With both hands against the railing of the pier, Millie rested against it with her body and stared out at the water. Rain trickled down, matting her hair to her face and making her clothes cling to her form. She?d snuck away from the prying eyes of the house to get a moment to herself and sort out all the thoughts that were swirling around in her maddening mind. Every thought circled around a single individual: Daemien.

Seriously? Forget that dude.

Forget his kiss.

Forget him.

It was infuriating. It was confusing?and all she could think about was doing it again.

A sigh left her lips as the sound of work boots came ringing out behind her. ?Millie,? the greeting was neutral and dark; and familiar. It wasn?t what she?d grown used to over the months, and it certainly wasn?t what had been giving her butterflies in her stomach lately, no. It put heavy rocks right in the pit and made the organ sink. Millie moved to turn around but found an arm wrapping around her front and pinning her, back-first, to the familiar man?s chest. Her head turned, upper lip peeling back as a snarl tore through her throat. ?Oh,? the sound came with a too cocky laugh. ?Puppy went and found herself some fangs,? he snickered. ?Put them away, I just wanna talk to you,? the seriousness in his tone rang out.

?Yeah,? Millie said in a weak tone. ?Problem with your talks is they always seem to turn viole?? The sentence wasn?t finished before he grabbed her wrist and spun her around so that she was facing him. He pinned her by the wrist to the railing, and stared into her eyes. From this angle, she could see his face. He was handsome, if not a bit pale with a face worn from alcohol ?probably more, but definitely alcohol?abuse. She could smell it on his breath instantly. His eyes were a bright green, made to stand out by the dark circles beneath his eyes. His hair was dirty blonde, and his body was of a tall, skinnier build. Not overly big, but big enough to do some damage.

Millie stared back, her eyes occasionally moving to his throat. Her mind screaming at her to do something and her body being unwilling. It?s right there! His throat is right there! Tear it out! You?re stronger than him. Kill him!

In that moment, she was nothing more than that young punching bag. Every kick, every punch, every slap was playing over and over in her mind. She?d taken on Daemien so many times. Once when she was human? Why then? Why couldn?t she face her demons? Even she didn?t know. All she knew was that she was choking. Again.

?I can?t stop thinking about you, Mil,? his free hand coming up to caress her face, thumb digging into her jawline enough to cause discomfort. ?You broke my heart,? he told her. ?You really did.? A soft sigh left him with a laugh that she couldn?t quite place. ?But we both made mistakes. I know you won?t believe me, but I?ve changed. And I love you, and I can?t live without you??

No, she didn?t believe it. Not for a second. She?d heard it all before?but it was different now. Not in the sense that she thought for a moment that he?d actually changed?but that he seemed more unhinged than ever before.

?Jesus, Mil? Say something,? he scoffed lightly. ?Don?t? Don?t be like that. Don?t leave me hanging out like this. Just say something, anything,? he begged. There was something she was used to in his voice, but it was worse than ever. Desperation. She stared at him for a moment as his hand squeezed her wrist further, and he took in another sharp breath. The hand left her face for only a second to ball up into a fist like he wanted to hit something. Probably her. ?Y?know what?? he moved in and crammed his lips against hers, taking that jaw right back into his grasp.

Millie struggled against the kiss, but ultimately found her face pinned against his. There wasn?t really anywhere to go. It was then that she phoned a friend?or whatever he was. Daemien. I need your help! His forehead met hers when the kiss broke, ?Don?t say anything. Just? take some time to think?okay? Just know that??

He finally let go of her face, ?I don?t care that you?re fangy. Nobody will ever love you like I do... You gotta see that. I know I made mistakes, but I put up with a lot, too. You?you pushed my buttons so much, and?? he stopped himself and smiled. ?Sorry, baby? I?ll wait for my answer. I?ll be in touch.? Taking a few steps backwards, he turned to walk off in the rain.

Millie slid down to her butt and worked to catch her unneeded breath.