Chapter 1: My Life

Emma

Hello there, I'm Emma Knight. I may appear to be your typical 25-year-old blonde woman just trying to make a living, but let me tell you, I am far from normal. I find myself wishing for normalcy on a near-daily basis.

You see, my life thus far has been quite the rollercoaster ride, and I'll spare you the details for now. It seems that I am currently facing a situation that I had hoped to avoid indefinitely.

I must admit, I do have a bit of a soft spot for my job at Zest. Zest is a popular lifestyle magazine in our lovely city of Shreveport, Louisiana. The story of how I ended up moving from the Midwest to Louisiana is a tale in itself, but let's just say I had some rather unpleasant encounters back home that forced me to make a hasty exit.

It seems that I have a knack for attracting trouble when it comes to men. They just can't seem to resist going a little crazy around me. Oh, the joys of being me.

Fight or flight, I chose flight but I'm done running. I was just a fascination to him, so I'm sure he's moved on to the next prized pussy. As I finish up my final article and send it off for publication, a strange sensation washes over me. Since relocating here, I've come to realize that I possess abilities that some might label as psychic and empathic.

I've always felt like an outsider, attuned to the energies around me. I've honed my skills in interpreting these feelings and, most importantly, heeding their warnings. Occasionally, I even receive visions, though they tend to manifest in times of great urgency.

At this very moment, my instincts are screaming at me to flee. But I'm trapped at work, unable to simply vanish without a valid excuse. I'm summoned to my boss's office - Randall Krieg, a powerful figure in the community who sends shivers down my spine.

“Sit,” he commands as he stood up from behind his desk. Did I mention that he's a bit of a control freak? It must've slipped my mind because I try to avoid him like the plague. He has always rubbed me the wrong way and given me the creeps. My warning bells start ringing. I am about to find out why my senses told me to run. I couldn't explain why he bothered me until now. He looks at me and I swear his eyes go black yet glow. This guy isn't human! Yes, I live in Louisiana, the land of vampires and voodoo, but it's not real. It can't be, can it?

He looks into my eyes and starts talking in this deep, smooth, velvety voice. It sounds so sultry yet alien. “Emma, we have known each other for a long time, yes?” he asks.

I automatically answer, “Yes.” Fuck what is wrong with me? I can't stop looking at him and I just responded without thinking. I sounded so robotic.

He slides his hand onto my knee. It just feels wrong. It feels like he's trying to control me, make me want him. But I don't. In fact, I have trouble wanting any man after what I ran from. Just a touch makes me want to bolt. I hate being touched, especially skin on skin. It doesn't just remind me of what all the insane bastards have done to me but it makes my visions start. “You know you have fantasized about this as much as I have,” he says.

He moved his hand up my thigh. His finger grazed my slit through my silk panties. Why? Why can't I smack his hand away? Why do I feel like I'm trapped in stone? “Emma, you are a tease. You wear these short skirts and flaunt your perfect skin. You need to be punished.”

What? No! He slides his finger inside of me. Then I feel this shock like I have been struck by lightning. I know how it feels to be struck by lightning. Back in Indiana when I was six, I was riding my bike home from a friend's house trying to outrun a thunderstorm. I fell off of my bike into a large puddle because the streets were starting to flood. Lightning struck the water. That's all I remember other than the teeling that I have at this moment. I was different before the lightning hit me, but I became more so afterward. It is like the lightning sparked something inside of me. It awakened and powered something...something dark that I try to keep hidden and contained.

In response to his touch, my eyes pinched closed and when I opened them, I saw my boss frozen in place like a statue. Shit! I did that. How? Fuuck it, it doesn't matter how. Now I can run. So l do. I rush to my desk and grab my things and then exit the office. I run and hop on the first bus I see. I don't care what part of town it is going to, all I care is that it is far from here. I sink into the first seat that I find.

What just happened? I put my head into my hands and just try to breathe. I am alive. I am okay. I got away. Why do men go batshit crazy around me? What the hell is wrong with me? Things after that lighting just kept intensifying and coming here to Louisiana has increased my sensitivity to the supernatural and psychic phenomenon.

Then I get that feeling again. Just what now? Why can't I catch a break? When it rains, it pours, I guess. Today is looking to be a monsoon. “Hey sweetstuff you don't need to sit alone,” a guy in ripped jeans and a leather biker jacket says.

This guy doesn't mean me outright harm. He's just a player as I don't sense malice. “You know you will have the ride of your life,” the biker guy’s friend murmurs suggestively.

I can tell they won't let up. They aren't thinking with their brains. No, it's that weird part of me that makes men go crazy and think with their cocks affecting them. “I think she said no,” a very tall guy with medium-length dark hair and piercing eyes replied firmly.  This guy bothers me. His words reflect what I needed to hear, but I feel this power radiate from him. It's carnal and feral. It's primal. This guy isn't human and I could be his next snack.

My skin just crawls like a swarm of ants is walking all over my body. My hairs stand on end. I have to get off of this bus. I have to run far and fast. “I'm good,” I answer as I inch to the front of the bus. Next stop I'm gone!