I followed him down the hall, but he was a lot faster than me. “The least you owe me is your attention!” I yelled in an attempt to get him to slow down.

It worked. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to me, a dangerous expression in his eyes. He started closing the distance between us, but didn’t stop when he reached me. He must’ve liked having me backed against something because he continued until he had me trapped against the wall, his hands on either side of me.

“I do not owe you anything. I saved your life when I could have let you die. As far as I’m concerned, that means that I don’t need to give you anything more,” he said, his tone taking on a frightening quality. The tangible darkness that I had seen around him before was back and clung to him affectionately. “You are a guest here and I will decide what information I give you and when. Or when we have a conversation for that matter. You do not make those choices. If you don’t like it, feel free to leave. I’ve warned you many times, little witch, that I’m not a good man. I do not have pure intentions. And if my actions hurt you or make you feel used, I apologize. But it’s who I am.”

My heart rate increased and the fear I felt around him the first time we met returned.

“You were the one that told me that someone couldn’t be all bad,” I reminded him, but my voice sounded foreign to my own ears.

“You have to stop hoping that there is good in me. You are disappointed because you keep believing that I’m not bad, even since that moment we met, and now you are starting to realize your belief was ill founded,” he leaned in closer to me, his eyes narrowed. The darkness rolled off him and I was suddenly afraid that it would make contact with my skin.

Swallowing I said, “I think you are trying really hard to make people believe you are bad to avoid getting close to people. You keep pushing them away.” My voice had regained a little strength, but not enough to make my words have enough impact on him.

Andreas chuckled darkly. “You really do have misguided faith in the goodness in me. That is very foolish, Lana. All the stories you’ve heard of me, everything everyone has ever told you about me, it’s all true. I don’t know how many times I have to tell you this before it starts to sink in. I won’t change no matter how much you hope I do,” he said with a fierceness in his voice that shook me to my core.

“Then why did you save me?” I demanded, attempting the same fierce tone, but falling short as always.

“I honestly don’t know.”

“There has to be light inside you… if not, you would’ve let them kill me.”

His arms left the wall and he grabbed my wrists, pulling me closer to him. “There is no light. Everything inside me is dark. The light faded a long time ago, if it was even there. Yes, I saved you, but that does not mean my intentions were honorable. You are a beautiful girl, Lana, and by saving you I knew you would owe me.” His words stung because they only confirmed what I feared.

“I don’t believe you,” I replied, but my voice wavered, lacking the conviction it needed to have any effect on him. Perhaps I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t believe him rather than trying to convince him.

“You don’t have to, but it’s the truth. I’m evil. I’m the man you’ve always been warned about.”

I didn’t want to show him how much his words had rattled me. I wanted to believe that maybe he could be different, that maybe he could change for me. But deep inside I knew that was never going to happen. He had made up his mind and I wouldn’t be the one to change it. His brother’s death must’ve affected him more than I had realized. If all the stories about Andreas Grigoli were true, then I had gotten myself tangled up with the most dangerous man alive. The tangible darkness around him indicated as much. I didn’t know whether to feel lucky, or terrified.

Right now I was settling for terrified. He still hadn’t let go of my wrists and the intensity in his gaze only increased. His grip was getting really tight, but he released me before it became too much.

“I am going to get some sleep now, I suggest you do the same. Good night,” he said with a note of finality and disappeared. Why he hadn’t just left that way at first was beyond me. Perhaps he had wanted me to follow him so he could scare the hell out of me.

I felt numb and paranoid as I strode back to my room. He had rattled me more than I would’ve thought possible. When I reached my room I closed the door and sagged against it, my chest heaving. He was right. I could leave anytime I wanted, but where would I go? He had to have known when he said it that I wouldn’t stand a chance out there by myself.

I fell asleep that night with my hand covering the teardrop pendant. And though he appeared cold, the necklace had to be an indicator of something more. Someone who didn’t care at all wouldn’t have cared about something as simple as a birthday present. Would they?