Prologue
Alic
Her blue eyes widen as I firm my grip around her slim neck. Her pussy gets even tighter, holding me so firm it almost hurts. I know what's going on inside her head. Know the cloud of euphoria on which she floats, even though a part of her brain knows that she will die. The rush. The pleasure. It's stronger than the fear of death. Endorphins turn the moment that should be cruel and frightening into pure ecstasy. My own climax is just as close. The thrill, the knowledge that she will draw her last breath when I find my fulfillment, an intoxicating cocktail in my own head. A silent scream comes over her lips as the orgasm races through her body. Her pussy spasms around my cock. My fingers squeeze harder as I explode inside her. The light in her eyes goes out as I give my last drop. I close my eyes to savor the moment before I slowly pull my cock out of her and take the condom off. I let my gaze glide over her peaceful, still form. The expression of fulfillment still on her features, her lips slightly parted. I bend over her and press a tender kiss on her lips.
"Rest gently, sweetheart," I whisper at her mouth.
I turn away from the bed and clean up the scene of the crime. I'm too clever to leave any traces. Neither on the scene of the crime, nor on the body. The condom disappears in my pocket before I leave the apartment. Outside, the first rays of the sun greet me. The warm tingling on my skin reinforces the satisfaction I always experience after a kill. Yes, I am aware that it's wrong what I am doing. I'm a sociopath, but not an idiot. Does it make my crimes better that my victims don't suffer? That I give them pleasure and then, in a moment of ecstasy, they take their last breath? – Probably not. Does that bother me? – No! A sociopath feels no pity, no remorse, and no guilt. I am one hundred percent selfish. All I care about is what I want. What I need. Yes, I make sure to pleasure the women, instead of just taking them by force, but even that has completely selfish reasons. It increases the thrill. The knowledge that I can manipulate them. That they give themselves to me willingly. That even as they face their end, they're still completely caught in my web.
An older lady approaches me with her cocker spaniel. The dog is wagging its tail in greeting, and I bend down to pet it before I give the lady my most charming smile.
"Fine weather for a morning walk," I say.
"This it is, young man," replies the old lady, smiling up at me. "Leo seems to like you," she adds with a nod towards the dog.
I smile at her brightly and tap lightly on the dog's head as he licks my hand.
"Come Leo. Leave the nice young man. Sure we'll stop him from doing something important."
I'll straighten up after I give Leo one last tickle behind his ears.
"No, ma'am. There's always time for pleasantries."
The old lady beams at me as she pats me grandmotherly on the arm.
"I wish all young men these days were as well-mannered and polite. The woman that will marry you is lucky to have acquired such a jewel of a man," she says with a glance at my ring less hand. "Too bad my granddaughter is already married."
I laugh and wink at the old lady.
If only she knew. She doesn’t see the monster lurking under my skin. She only sees a good looking young man with polite manners.
"Too bad you're already spoken for," I say, glancing at her own hand with a wedding ring on it.
The lady giggles, blushing slightly. My charm works on women of all ages. Nobody would ever suspect me to me a coldblooded serial killer.
"You remind me very much of my Henry," she says. "He's as much a charmer as you are. – Now, we must get on our way. Have a nice day, young man."
"Likewise," I reply and tap my forehead in greeting, before whistling to myself and continuing on my way.
Chapter 1
Alic
My eyes never leave her. Since I discovered her a little over an hour ago, I've been burning with the desire to have her. She is my next victim. She's taller than I prefer, and she's not blonde. Her long black hair shines in the light of the massive chandeliers. Her lips are painted blood-red. She looks quite the seductress, a woman who knows what she wants. But I can sense that her self-confidence is just a mask. I notice how her gaze keeps searching for an escape route when she laughs at something one of her many admirers says. I see how she hardly noticeably flinches when one man, apparently by chance, touches her. It doesn't surprise me when after what seems like an eternity; she sneaks towards the exit while two of her friends distract her admirers for a while. That is my cue. I leave the ballroom through a second exit. In the shadows, I stop and wait until she steps out of the ballroom into the hallway. She hurries down the sparsely lit corridor and I move out of the shadows. I follow her on quiet soles along the hallway and up a staircase to the upper floor. She disappears into one room and I smile to myself as I imagine how surprised she will be that her escape has led her into my net. Making sure that nobody is around, I quietly open the door and enter the bedroom where my kitten has taken refuge. A glance through the dark room tells me that she is not here. A curtain blows softly in the breeze from the open balcony door. Once again, I smile. She is on the balcony. Perfect. I sneak across the room and step outside. She stands with her back to me, her hands on the railing as she stares down into the dark garden. She doesn’t hear me approaching, but she feels my presence a split second before I reach out for her. My hand swallows the scream that escapes her throat as I press myself against her from behind.
Gotcha, Kitten!
Heather
My heartbeat calms as I breathe in the cool night air. I'm glad I escaped the stuffy ballroom and all those guys. I hate these events, but my father insists that I play host. Since my sister doesn't live here anymore, all the responsibility falls on me. Susan works for the FBI. She hunts down the bad guys in the world. I wish I were as brave and tough as she is. But I'm weak. People disturb me at times. Especially men. I can't even tell where my fears come from. I had been a reserved child. As a teenager, I had not fancied boys as much as the other girls and preferred to hide in my room with a good book. Even now, at twenty-two, I am still insecure in the presence of others. I had never had a boyfriend. My female friends are not really familiar to me either. I tolerate them so that I at least appear normal on the outside. Nobody really knows what is going on inside of me.
I startle from my thoughts when suddenly the hairs on my neck stand on end, and my inner alarm bells ring. I open my mouth for a scream, but a big hand covers my mouth, suppressing the sound. A hard body presses itself against me from behind. My heart threatens to jump out of my chest, and my knees soften from fear.
"Sshhh," a deep voice murmurs in my ear. Warm breath tickles my neck. "Relax, kitten. I'm not gonna hurt you."
Even though the fear is closing my chest like a vice, his voice has an almost hypnotic effect on me. I freeze as warm lips descend on my neck. The touch is light as a feather, sending a shiver down my spine. The stranger behind me is aroused. I can feel his erection pressing against my lower back. My heart pounds painfully against my ribs, and blood rushes in my ears.
"Settle," he murmurs, putting his free hand on my thigh. "Close your eyes, kitten. Feel me. Feel what you're doing to me." He presses his erection closer to me. His smell of man and aftershave lulls me in, gives me an irrational feeling of security and safety. His heat seeps through out clothing. I hold my breath, my heart pounding. His tongue strokes along my neck to my ear, and another shiver runs down my body. There is a tingle between my legs, warm and wet. "That’s it, kitten. Give yourself to me. I know you want to. Sshhhh." His tongue plays with my earlobe and I groan softly behind his hand. Who would have known that I am so sensitive there?