---
She stopped on purpose. She stopped before she crossed the line where control turned into a blackout of appetite.
She tore her mouth free with a wet click. Blood coated her lips. A thin line ran down her chin. Her throat worked once, swallowing the last taste.
The woman stumbled backward, one hand pressed to her neck, her eyes were wide open, not with arrogance anymore.
With fear.
It was not only fear of dying.
It was fear of realizing that the monsters she sold to were not the only monsters in the world, and that one had just looked like a beautiful girl until its teeth entered her.
Lily's breathing was rough. Her pulse was fast. Her hunger had eased, but it hovered, alert, like a knife that had tasted air and now wanted skin.
She wiped her mouth with the back of her wrist. The blood smear looked too real on her skin. She hated it. She also felt stronger.
That contradiction made her stomach twist.
