The Library

Sebastian

S he’s out tonight. Good.

I watch her from the window of her room, hidden in plain sight as she steps out of her apartment building, looking nervous and unsure in that black dress. She has no idea I’m here, no idea how many times I’ve slipped in and out of her life without her even noticing. It’s almost laughable how easy it’s been. Even though she closed her window this time, she still left her routines wide open for me to exploit. She moves through her life as if the world is a safe place, as if there aren’t monsters lurking in the dark, waiting to claim her. But tonight, it’s not the world she should be worried about. It’s me.

I’ve been inside her apartment multiple times, sifting through her things, learning everything there is to know about her. I’ve even placed cameras in every single room, so I watch her even when I’m not there. I’ve been following her for weeks, waiting for the perfect moment. Patience is key. My father always said that patience separates the hunters from the prey, and he was right. The others in the Society, they lack control. They take without thinking, rushing to satisfy their cravings. But I’ve mastered the art of waiting, of control, and now it’s time to use it.

Tonight isn’t the night. Not yet. No, tonight, I’ll let her feel free. Let her think she’s just a girl out for a night with her friend, nothing unusual. She doesn’t know that her freedom is an illusion. She doesn’t know that her life is already entangled with mine, that I’ve already begun pulling her strings.

She looks fucking beautiful tonight, though it’s clear she’s uncomfortable in that dress. She’s not used to being out in the world like this, and it shows in the way she tugs at the hem, trying to cover more of her legs. Her nerves are written all over her face, like the words in one of her books, and I wonder if she feels me and senses that I’m here, watching her. The thought excites me—the idea that she’s starting to become aware of my presence, her fear is creeping in.

But it’s more than fear. It’s the darkness she doesn’t even realize is inside her yet. That’s why I chose her. Beneath that sweet, shy exterior, there’s something unholy simmering, something wild and untamed. She hasn’t met it yet, but I saw it the moment we crossed paths. I could feel it, like a shadow lurking just beneath her surface, waiting to be freed. It’s in the way her hands tremble when she’s overwhelmed, in the way her breath catches when she feels the edges of danger. It excites me—the knowledge that she craves what’s coming, even if she doesn’t know it yet.

She wants the darkness. She wants to lose herself in it, and I’ll be the one to awaken that part of her. I’ll drag it out, bit by bit, until all she knows is my control, my power, and her need to surrender. She’ll give in, because deep down, she’s always wanted this. And when she falls into the abyss, I’ll be there, pulling her deeper into my world. Into me.

I’ve been patient with her, maybe too patient. But the slow burn, the careful planning, it’s all worth it. She doesn’t realize how predictable she is, moving through her life like a script, never deviating. It’s almost too easy. But that’s what makes it exciting—the chase, the thrill of knowing that I’m the only one who truly sees her.

Lilith is unlike anyone else. She hides behind her books, pretending the world in those pages is enough for her. But I know better. I’ve seen the books she reads late at night, the ones she’s too ashamed to admit she enjoys. Dark desires. Control. Submission. She thinks they’re just fantasies, that they’ll never cross over into reality. But I know the truth. Deep down, she craves what those books offer. She wants to be controlled. She wants to be owned.

I slip further into the shadows as she walks toward the bar where she’s meeting her best friend, Anna. The song “Lilith” by Ellise plays through my AirPods, the irony of the title making me smirk. She has no idea. The cold autumn air bites at her skin, and I watch her shiver, pulling her jacket tighter around her small frame. She looks so fragile, so delicate, and it only makes my desire grow stronger. She’s perfect—the perfect balance of innocence and darkness. She wants someone to take control, someone to push her beyond her limits. And I’m going to be that person.

I’ve spent years learning control, mastering the art of the hunt. My father and his men are brutes, taking what they want without a second thought. But true power comes from waiting and knowing when to strike. And when the time comes, Lilith won’t stand a chance.

I stay close, just out of sight, watching as she slips inside the bar with Anna. Anna is insignificant and irrelevant, merely a distraction. Lilith is the only one who matters. She thinks she can live in both worlds—the safe, predictable world of her everyday life and the darker, more dangerous world she escapes to in her books. But she’s wrong. The real Lilith isn’t the girl who goes to class and meets her friends for drinks. The real Lilith is the one who hides behind closed doors, reading those dirty books, letting her mind wander to places she’s too afraid to explore in the daylight.

I’ve seen it in her eyes, the way they linger on certain scenes, the way her breath hitches when she thinks no one’s watching. She craves something more, something darker. She craves me.

I lean against the wall and watch her from across the street, my eyes never leaving the entrance. I could go in, sit at the bar, watch her up close. But that would ruin the fun. I want her to wonder and to feel me without knowing why. The more she thinks about me, the more she feels that prickle of unease; the deeper I burrow into her mind. Breaking her down mentally is just as satisfying as the physical part—maybe even more. The way her thoughts twist and turn with doubt creeping in, the slow unraveling of what little control she has. My mental games are the first step, which will only soften her up for what comes next.

My phone buzzes in my pocket—one of my father’s men, reminding me there’s business to attend to. But it can wait. I won’t be interrupted when I’m this close. I’ve waited long enough, and soon, it will be time to properly claim what’s mine. For tonight, I’ll let her have her moment of freedom, and let her believe that nothing has changed. Because when I decide to truly step into her life, absolutely everything will change.

I remain steadfast where I am- silently watching and waiting. She’ll come out soon, and when she does, she’ll feel it—that pull, that fear, the kind that excites her, the kind that makes her so wet. She doesn’t even know why she feels it, but she will. Soon she’ll understand that the danger she craves is standing right here, in the shadows, waiting for her.

And when I finally step out of those shadows, she won’t stand a chance.