version I sent her is too dark, what would she make of the real pages sitting on my hard drive? The ones I now write for Torrin's eyes only, dripping with truth and darkness and hunger?

"I'll think about it," I say noncommittally. "Listen, can we pick this up later? I'm in the middle of a scene."

After making my excuses, I hang up and lean back in my office chair. The sun is setting outside my window, painting the sky in shades of tangerine and lavender. My body hums with awareness, knowing that night is coming. Knowing that he is coming.

My phone buzzes again – a text from my best friend Lisa:

Drinks tonight? Haven't seen you in weeks !

Guilt twists in my stomach. She's right – I've been neglecting my friendships, my social life, everything that used to anchor me to reality. But how can I sit in some bar making small talk when I know what's really out there? Knowing there’s a whole other world practically begging for me to explore it? How can I pretend to be interested in dating drama and office politics when a sexy vampire is the only thing on my mind 24/7?

Rain check? Deadline crunch.

Another lie to add to the growing pile. My whole life feels like a lie now – a thin veneer of normalcy covering the darkness I've been drowning in since my parent’s death. The darkness I'm learning to love.

The temperature in my office drops suddenly, and I smile. "You're early tonight."

"Eager, little ghost?" Torrin materializes from the shadows, looking devastating in a charcoal grey suit that emphasizes his perfectly sculpted body.

"Maybe I'm not the only one," I counter, turning to face him. "This is the third night in a row you've come to me. Someone might think you're getting attached. "

There’s an amused expression on his face. "Or maybe I’ve watched you every night for the past four years. You’re only now learning to acknowledge my existence."

"Every night?" I raise an eyebrow. "Wasn’t there a better use of your time?"

Instead of answering, he glances at my phone, still displaying Lisa's text. "Abandoning your human connections already?"

"How could I face her now? They don't feel real anymore," I admit. "Nothing does, except..."

"Except?" he doesn't hesitate to ask.

"Except this. You . The alternate world you’ve introduced me to," I stand, moving closer to him. "Everything else feels like I'm playing a role. Pretending to be a version of myself I can no longer relate to."

"And who are you becoming instead?"

"I don't know yet," I whisper, close enough now to feel that paranormal chill radiating from his body."Something feral. Something that craves the lightless nights with you."

His hand comes up to cradle my face, thumb brushing across my bottom lip. "Tell me about this craving. "

"It's... constant. Growing. Not just for blood or darkness, but for everything you represent. Power. Freedom. The truth behind all the stories I've been writing."

"And what truth is that?"

"That monsters are real. That darkness can set you free. That sometimes..." I meet his bright eyes. "Sometimes surrender is the greatest power of all."

A low growl rumbles in his chest. "Dangerous words, little ghost. Especially when you don't fully understand what you're surrendering to."

"Then show me," I beg, furrowing my brows.

Instead of answering, he pulls me closer, one hand tangling in my hair while the other traces the line of my throat. "Your pulse is racing," he observes. "Fear or desire?"

"I don't know anymore." And it's true – the emotions swirling through me are too complex to name. Fear and desire have become so intertwined I can't tell where one ends and the other begins.

"You're changing faster than I expected," he murmurs, inhaling deeply. "I can smell it in your blood – it’s growing, transforming you from within. Soon you won't be able to pass for human at all. "

"What do you mean?"

He steps back slightly, studying me with those predator's eyes. "Look at yourself. Really look ."

I turn to the full-length mirror on my office wall and freeze. My reflection is... different. Subtle changes I've been too close to notice. My skin is smoother, almost luminescent in the fading light. My eyes seem darker, with hints of amber in the brown. Even the way I move has changed – more fluid, more graceful, more powerful.

"What's happening to me?"

"You're becoming," Torrin says, appearing behind me in the mirror. "The darkness in your blood is awakening, calling to mine. Soon you'll start noticing other changes. Enhanced senses. Stronger instincts. A deeper connection to shadow and night."

"Because of you? Because of what we've been doing?"

"Because of what you've always been," he corrects. "I didn't create this darkness in you, Elena. I merely recognized it. Called to it and encouraged it to grow."

I watch our reflections – the powerful predator and his willing prey. But that's not quite right anymore, is it? I'm becoming something else. Something between .

"I can feel it," I whisper. "Especially at night. The hunger. The power. The way shadows seem to reach for me now."

"Show me."

I close my eyes to show him what I’ve been experiencing, reaching for that far place inside me that's been getting closer every day. The shadows in the room respond, curling around my feet like affectionate cats. The temperature drops further as darkness gathers, drawn to the pull of my efforts.

"Beautiful," Torrin breathes, and there's genuine wonder in his voice. "You're a natural at this. As if you were always meant for a life of shadow and night."

"Maybe I was." I open my eyes, watching the shadows prowl around us both. "All those stories I wrote... maybe they weren't fiction at all. Maybe they were prophecies. Memories. My blood remembering what it was always meant to become."

His hands slide down my arms, leaving trails of icy chills. "There are legends among my kind," he says softly, "of humans born with ancient night in their veins. Mortals whose souls remember the darkness from which all life emerged. We call them Shadow-Kissed."

"Is that what I am? "

"I think it’s possible. It would explain why you write about our kind with such understanding and why the transformation is happening so quickly. And why you're able to call shadows already, without being turned."

I turn in his arms to face him. "Then why wait? If I'm already part of your world in some way, why not complete the transformation?"

His smile shows fangs. "Because anticipation makes the surrender sweeter. Because I want you mad with wanting it before I give you what you crave." His hand slides into my hair, gripping firmly. "Because when I finally taste your blood and give you mine in return, I want you to be completely mine. Body, mind, soul, and shadow. No regrets."

A soft whimper escapes me as he rolls his thumb over the back of my head. "And until then?"

"Until then..." His head dips to my throat, lips brushing my pulse point. "Until then, we wait. We explore just how dark you can become while still technically human. You sort out your feelings, and when you’re ready…," his low voice trails off, filled with a lustful hunger.

The scrape of fangs against my skin makes me gasp. "Please... "

"Please what?" His voice is dark and silky. "Please stop? Please continue? What do you really want, little ghost?"

"You know what I want,” I admit, embarrassed to say what I’m actually thinking.

"Say it." The command rumbles through me. "Out loud. No more hiding behind implications and metaphors. Tell me exactly what you want, Elena."

I close my eyes, letting truth spill from my lips like blood. "I want you to bite me. To taste me. To show me what it feels like to be wanted by you."

His low growl vibrates against my throat as he peppers kisses along my skin. "And if I tell you it will hurt? That I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself enough to be gentle with you?"

"I don't want you to be gentle," I whisper. "I want you to have your way with me."

For a moment, he goes completely still. Then, with movements almost too fast to follow, he spins me around and pulls me back against his chest, grinding his rock hard erection into my ass. I can’t control the moan that escapes my lips as I realize how big he is. One hand grips my hair, turning my head to spread my throat wider for him. The other arm bands around my waist, holding me immobile.

"Just a taste of what’s to come," he murmurs in my ear .

Instead of answering, I let my head fall further to the side – the ultimate gesture of submission. His growl of approval is the last thing I hear before his fangs pierce my skin.

Pain blooms sharp and sweet, but it's quickly overwhelmed by something else. Something that feels like liquid fire in my veins, like lightning in my blood. I cry out, but not in protest. This is what I've been writing about all along, I realize. This perfect moment of surrender, of giving yourself completely to the monster you've chosen.

I feel him drinking, taking my essence into himself, and it's the most intimate thing I've ever experienced. Through the connection of blood, I catch glimpses of him – centuries of darkness and power, of hunting through endless nights. His memories flow into me as my blood flows into him, showing me what I'm becoming. What we'll be together.

Just when my vision starts to dim, he pulls back. I whimper at the loss, but then his wrist is at my mouth, skin already parted and welling with dark blood.

"Drink," he commands. "Just a taste. Just enough to link our connection and heal you."

The first drop hits my tongue and my world explodes. His blood tastes like power itself – ancient and dark and addictive. I drink deeply, desperately, understanding for the first time what true hunger feels like.

Finally, he pulls his wrist away. I slump back against him, dizzy with blood loss and power. The room spins, shadows dancing at the edges of my vision.

"Beautiful," he murmurs, turning me to face him. His eyes are glowing with supernatural light, my blood staining his lips crimson. "Do you understand now? What you're becoming? What we'll be together when I fully turn you? This was only the first bite. I have so much more for you, but you’re not ready.”

I nod, too overwhelmed for words. Everything feels different – sharper, clearer, somehow more real. The shadows in the room pulse. The night beyond my windows calls to me, begging me to immerse myself in it.

"Rest now," he says, lifting me easily and carrying me to the leather couch in my office. "The blood exchange will change you further. Accelerate your transformation." His bloody fangs hang over his lips as he speaks."When you wake, you'll be one step closer to becoming what you were born to be."

"Stay," I manage to whisper as exhaustion pulls at me.

"Always." He settles beside me, pulling me against his chest. I can feel his erection grinding against my ass, but his words soothe me. "Sleep, little ghost. Dream of shadow and blood. When you wake..." His voice follows me down into darkness. "When you wake, we'll begin your true descent."

As consciousness fades, I feel the shadows gathering around us like a protective cocoon. My last thought before sleep takes me is that I'm not falling into darkness anymore.

I'm finally coming home to it.