Free Siren Nights (Series Part 1) (The Lure) by Jennifer Lewis

Chapter 1: Just a Date
    Darian said I was the most beautiful girl
in the city and I wanted to believe him. But even if I didn’t, there were more
than enough reasons to let him speak. His dark eyes were one. His silky,
mid-length auburn hair falling across his pale face that held almost delicate
features was another. And the smooth, almost melodious tone from which he
sculpted his words made everything else seem rough and unpolished in
comparison. He had the air of a traveler about him, someone who had visited
many places and learned all of their secrets. His eyes danced as he told them
to me.
    Though he was effusive with his
compliments, his own appearance made me feel shabby. I straightened my
miniskirt awkwardly and resisted the urge to check my hand mirror. My brown
straight hair was up in a half-knot that I had feared was too formal only an
hour earlier. Now it felt too plain.
    “Anna?” his voice interrupted my pity
party. “Anna, are you all right?”
    I managed not to jump. “Yes, I’m fine,” I
said quickly. “It’s been a long day at work.”
    A long day at work and then a furious rush
to shower, put on makeup, and choose my clothes. A date at the high-rise Heron
Balcony, ten stories above street level, was not an occasion for jeans and a
sweatshirt. I had eventually settled on a pale yellow blouse and a black
miniskirt leftover from a secretary job.
    He leaned forward. “That’s quite all right,
dear,” he said. “I think you look absolutely radiant regardless.”
    That voice again. I felt a flush of
embarrassment mixed with pleasure as I returned his smile.
    “I must confess, Anna, I find you simply
irresistible. One might even say... I’ve become enchanted.”
    He exhaled on the last word and a faint
glimmer passed from his mouth. My vision blurred briefly and when it cleared, I
was looking deep into his eyes. For a moment, I thought I smelled fresh roses.
    He reached across the table and cradled my
face into his white-gloved hand. Slightly dizzy from the scent and the
unexpected contact already, my heart skipped a beat at the touch of his hand.
    After what seemed like an eternity of this,
I remembered that he had paid me a compliment and that it was only polite to
respond. “Why thank you, Darian,” I managed to say. “And I think you’re quite
lovely too...”
    What was I saying? This wasn’t like me at
all, not to mention the words sounded stupid the second they came out of my
mouth.
    Darian only laughed and dropped my chin,
taking my hand instead. “I know a gorgeous lookout we can see the city from. I
think you’ll quite enjoy it.”
    “That sounds lovely...” I murmured,
relishing the touch of his hand.
    He drew me up from the table to stand
beside him. “Shall we be off, my dear?” He smiled and offered an arm.
    I took it. His arm was cold, almost colder
than the air in the restaurant. I wondered at that for a moment, but the moment
passed and I simply luxuriated in the pleasure of standing beside him as we
turned to leave. He seemed much taller than when he had introduced himself this
evening.
    Something tugged at my wrist. Oh yes, my
purse. I was always forgetting it. It was so trifling; I wondered if I should
just leave it behind. Then I remembered it was tied to my arm.
    Had I done that? I thought, puzzled. What
an odd thing to do. No matter. Feeling a touch irritated by the inconvenience,
I picked it up and threw it over my shoulder.
    We walked together through the side
hallway, leaving the bustling restaurant behind us. The ambient music and
dinner conversation faded away. Everything faded away, except for him.
    We continued to walk. It seemed we had gone
a fair ways from the restaurant. I tried to remember why that was important,
but just as I started to remember, he smiled again and swept me away on a cloud
of bliss. “Not much further, my dear.” It couldn’t have been important, I
decided.
    He led me up the stairs to a tall wooden
door, revealing the room beyond with a