Take Me in the Night

**First, he took my heart.**

It started in high school. I was his girlfriend…he was the love of my life.

We had plans for after graduation. We were going to escape—he from his family’s reputation and me from my father’s control.

But all that changed the summer before college. Charged with a crime he hadn’t committed, he was whisked away from life, never to be heard from again.

**Then, he takes my body.**

Twelve years later, he’s back. He’s bigger, he’s tougher, and he’s harder around the edges. He’s no longer the boy I fell in love with.

But I’m no longer the girl who gave him her heart.

Everything’s changed between us. Anger, resentment, and bitterness have replaced happiness, love, and trust.

Except for when darkness falls. That’s when he comes to me at night, taking what is still his.

**Now, he’s going to take my soul.**

When the lines between our old love and our new hate begin to blur, I know that, this time, I might not survive if he leaves.