“Oh, piss off!”

She screamed into the dark alley and turned to continue on her way only to be stopped by a whimpering plea for help. Mia knew it was a mistake, but the siren song of that plea drew her forward and caused her dark half to rise out of the deep, dark place where she’d been sequestered. Someone was possibly injured, weak, and vulnerable inside that alley, and Mia’s darker half salivated in anticipation. She was just at the lip of the alley and held herself back from making that final crossing. Clenching her fists, she took a deep breath and shook her body sharply, displacing some of the need that had overcome her.

“I’m going to call 911. Just stay calm,” she called out as she fumbled in her bag with numb fingers.

Calling for help was so counter to who she was that she focused on who she wanted to be, a person that didn’t prey on the weak, or she would falter in her decision. If there was someone injured inside the alley, there was nothing she could do for him or her without the aid of medical professionals. She would only tempt the tenuous hold she had on her control after her sleep-deprived night, and if she was going to beat her inherent drive to conquer by subduing the predator that resided inside her, she had to avoid all opportunities for temptation.

“You really aren’t any fun anymore.”

Mia almost dropped her phone at the sound of Galen’s voice. This was the second time he’d caught her unaware, and she wanted to kick herself for being so stupid. Growling with frustration, she shoved her phone back into her purse and stared into the smug face of her tormentor.

“Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“Yes, but the person I want to do better with isn’t willing to play,” he said with a lecherous grin.

She wanted to knock out those perfect white, too-sharp teeth. Not only that-she want to shave off that rakish mop of wavy raven hair and mess up the perfect angles of his strong jaw. Mia wanted to shake him until he fell apart and wasn’t such an archetype of sex and sin taunting her back into the life she’d chosen to step away from. Giving him the bird, she pulled her hobo bag closer and walked away. His husky laugh should have irritated her but instead it strummed a primitive tempo against her clit.

“If you are committed to being a part of the herd, I insist that I walk you home,” he said as moved alongside her.

“I don’t need anything from you,” she answered tersely.

Her hardened nipples called her a liar, but she knew they were confusing the brisk night air for the promise of his fingertip caress. Grinding her teeth, she ignored her wayward nipples and the incessant throbbing of her neglected clit and looked at Galen from the corner of her eye, scowling more at how he seemed so at ease, her bad-boy predator. The crooked smile he gave her when he caught her staring only infuriated her more, causing her to speed up her pace in order to get to the sanctuary of her home. She would need a calming lavenderand jasmine-scented bath again tonight, and possibly the expertise of her newest electric toy.

“I’ve missed you.”

She hunched her shoulders at his confession, refusing to hear truth in his words.

“I know you don’t believe me, but I have.”

Mia pressed her lips tightly together and resisted the urge to respond. The industrial building that housed her apartment was in sight, and if she could stay silent long enough, she’d make it home where she could shut out his words and their possible meaning.

“I miss how responsive you were when I applied the right amount of pressure. I can still feel how wet you’d get in the palm of my hand after I’d given that lovely little pink clit of yours the spanking it deserved.”

Mia almost faltered in her step as he finished his declaration in a voice gone even deeper from arousal. She didn’t respond though, because she was afraid of what might come out of her mouth if she spoke, and more importantly what might find its way in. Instead she squared her shoulders and gave Galen a scathing look. He was completely unrepentant and gave her a mocking wink as he kept pace with her hurried steps. The little light she kept on above her door was a beacon in the night, promising salvation from the torture he was bringing.

“No comment, sweet Mia. Usually that lovely mouth of yours was quick to put me in my place. Which inevitably was inside you.” He chuckled to himself at his own statement.

Mia practically ran the final yards to her door and fumbled around in her bag, searching for her wayward keys. She could feel him at her back, waiting patiently for an invitation she couldn’t give if she planned to keep her sanity. If she let him in, he would have her-dear God, would he have her-and when she was at her weakest he would convince her she didn’t need to stay away. He would be all rational facts and examples of how centuries of evolution could not be wrong, and she wasn’t a monster when she fed her darker half’s needs. Those sea-green eyes would stare into hers, and she would believe every single word, and there would be nothing of her left. She needed to stay strong, walk in her front door, and shut it firmly behind her.

Focusing on what she needed to do to put distance between her and Gale became a mantra she chanted as she tried desperately to find her keys in her ridiculously large purse. She kept repeating each step in her plan as she felt him behind her, waiting patiently in the shadows of the night. It was on a continuous loop as she fitted her key in the lock and pushed her door open to freedom, closing out her bad-boy predator. It was even the thing that kept her grounded as the husky sound of his laugh slipped into her studio, reminding her just how patient a predator can be.

Mia’s nerves were frazzled, and she was surprised she hadn’t snapped at some point during the day. If she’d barely slept two nights ago; last night she hadn’t slept at all. Galen’s words to her the night before had their intended effect, and she’d fitfully turned in her bed as her body ached for the release only he could provide. She taken matters into her own hands, literally, but it wasn’t the same and instead, even though she’d come, she’d never found release.

She rubbed the counter vigorously, hoping the motion would burn some of the unspent energy that was riding her hard. She and her manager were closing up, and Mia almost had the place sparkling as she manically cleaned every surface and appliance. Tully had retreated to the small office in the back to finish closing paperwork and leave Mia to her newly acquired OCD tendencies.

“I don’t think that can get any cleaner, Mia.” Tully chuckled as she walked out from the small office.

Resisting the urge to snarl, Mia gave her a weak smile before gathering up her cleaning supplies. The idea of moving, picking up and planting roots somewhere else, far away, entered her mind, but she knew the Family and she knew Galen. There wasn’t a place far away enough. She sighed with frustration as she put the cleaning supplies away and hurried to gather her stuff so she and Tully could leave.

“I know we haven’t worked together long, but if there is anything you need to talk about, let me know.”

Mia felt the unfamiliar prick of tears as her manager gave her a shy smile. She’d never had anyone to confide in. Problems were solved decisively where she was from, and there was no need to deliberate. This new human condition she found herself part of was more comforting than shed expected.

“Thanks. I really appreciate that,” she replied, giving Tully a shy smile of her own.

She could tell the other woman wanted to say something else but pulled back at the last minute. Mia was grateful because even though she was awed by the new emotional world she inhabited, she wasn’t completely comfortable with the complexity of it all. Instead they turned off the lights and Mia waited patiently as Tully locked up.