He soared through the black depths of the cavernous tunnel without a misstep. The slick, fetid stones beneath his feet were as familiar as the rocky path leading to his home. She was waiting. He’d carried her through white snow on black streets and would keep her ‘til she no longer begged to leave. Until glad to see him.
The media christened him Raptor. He treasured the name. The Latin Rapere speaks to those who seize or take by force. It fit him perfectly. He considered his proud heritage to be one with the eagles, the falcons, and the hawks, both in appearance and deed. His penetrating wide-set eyes and heavy, prominent nose that turned inward at the tip were balanced above a tiny rosebud mouth. Short of stature, he was a trim 150 pounds with powerful arm and leg muscles as effective as lethal weapons. Strong curved fingernails served as talons when needed. Like a hawk with keen eyesight for finding its prey, Raptor chose his time then swept in to take his victims.
He stepped into the cavity nested at the end of the tunneling burrow. He could barely discern her dark shadow where she stood at the edge of her sleeping mat. When she sensed his presence she threw up her hands and backed away. “Don’t touch me!” she shrieked. Shackled by one ankle, Raptor controlled her movements like an eagle keeping its young fledgling from leaving its nest. Moving to the small table just outside her reach, he flicked on the Coleman lantern. The radiance illuminated her body. He’d dressed her in a thin, white cotton shift, nearly transparent. He eyed her with hunger, tasting her fear, then moved beyond the circle of light. He couldn’t let her see him—know him.
The sudden brightness blinded her and she peered into the darkness beyond the light. “Who are you? You can’t do this.” She started sobbing. “Please, let me out of here. It’s so cold. And I can’t sleep—the rats. Oh God, don’t let me die here.” She wiped at her eyes with the back of her wrist. She looked as fragile as a downy furred eaglet. Raptor gnawed deliciously at her fear.
“You can leave,” he cooed in an indulgent, singsong voice. “I told you how.”
“I won’t!” she screamed. “I won’t do it!”
“Then here you’ll stay until you do. And you will, you know.” With a shrewd narrowing of his eyes, he said, “There’s no other way. You’ll give me the sweet caress of your love until I’ve had enough. And then I’ll let you go.”