Love Bites:Guide to Dating a vampire and werewolf

Haunted By Her.

Adrian sat in a dark room, the faint glow of the fire casting long shadows against the walls. The heavy silence was interrupted only by the faint crackle of embers, a sound he barely registered as he swirled the wine in his glass. He should have been focused on the night ahead, on the plans that needed his attention, but his mind was far from here.

He couldn't stop thinking about Her.Lila was all he could think about.

She shouldn't have mattered, not like this. She wasn't the kind of woman to get tangled up with men like him. Sweet, unassuming, and hopelessly unaware of the darkness that clung to him like a second skin. She didn't belong in his world, yet here he was, thinking about her again. Her face flashed in his mind—those curious eyes that always seemed to be searching for something deeper, the way her lips curved into a soft, shy smile when she caught him watching her.

There was a delicacy about her, something fragile and untouched, and it stirred something in him he hadn't felt in years. Decades, maybe. He didn't know if it was desire or something more dangerous, but whatever it was, it unsettled him.

He leaned back in his chair, letting his head fall against the cushion, and closed his eyes. But the darkness behind his eyelids only brought her image into sharper focus. He could almost smell her—the faint hint of lavender that clung to her skin, the warmth of her presence whenever she was near.

What would it be like to touch her? To press his lips against her neck and feel her pulse quicken beneath his mouth? The thought sent a low, aching pull through him, one he didn't want to acknowledge. She wasn't like the others. She wasn't meant to be another fleeting distraction, another name forgotten by morning.

But that didn't stop him from imagining.

His hand tightened around the glass, the thought of her voice whispering his name echoing in his mind. He could almost see her, kneeling before him, looking up with those wide, innocent eyes. The mental image sent a sharp jolt through him, and he cursed under his breath. He needed to stop. This was dangerous—this fixation, this craving.

"Adrian."

The sound of his name pulled him back to reality. He didn't need to look up to know who it was. Mila's voice was unmistakable smooth and sultry, designed to draw attention. She was good at that, at commanding the room without much effort. Normally, he would have indulged her, let her distract him from the endless monotony of his existence. But tonight, her presence felt like an unwelcome intrusion.

She sauntered into the room, her heels clicking softly against the wooden floor, and stopped just short of his chair. "You've been quiet all night," she said, her tone carrying a hint of playful reproach.

Adrian didn't respond immediately. He kept his gaze fixed on the fire, unwilling to let her see the storm behind his eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, almost detached. "Just thinking."

"About what?" she asked, tilting her head as she moved closer.

"Nothing important."

It was a lie, of course, but Mila didn't press. She was used to his moods, his occasional silences. What she wasn't used to was being ignored, and Adrian could sense her frustration even as she tried to mask it.

She stepped closer, her fingers trailing lightly along his arm. "Maybe I can help take your mind off it," she offered, her voice dropping to a seductive whisper.

Adrian finally looked at her then, his expression unreadable. Mila was beautiful—anyone could see that. Her dark hair framed her face perfectly, her lips painted a deep red that always seemed to hold a promise of something forbidden. But tonight, she did nothing for him. She was just another distraction, one he didn't have the energy to entertain.

But Mila didn't seem to notice his disinterest. Or if she did, she chose to ignore it. She moved to kneel in front of him, her hands gliding up his thighs in a way that would have once drawn a reaction from him. But now, all he could think about was Lila.

Mila leaned in, her lips brushing against the fabric of his pants as she worked to undo his belt. Adrian closed his eyes, not to enjoy the moment but to escape it. And the second his eyes shut, it was Lila he saw.

He imagined her there instead, her hesitant hands, her soft breaths. The thought consumed him, filling the emptiness Mila's touch left behind. He could almost hear Lila's voice, quiet and unsure, saying his name in a way that sent a shiver down his spine.

Mila's lips pressed against his skin, pulling him back to the present, but his mind refused to let go of the fantasy. It was wrong. He knew it was wrong. Lila wasn't his to think about like this. She wasn't some fleeting indulgence, and the thought of tainting her innocence with his desires left a bitter taste in his mouth.

But he couldn't stop.

Mila's movements grew more eager, her hands gripping his thighs as she tried to draw a reaction from him. But Adrian barely noticed her. His body responded out of habit, but his mind remained elsewhere, lost in the image of Lila's wide eyes and parted lips.

And in that moment, as Mila whispered his name like a prayer, Adrian realized just how far he'd fallen.

Lila wasn't meant for him. She was good and kind, untouched by the darkness that defined him. But the more he tried to convince himself to let her go, the more tightly she held onto him, her presence lingering in his mind like a haunting melody he couldn't escape.

Mila pulled back slightly, her gaze searching his face for any sign of the man she thought she knew. "Adrian?" she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.

He opened his eyes then, meeting hers with a cold detachment that made her flinch. "Enough," he said, his tone sharper than he intended.

Mila frowned, hurt flickering across her face before she masked it with anger. "You're impossible," she muttered, rising to her feet.

Adrian didn't stop her as she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. He didn't care. His mind was already drifting back to Lila, to the way her presence seemed to seep into every corner of his thoughts.

He downed the rest of his wine in one swallow, the bitter liquid doing little to drown the ache inside him. Lila was a problem he couldn't solve, a temptation he couldn't resist. And no matter how hard he tried to push her away, he knew she was already under his skin.

And that scared him more than he cared to admit.