Chapter 1: Lust's Crimson Thirst (Extended)
The rain was relentless, hammering the cracked concrete, turning the narrow alley into a slick tomb. Neon signs buzzed overhead, casting flickering red light on the puddles of dark water mixed with something thicker—something sticky and wet.
Mika crouched in the shadows, every nerve screaming with a hunger that wasn't just hunger. It was a craving carved into her soul, a fire licking through her veins, clawing at her mind. Lust. Not the innocent desire others whispered about. This was a beast, raw and brutal, a parasite living inside her body.
Her breathing was shallow, uneven, a wet rasp from lungs soaked with longing. The sharp scent of sweat, blood, and decay twisted in the air, intoxicating her further.
She watched the man stumble forward, his eyes glazed with the mixture of fear and anticipation. He thought he was the hunter, but Mika was a predator far beyond his understanding.
Her lips parted in a cruel smile, revealing teeth stained red. "You came to me," she whispered, voice a hypnotic lullaby wrapped in menace. "You wanted this."
He tried to back away, but the slick ground betrayed him, and he fell, face smashing against the broken bricks. Panic flashed in his eyes—too late now.
Mika lunged.
Her fingers, slender but sharp, dug into the soft flesh of his neck. The wet sound of skin tearing echoed in the alley, followed by a choking gurgle.
"Feel it," she breathed, tilting his head back to expose the delicate tendons beneath his jaw. "The pulse of desire... the sweet drip of fear."
Blood welled at the wound, warm and sticky, coating her hands and dripping down her wrists. But it was not enough.
Her nails sank deeper, scraping against cartilage, tearing muscle like paper. The man's eyes bulged, pupils flickering wildly in pain and disbelief.
She tore his throat open, crimson rivulets pouring over her skin like a lover's caress.
Mika's tongue flicked out, tasting the hot, salty flood, and a twisted pleasure shot through her. Lust was a drug—and she was addicted.
Her body trembled, veins burning red beneath translucent skin as the hunger clawed deeper.
She didn't just want blood.
She wanted everything.
Her hands slid under his ribs, cold and cruel, fingers closing around a beating heart. She pulled it free in a spray of blood and pulsing veins.
The man screamed, but Mika's teeth were already sinking into the wet, quivering organ, juices flooding her mouth, stinging her throat.
Her mind spiraled.
Pleasure and pain merged until she couldn't tell where one ended and the other began. The heartbeat thrummed in her mouth, a savage rhythm syncing with the wild fire inside her.
"More," she whispered between bites, "always more."
The man's blood slicked hands clutched at her, desperate to stop her, but she was beyond him—beyond human.
Suddenly, a searing heat flared along her skin. Her veins erupted like molten lava, burning with lust's cruel fire. Flesh stretched and warped, bones cracking and reforming.
Her eyes rolled back as the transformation consumed her.
When she opened them again, they gleamed with a predatory red light, pupils slit like a serpent's.
She stood, blood dripping from her mouth and hands, a wild grin splitting her face.
"Who's the hunter now?" she hissed.
From the darkness, a low growl answered—a warning or a challenge. Mika didn't care.
Her lust was a curse, a power, a never-ending hunger that would devour everything in its path.
And she was ready to feast.