Sela found herself completely captivated by the piercing intensity of the man's gaze. His eyes, a deep and vivid shade of blood-red, rendering her unable to look away or even blink. Every fiber of her being was focused on him, as if all her senses were heightened to a feverish pitch.

For what felt like forever, she simply stood there, completely spellbound. She tried to look away, to break free from the hypnotic gaze, but it was no use.

Sela couldn't help but compare him to an angel, though a fallen one. His ethereal, haunting beauty was both alluring and dangerous, making her feel like she had just stumbled upon a creature of myth and legend, come to life in front of her very eyes. Who was this man, and how did he even come to be lying in a coffin?

Her mind struggled to come to terms with the situation. And what the hell! She shouldn't be feeling any attraction towards a man she had just literally found inside a freaking coffin!

To her relief, doubt and uncertainty began to jolt her hypnotized mind, distracting her. Was the man before her even real or just an imagination? 

Her logic dictated that he must be a ghost or a manifestation of her sleepwalking dream. But the vividness of the moment, the man's presence, and the intensity of his gaze made it hard for her to simply dismiss this as a mere hallucination. And she had touched him earlier! The sensation of his skin against hers had been all too real!

Unsure of what to do next, Sela could only stand there, rooted to the ground. But then, a surge of determination suddenly filled her as she resolved to find out for herself if he was indeed real or not.

With a steadying breath, she lifted her hand once more to touch him, half-expecting him to vanish into thin air like a phantom. Part of her longed for the relief of knowing that it was all just a dream, a hallucination, or a prank. But the other part of her didn't feel or think the same. Yep... it's confirmed... She's really crazy! She couldn't believe how annoyed she was with those horror movie characters who made stupid choices, yet here she was, making the same mistakes! She couldn't believe that she was the type of character who would be the first to die in a horror movie—

The man seized her wrist before she could touch him, causing her to yelp. She could feel the texture of his skin against hers, the icy sensation sending shivers of fear coursing through her body. Oh, god in heaven! He’s real!!

"Tempting," came his voice. “How deliriously tempting.”

Sela couldn’t stop herself from closing her eyes because, oh goodness, that must be the most spine-tingling male voice she'd ever heard! It was as deep and hypnotic as his blood-red eyes!

The man suddenly leaned in. His nose brushed against the skin of her neck as he took a deep sniff, causing a jolt of electricity to shoot through her body.

"And your scent... it is utterly divine," he whispered in a voice that seemed to be uttering worship. Sela's heart skipped a beat at his words, her cheeks flushing with a sudden rush of blood. Oh god…

When Sela's eyes locked with the man's, she felt as if all rational thought were starting to be stripped from her mind.

He yanked her towards him, and her body collided with his inside the coffin. She gasped as she felt his arms wrap around her, pressing her against him without hesitation. 

“Good lord… I desire you… no… I am in dire need of you…" he uttered breathlessly. His seductive voice was filled with desire.

Sela's mind was a whirlwind now. Still, her body somehow attempted to push herself away from the man, but he only pressed her harder against his ice-cold body. She could feel the coldness of his skin seeping into her bones, but shockingly, her body heat kept rising. It was a strange yet amazing sensation, as if his coldness was somehow making her body burn.

“I need to taste you.”

Sela gasped as the man whispered those words, and then she saw his canines begin to literally grow, elongating into sharp fangs that glinted in the candlelight. She gaped in horror, feeling as if the world had stopped around her.

And then it hit her.

This handsome man was a vampire. A creature of the night, a being of darkness and shadow. She couldn't believe what she was seeing—couldn't believe what she had stumbled upon.

A surge of fear threatened to overwhelm her as she realized the true danger of her situation. She was in the presence of an actual vampire, a being who could end her life in a blink of an eye. It was as if she had been suddenly whisked away to a fictional place, one that she had dreamed of while reading her favorite spicy romance books.

She wanted to shake her head and laugh... to think that this was all some sort of crazy delusion. She wished that this was all just a nightmare and that she would very soon wake up and find herself safe in her own bed. But her instincts, her gut feelings, and everything else told her that this dangerous creature that was supposed to be nothing but fictional was real and that she was now in grave danger!

Sela struggled to break free from the vampire's hold, but it was like trying to break out of a vise. His grip on her was unyielding, and she realized in that moment that there was no way she could escape his grasp.

"Fear not, my angel." He whispered in a soothing voice as he held her like some kind of new treasure he was never willing to let go of. No… that can’t be! He’s definitely holding her like she's his fresh newfound prey he couldn’t wait to devour!

"Please... let me go." She could only beg, ignoring the deep scent of a man filling her lungs and intoxicating her.

"I will," the vampire replied, his voice dripping with seductiveness. "If you are to be a good girl for me..."