Thirst For You

The rain came in sheets that night, the kind that drenched the world with a quiet intensity, turning the streets into rivers of reflection. Eva stood by the window of her small apartment, watching the world blur in the downpour, her breath fogging up the glass. Her reflection, pale and unremarkable, seemed distant from the storm outside, a girl lost in the dullness of life, untouched by the chaos that raged beyond the glass. She wasn't unhappy, at least not in the way that most people understood the word. Life was fine. Work was bearable. Her friends were kind, if somewhat dull. But there was always something missing, something she couldn't name, a restlessness that gnawed at her as the years slipped by, one indistinguishable day after another. Eva had never known love—not in the way people described it. No grand romances, no passionate moments that left her breathless, no feeling of being swept off her feet. Her relationships, while comfortable, had been far from life-altering. But she couldn't help but wonder if there was more out there. She would sometimes lie awake in the dark, feeling the weight of that question pressing against her chest. Could there really be someone who would make her heart race, someone who could change everything? It was on nights like this, when the rain painted the world in shades of gray and silver, that the longing seemed to whisper louder than the world outside. The question clung to her, though she had no idea where the answer would come from. That night, it came from the shadows. The doorbell rang. A sudden interruption to the stillness that had settled over the room. Eva frowned, glancing at the clock. No one ever came by this late. She wasn't expecting anyone. She hesitated for a moment, then stood up and made her way to the door. When she opened it, she found nothing—just the empty hallway of the apartment complex. But then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. Standing at the far end of the corridor, just beneath the dim glow of the hallway light, a figure lingered. Tall, with a presence that seemed to bend the shadows around him. His pale skin shimmered in the weak light, as though it were somehow out of this world and his eyes dark and piercing locked onto hers with an intensity that sent a shiver through her spine. Eva froze, her hand still on the doorknob, her heart skipping a beat for reasons she couldn't explain. The figure didn't move at first, just stood there watching her. It wasn't like any encounter she had ever had before. There was something almost… unreal about him. His gaze felt invasive, but not in a way that made her want to retreat. It was as if he was seeing right through her, into places she'd never let anyone touch. The silence stretched, thick and heavy, until he finally spoke. His voice was low, smooth, like silk sliding over stone. "Eva." Her breath caught in her throat. How did he know her name? She hadn't even said a word. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, though she could feel her pulse pounding in her throat. The man didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped forward, his movements graceful, almost predatory. The closer he got, the more his features came into focus—sharp cheekbones, a jaw line that seemed to be carved from marble, and hair so dark it looked as though it had been spun from the night itself. His eyes, though, were what held her—his gaze was so intense that she couldn't look away. "I'm… someone who has been waiting for you for a very long time" he said. His voice was compelling, every word coated in a kind of slow, hypnotic rhythm. Eva's chest tightened. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly aware of every sensation—the feel of the cold air against her skin, the rhythmic beating of her heart, the ache in her bones. There was something about him—something strange, dangerous yet so exhilarating. "Do I know you?" she asked again stammering, though the question felt unimportant now, as if the words had no real meaning. She hadn't invited anyone over, and yet, this stranger knew more about her than anyone had a right to. A flicker of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, but it was unsettling—too sharp, too knowing. "yes and no but you will very soon Eva." The hair on the back of her neck stood up. She wanted to shut the door. To retreat into the safety of her apartment, where things made sense but she couldn't. There was something about him—something magnetic that held her in place, her legs suddenly too weak to move.

"Who are you?" she demanded again, a little more firmly this time, though the question felt unnecessary.

"I'm Elias," he replied, taking another step forward, the shadows seeming to pull around him as he moved. "And I've been waiting for you."

Eva swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. "I don't understand. What do you want from me?"

He stopped just a few feet away from her, and for a moment, she swore she saw something dark pass through his eyes—something like hunger. But before she could make sense of it, the feeling vanished as quickly as it had come, leaving only the intense weight of his gaze.

"I want nothing from you, Eva," he said quietly, his tone softer now, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "But I need you. You're the only one who can help me."

"Help you?" she repeated, confused and a little frightened. "Help you with what?"

Elias didn't immediately answer. Instead, he stepped even closer—so close that Eva could smell the faint scent of something foreign on him, something cold and distant, like earth and rain mixed with the faintest trace of something metallic. Her mind whirled with questions, but before she could ask another one, Elias spoke again.

"I need you to trust me, Eva," he said, his voice almost a whisper now, full of quiet urgency. "I promise, I will never hurt you. But I cannot protect you from everything not without your blood."

Eva felt her heart skip, a chill running down her spine. The way he said the word "blood" made something shift inside her, something primal, as if the word had more weight than she could understand.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked, but her voice trembled now, betraying her confusion.

Elias's eyes darkened, the shift in them almost unnoticeable, but she noticed it. He seemed to take a deep breath, like he was forcing himself to calm.

"I mean that you are the only one who can help me control what I am." His voice softened, but the intensity in his gaze deepened. "And in return, I will keep you safe. I will protect you."

Eva's mind raced. Was he threatening her? Was he insane? The feeling that she should be afraid lingered, but it was drowned by something else—a feeling that she couldn't explain. A curiosity. An undeniable pull.

Elias reached out, his fingers brushing against her wrist, just lightly enough to make her skin tingle. The touch was electric—intense, almost—but not painful. Just the sensation of something enormous and wild stirring inside her.

"You don't understand yet," he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. "But you will."

She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, Elias was gone.

One moment, he was standing there, close enough that she could feel the heat of his body, and the next, he was gone—disappeared as if the shadows themselves had swallowed him whole.

Eva blinked, stunned, unsure of what just happened. She stood frozen in the doorway for a long moment, her heart pounding as the rain continued to drum against the windows.

What the hell was that?