I convince her to leave me alone

My instincts tell me I should run for the front door, scream, call 911, something. Instead I’m frozen, one hand gripping the back of the wall, staring at Ariadne leaning casual as hell in the doorway. If she's only half as fast as Lucius, I know I've got zero chance of escaping her. So I'll have to talk my way out of this.

"Y—you... how did you find me?" I mutter, unable to hide the panic and shock in my trembling voice.

"Oh... wasn't that difficult... let's just say I've got my ways finding... uhm, certain mortals that think they could hide," she purrs softly, completely at ease and confident.

I've got to give it to her, she doesn’t look like the bloodthirsty monster she truly is. She's pure sin wrapped in silk and with her red hair spilling down she's more like out of some movie where women ruin men and laugh about it after. My stomach knots, and all I can think is: how the fuck am I getting out of this alive?

Then she makes a single step forward. "Mind if I come in?"

“Stay the fuck back,” I snap, trying to sound intimidating, but my voice is shaking. God, I hate that. And I hate that my heart’s racing so fast I can literally hear it, and no doubt she can too.

Ariadne tilts her head, her emerald eyes gleaming like she knows every thought in my head. “If I wanted you hurt you, Thalia, I wouldn’t be standing in your doorway, asking politely .” Her voice is smooth—low, too soft, the kind of tone that makes you want to lean in instead of back.

“Politely?” I laugh, but it comes out short and nervous. “You turned Trevor into a fucking maniac and he almost killed me because of you! And you wanted to do the same to me! So fuck your politeness.” I stop, clenching the door frame harder. “You’re an evil monster.”

Her lips curve, slow and deliberate. “Oh, would you relax already. I have nothing... monstrous planned for tonight. And Trevor... he was weak. He just couldn’t handle it all and, sadly, he lost his mind. My bad. But you…” She steps in just enough that the light catches her cheekbones. “…you took it, and you didn’t break. You even revelled in it, didn't you? ”

Goddammit. I feel my throat tighten because she’s not lying, not about me. The memory of the alley rushes back—the bite, the insane rush that left me panting, and—

No! I've got to stop thinking like that!

“You've read me wrong, I’m not the crazy psycho you think I am!” I spit, **** to get the words out before she can sink deeper under my skin. “And you don’t get to sneak in here and tell me what I am. I’m not your fucking pet!”

She doesn’t flinch. Doesn’t even blink. Just studies me like I’m some puzzle she’s already solved. “I’m not here to make you something you’re not. I’m here because of what you already are. You just don’t want to admit it.”

Why am I listening to her? I should throw something at her and run for the door. Except… what’s the point? I’ve seen what they can do. I’m not outrunning her. And my treacherous brain keeps circling back to the question I shouldn’t ask: what if she’s right?

“You think you know me?” My voice cracks halfway through, so I raise it louder to cover. “You don’t know shit about me!” Before I even finish talking, I'm already aware how pathetic I sound...

Her eyes pin me, dark and sharp. “I know you can't stop thinking about how good my bite felt. I know you keep touching your neck when you think no one’s looking. And I know you’re still standing here. If I was just another monster, you’d have run screaming. But you didn’t.”

My pulse hammers against my skin, traitorous as hell. “I didn’t run because I know I can’t. You’d catch me. So yeah, maybe I’m frozen here like a fucking deer on the road, but that doesn’t mean I want to do anything with you.”

Her smile fades, but her voice doesn’t waver. “You’re scared. That’s normal. But it’s not just fear that has your heart beating like that. It’s want. Desire. Need. For me and for everything I can offer you again.”

Fuck, she's reading me like an open book and I hate myself for it. “You sound like some cheap fucking pickup artist,” I mutter, but my voice is thin, like all the air’s leaking out of me.

“You wouldn’t still be talking if I was wrong.” She steps closer, slow enough to give me time to shove her away, but I don’t move. Her scent—rich, sweet, sharp—crawls into my lungs. Dammit, she's really is... tempting.

I shake my head, panic and arousal all tangled. “Why the fuck am I even listening to you? You're just lying...”

“Because deep down, you know you can’t fight curiosity.” She says, eyes locked to mine as she closes the distance again. “All this time you've been wondering what would've happened if that old fart Lucius hadn't interrupted us. It's a shame he did, but here I am tonight to make it right, for you to really let go. To stop holding everything so tight, stop pretending you’ve got it all under control.”

Her words cut deep, too close. I swallow hard, backing up until the wall presses against me. “Cut the crap. What do you want from me, really?”

Ariadne’s lips curl into a slow, devastating smile. She steps right in front of me, I can feel her. God, she's as beautiful as she's dangerous. My eyes flick to her mouth—to the faint gleam of her fangs—and instead of fear, a rush of heat coils low in my belly. She’s magnetic, every inch of her. My pulse is frantic, but I can’t look away.

“Honestly? I missed you,” she says, her voice velvet, laced with hunger. “I miss your taste. That night in the alley…” Her eyes darken, green fire flashing. “…I want to repeat it. But this time, without Lucius stealing you away.”

My knees weaken. Her hand lifts, fingers brushing my cheek with a feather-light caress, and I melt under it despite myself. She’s soft where I expect her to be cruel, tender where I thought she’d be brutal. My body hums at her touch, betraying me.

“It’ll feel so good,” she whispers, thumb tracing along my jaw. “I promise.”

My breath stutters out. “You… you just came here to finish the job, didn’t you? To kill me?”

Ariadne chuckles low. The sound vibrates straight through my chest. Her smile softens, almost affectionate, as she shakes her head. “If I wanted you dead, darling, you’d already be cold on the floor.”

The words should terrify me. Instead, they unravel me. My body is screaming for her, my blood pounding, a raw ache clawing up from somewhere deep inside. I shake my head weakly, clinging to the last shred of defiance. “No… I don’t want this.”

Her eyes flash with something I can’t name—desire, maybe, need—and her lips curl into a sinful smirk. “Just a small bite,” she purrs. “Nothing else. Afterwards, I’ll let you decide what you want. You’ll still be free, I promise.”

She’s so close now, her face inches from mine, her breath brushing hot across my lips. Her voice drops, soft as silk, intimate as a secret. “Please… just a bit. A small taste of you. I need you. And you want it too...”

I look at her—really look at her. Her flawless dark beauty, the glow in her green eyes that pins me in place, the red curve of her lips pulled into that irresistible smirk. Her fangs gleam, not threatening anymore, but tempting.

Something inside me snaps. My voice comes out barely a whisper, just a simple one word confession and with it, my complete failure at resisting her.

“Okay.”

I slightly tilt my head, offering my neck to her. What the fuck am I doing? But then a thought hits me like a punch, that deep down, since that alley with Lucius pulling me away, I’ve always wanted this, wanted her, her darkness, her everything. And fuck if I can explain why or how. I should be terrified, calling 911, screaming for help—anything but this. Instead, I’m standing here like some hypnotized idiot, handing her my throat like it’s a gift.

As her fangs slide into my neck, sharp and merciless, pain explodes through me, like twin blades piercing my skin, and I gasp, my body jerking against the wall. The sting is brutal, burning through my veins, but I don't fight it, cause I know what follows.

The pain shifts fast, melting into a fire that floods my whole body, hot and liquid, pooling between my thighs, making my pussy throb with a need I can’t control. I moan, loud and raw, and my hands fly to her shoulders, clutching her lacy dress, pulling her closer like she’s the only thing keeping me upright. Her lips seal against my neck, sucking hard, and I hear the wet, greedy gulps of my blood, each one sending a jolt of pleasure through me, blending with the pain until I can’t tell them apart. My head spins and I’m thinking how this is just like the alley—intense, fucked up, perfect—but now it’s deeper, like she’s reaching into my soul. I’m not fighting, not even a little, and the realization makes my chest ache, like I’m falling into something I’ll never climb out of, and I don’t want to.

It isn’t just the bite. God, it’s her. Ariadne. The way she owns every inch of me without a single word, the way she’s stealing more than blood—like she’s feeding on every thought, every heartbeat. It’s sick, it’s wrong, and it’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever felt. The idea that she is the one taking me, my life **** dripping into her—somehow that makes it even hotter.

My blood flows faster, and I feel it leaving me, a warm rush that makes my skin tingle, my clit pulse, and I’m moaning again, “Shit... this feels... good...” Fuck, I'm literally letting her feed on me, but it's turning me on so hard I catch myself grinding my hips against nothing, seeking friction. I’m lost in her, in the way her tongue laps at the wounds, her low hums vibrating against my skin.

After what feels like forever but must be only a minute or so, Ariadne pulls back, her lips smeared with my blood, and she gasps a sharp, satisfied sound, like she’s sated her immediate hunger. Her eyes are brighter, almost like a glowing green fire, and she licks her lips, savoring me, as she murmurs, “Mmm... Thalia, I really needed that. God, you're delicious, definitely worth the wait.” She looks at me part inquisitively, part teasingly, and continues, "So... I'm ready to keep my promise and leave forever if you wish so. Or... would you like me to stay for a while?"

I’m panting, slumped against the wall, my neck still throbbing and I’m smiling weakly, my mind still buzzing with that dark bliss, knowing I’d let her do it again, and again, because this—this twisted pleasure—is all I want right now.