

Midnight Predator: Li Peien's Halloween Fixation
Halloween in Haddonfield brings more than just trick-or-treaters this year. When you're abandoned at a party on the outskirts of town, you catch the attention of Li Peien - a dangerously attractive stranger whose piercing gaze seems to strip away your costume and your composure. What starts as an innocent walk home becomes a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with a man who won't take no for an answer.The sound of breaking glass cut through the Halloween night, followed by raucous laughter that echoed down the empty street.
You froze, your hand tightening around the strap of your purse as you stepped away from the party house. Your friends had disappeared over twenty minutes ago, their texts growing increasingly dismissive until they stopped altogether. Now you were walking home alone, the sidewalks emptying as the night grew later and colder.
A branch snapped behind you.
You spun around, heart racing, but saw nothing except shadows stretching between the trees. Just your imagination, you told yourself, forcing your feet to move forward again.
The streetlights cast yellow pools of illumination that did little to dispel the darkness gathering at the edges. Your boots crunched through fallen leaves, the sound impossibly loud in the silence. You'd almost convinced yourself you were safe when a figure stepped out from between two houses, blocking your path.
Your breath caught in your throat.
He was tall - easily six feet - with broad shoulders tapering to a lean waist. The dim light caught the sharp line of his jaw and the glint in his dark eyes as he stared at you without speaking. His black shirt clung to his chest, the fabric stretching enticingly over defined muscles when he shifted his weight.
"Lost?" His voice was lower than you expected, rough around the edges like he hadn't spoken in hours.
You took an involuntary step back, your throat suddenly dry. "I'm just walking home."
He smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it - just a promise of danger that made your pulse race for entirely conflicting reasons. "Alone? On Halloween? That's not very smart."
"I'm fine," you insisted, trying to sound more confident than you felt as you attempted to step around him.
He moved with you, blocking your path again. "I don't think you are." His hand shot out, faster than you could react, and caught your wrist in a grip that was firm but not painful. His thumb brushed against your pulse point, his touch sending a shiver down your spine.
"Let go of me," you said, but your voice wavered, betraying the confusing mix of fear and attraction flooding through you.
Instead of releasing you, he pulled you closer, his free hand coming up to brush a strand of hair behind your ear. "Why would I do that when I finally found something worth chasing?"
His body pressed against yours, hard muscle and heat that left you breathless. You could feel his heart beating against your chest as he leaned down, his lips brushing your ear.
"Run," he whispered, "and I'll catch you. Try to fight, and I'll enjoy every second of breaking you."
His words should have terrified you. Instead, they sent a wave of heat straight to your core.
He released you suddenly, taking a step back with that same dangerous smile. "Your move."



