My Stalker Ex-Boyfriend Vanished Off The Face Of The Earth — Then I Met The Terrifying Monster Who Replaced Him

Part 1

I thought I was just losing my mind when my deadbolt miraculously upgraded itself overnight.

Then my stalker ex-boyfriend vanished off the face of the Earth.

But when I finally met the man who had been secretly controlling my entire life, I realized the terrifying truth.

He wasn’t just a billionaire who liked to play guardian angel.

He wasn’t even human.

And the real nightmare was that his ancient enemies had just found me.

It started with a simple paper cut.

I work as an archivist deep in the basement of the historical records building.

I spend my days translating centuries-old property deeds and staying as far away from the chaotic reality of the living as possible.

My recent breakup with a volatile, possessive man named Tyler had only reinforced my desire to hide away.

I was working on a document belonging to a massive estate owned by a reclusive billionaire named Dan Croft.

I reached for a heavy stack of ledgers and sliced my finger on the edge of a stock certificate.

A single drop of blood welled up and fell onto my desk.

I didn’t think anything of it.

I just wrapped a tight bandage around my finger.

But a strange, heavy cold suddenly settled over the room.

I looked up toward the darkened mezzanine.

I saw nothing but shadows.

But the intense feeling of being watched made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

I packed my bag and rushed home.

Within forty-eight hours, my life inexplicably changed.

For months, the lock on my apartment door had been sticky and completely unreliable.

When I arrived home the day after my paper cut, my door had been fitted with a heavy, titanium deadbolt.

My landlord nervously claimed he had simply gotten around to some overdue maintenance.

Then came the umbrella.

It was pouring rain, and I had forgotten my cheap plastic one.

I found a stunning, silver-handled umbrella resting against my bag at work.

There was no note.

Just a silent, expensive gift.

I started feeling a heavy, protective, almost suffocating presence everywhere I went.

I was convinced I was losing my mind.

But the true terrifying extent of this hidden protection was revealed on a Friday night.

I was walking back from a late grocery run.

The streets were relatively empty and bathed in the orange glow of the streetlamps.

A figure stepped out from the alcove of a closed bakery.

It was Tyler.

He looked disheveled and smelled of stale beer.

He blocked the sidewalk, slurring his words and demanding to know why I wasn’t answering his texts.

I tried to push past him.

He reached out and grabbed my wrist with a harsh, bruising grip.

I yanked my arm, trying to get away.

Before I could even scream, a rush of freezing wind whipped down the street.

One second Tyler was gripping my wrist.

The next second, he was gone.

I stood alone on the sidewalk, blinking in absolute bewilderment.

I heard a distant, terrifying thud from an alleyway three blocks away.

I ran the rest of the way home and locked my new titanium deadbolt.

I found out days later that Tyler had packed his bags that very night and moved to Alaska, never to be heard from again.

I should have felt relieved.

Instead, a deep, primal panic began to set in.

My unseen protector was powerful, ruthless, and entirely obsessed with my survival.

My boss inexplicably gave me a massive raise and moved my desk from the damp basement to a secure office.

The watchful presence grew heavier every single day.

A week later, the thick Boston fog rolled in, smothering the city.

I stayed late at the archives.

When I finally stepped outside, the streets were eerily silent.

I walked briskly toward the subway.

I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps matching mine.

I stopped.

The footsteps stopped.

Panic rising in my throat, I broke into a run.

A figure stepped out from the fog directly in front of me.

I crashed into what felt like a solid wall of ice.

The man standing before me was deathly pale.

He smiled at me, and my blood ran cold.

His eyes were a glowing, sickly amber.

He inhaled deeply and told me that the rumors didn’t do me justice.

Two more figures emerged from the fog, cutting off my escape.

Their amber eyes glowed in the gloom.

The leader stepped closer, telling me that his boss wanted to keep me alive, but didn’t mind if they had a tiny taste first.

He lunged at me.

I screamed and threw my arms up.

I expected teeth and agony.

Instead, I heard a sound like a cannon firing, followed by a sickening crunch of bone.

I opened my eyes.

The leader of the gang was fifty feet down the street, smashed entirely through a brick wall.

Standing between me and the remaining attackers was a man in a bespoke black suit.

He radiated an aura of absolute, terrifying authority.

He turned his head to look at me, and his eyes were a glowing, demonic crimson.

It was Dan Croft.

The rogue vampire shrieked, realizing that the king himself was guarding me.

Dan didn’t even flinch as the rogue charged at him.

And then he plunged his hand directly through the attacker’s chest, leaving nothing but ash.