Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

attempted to peer into the night sky. The dark tunnel seemed to swallow me whole as I parked inside to wait.
    Even though Nicholas told me not to, I shut off my engine. The only excuse I could think up was car trouble. I cautiously looked around and waited for Phil to walk up to my car. Something rapped on the glass of my window and I jumped, letting out a squeal in surprise.
    “Sorry to startle you,” he whispered. “Having car problems?”
    Close up and without a hood over his hair, I got my first good look at Phil’s transformation. Every inch of his skin was flawless and translucent and his deep, dark, majestic eyes danced with excitement and power. White perfect teeth glinted in the night, as his smile beckoned me to trust him.
    “Um . . . yes,” I said, completely mesmerized by his angelic beauty and terrified at the same time. He was taking the bait without hardly any effort on my part.
    “Well then, why don’t you come out and I’ll take a look at it for you?”
    He tried the door handle.
    “Um . . . that’s okay. I’ve called someone. They’re coming to help me. They should be here any minute,” I stammered, grateful I’d locked it earlier.
    He studied me suspiciously, his dark eyes pulling at me, trying to hypnotize me.
    “Parker, please . . . I just want to talk to you.”
    “No,” I said, shaking off the spell. “I can hear you from here. Just tell me what you want to say.”
    “Fine . . .”
    He shifted closer to the front of my car and leaned against the side of my hood. With his head cocked to the side, he watched me, analyzing every angle.
    “I’m curious,” he finally asked with a soft and golden voice. “How do you know about us ?”
    “I just know,” I said, not thinking of a better excuse.
    I kicked myself for accidentally revealing I knew his secret earlier.
    He shot me another seductive grin but unknown to him, his aching thirst washed over me instead, making me nervous.
    “Oh I don’t think so,” he said with a scandalous smirk, eyes alive. “Because if you did . . .”
    His penetrating gaze of desire caused my heart to erupt in a fury. He wanted me and it wasn’t just for my blood.
    “What do you mean?” I asked. My voice cracked. I struggled to shake off his invisible advances.
    “I wish you’d come out of the car, so I could show you.” He flashed another mischievous flirty grin, “Stuff that would blow your mind. I’m not all bad, honest.”
    From nowhere, I felt an overwhelming desire to get out of the car, as if an unseen hand pulled mine to turn the handle. I had to break eye contact in order to regain my senses.
    “I’m staying in here,” I choked out, unsure how much longer I could spurn his requests. “I don’t believe you.”
    It hurt to resist him, like when all you want to do is sleep, but can’t and have to force your eyelids to stay open. I had my hand on the lever ready to pull the door open when he moved away from my car. He turned to scan the front opening of the tunnel and then the back.
    “You little sneak . . .” he seethed. He glared at me through squinted eyes, his face instantly stony and cold. “This isn’t over.”
    He disappeared.
    Panicked, I picked up my phone, flipped it open to find I had no service. I turned the ignition key and put my car into reverse. Once outside the tunnel, the service returned. The phone vibrated with a message.
    - Leave now
    Was this message intended for earlier? I didn’t care. I threw the car into drive, and headed home. It was the only place truly safe from any vampire, and suddenly where I wanted to be. I forced myself to concentrate in order to keep my car on the road as I drove. Did he find Phil? Were they fighting? I flinched and refused to think the worst.
    Phil’s amorous feelings lingered and grabbed my inner being as I concentrated on the road. I tried to shake it off, but a part of me couldn’t help but enjoy the attention. Any time anyone had feelings like that for me in the past, it left me feeling dirty, but with Phil, it was different, sexy even. I scolded myself for indulging a second thought.
    Nicholas is the one for you, not Phil. Are you crazy?
    I wondered what Phil actually wanted to show me, if he even intended to show me anything other than how tasty a snack I’d be. But I might never know if he didn’t survive tonight for some reason.
    I looked at my phone again to ensure I had reception, wishing for an update.
    Call me!
    As I approached my home, I felt the knot in