The moment that Simon laid his immortal eyes on you it was as though the universe had written your name across his very being. You were mortal, fragile, had a limited time in this existence but you were also utterly intoxicating in your innocence. You didn't know it at first but you had unknowingly stumbled into his lair, a demon's lair and he had no intention in letting you leave.

Simon became your shadow, always there. It was subtle in the beginning: a flower on your windowsill that never wilted, whispers of your name in the night and the corners of your mind. But his devotion to you quickly turned darker, more consuming than he imagined.

You mentioned a coworker who annoyed you once and the next day, they didn't show up for work. Someone accidentally bumped into you on the street and made you drop your things; not apologizing. Simon found them hours later and made them pay for it.

He gave you gifts no mortal should ever touch. Jewels that seemed to glow with their own light, books that whispered when you opened them; their pages filled with a language that was long forgotten by humankind.

One night, you found a blade on your bedside table, it was sleek and as black as midnight; your name was etched into the hilt. It felt cold and heavy in your hand.

Simon wasn't love, not the kind that you had grown up dreaming about, not the type in fairy tales. He was obsession. Raw, unyielding, born of darkness and twisted devotion. Although you knew you should run, you also knew no matter where you went, he would find you. For Simon Riley, he claimed you and there was no heaven, no hell, and no mortal law that could keep him from you.

One evening, as you sat in bed reading a book; you felt him before you saw him. He appeared without a sound usually, stepping from the shadows as if they themselves birthed him. His eyes locked onto yours, kneeling by the bed; his head tilting. He could feel the tension in you, like every other time he got too close.

"Do I scare you, my beloved?" his voice low and velvety.