Mag-log inKIKI My happiness soars up the roof the more accomplished my plans get. I’ve never been so proud of taking such a bold step. I turn up the music, the intense rush of elation matching the climax of the song. I twirl across the plush living room carpet, a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon sloshing slightly in my hand. Luca’s arrest is my best work yet. It’s a brutal masterpiece. Now, the scandal will drive Stella straight into his arms for comfort and defense. And with Stella preoccupied, Zane would finally see me as I am. His one true love. Everything is falling into place. I took a long sip of wine, picturing a quiet, intimate dinner I and Zane would have tonight. A beginning free from the shadow of Luca and his drama—Stella. Just as my mind starts to drift away from reality, I hear the unmistakable sound of Zane’s sedan crunching the gravel in the driveway. My stomach leaps with joy and I rush to set my glass of wine down. Zane’s back home! He’d rushed off into the night, claimi
The knocking doesn’t stop. And it only fuels Luca’s fury. The Police are escalating the matter when he isn’t even sure what his crime is. He takes slow strides towards the door, his expression unfazed. With his hand on the door knob, he throws Stella a desperate warning. However, Stella, is struggling to keep herself from being dragged into the mess. She wouldn’t budge if a knife is thrown at her. Still, she nods her head. Luca swings the door open. The hallway is flooded with three uniformed officers, their guns yielded in caution. A sharp-eyed plainly dressed detective pushes past Luca, holding up a warrant. "Mr. Luca Dèvon, you are under arrest for Fraud and Securities Manipulation, specifically regarding the acquisition of assets from a smaller company. You have the right to remain silent” Luca scoffs. What could he possibly want with a smaller company that he’d go through the hassle of committing fraud? Who’s doing the suing? He wonders. “This is quite an escalation for
THIRD PERSON’S POV Luca’s grip tightens, just enough to make the edges of Kiki’s vision blur slightly. She claws uselessly at his wrist. But that only eats into her remaining energy. The air in her lungs cools down and panic sets in. This isn't the sulking boy she’s seen from afar. He’s dangerously close to cutting her life short. Even as her lungs burn, she forces her gaze to lock with his, refusing to let fear win. She must reach the man beneath the rage. "Y-you... prove it...", she rasps out. "Prove you're not... weak... by... letting me go." Her bravery, even in the face of death, stops him. He stares back at her, looking for the lie, the deception. However, all he sees is a desperate, reckless determination that mirrors his own dark need for control. A slow sense of control returns to him. His iron grip eases, and he slowly lowers her feet back to the ground. When he finally yanks his hand away, Kiki stumbles, coughing violently and clutching her bruised throat. Luc
STELLA The day after we return to the hotel, would officially be my first day at work. We’re both expected to be at work and since we share the same room, we cross paths more often than we enjoyed. Worst, we separately call an Uber, and it’s a funny coincidence that it’s the same driver! Isn’t he rich or something? Why ride an Uber? The driver decides that picking us both up at the same time since our destinations match, would be super efficient. For as long as the ride lasts, the driver continues to blast some country music, which Luca doesn’t exactly find pleasing. Still, it’s nice to have something disturbing the suffocating silence. Now freshly suited, I steal glances at him, wondering how this charming character could bear any resemblance to the terrified, passionate creature he’d been just a day ago. He doesn’t look at me, but I feel the weight of his anger. “We need to discuss ground rules,”, he finally says. Beneath the low, calm tone, is a man boiling. It’s both am
I can’t believe it. I didn’t realize how much ease it brought me to finally hear the voice of another human other than myself. “Stella! Is that you?", the sound of Zane’s familiar voice slices through the humid night air, impossibly close. I freeze, the colour draining from my face as I turn a terrified gaze to Luca. The raw power of his shift is still crackling around him as he fully becomes human. "Who else knew we were here?", Luca’s voice is low. Devoid of its earlier warmth, it is now replaced by a cold, immediate suspicion. My eyes are bulging out of their sockets, shaking due to my guilt. I had sent those two stupid, cryptic texts when he wasn’t watching. “No one! No one knew!", I lie, my voice trembling. Luca grips my arm, his eyes now a searing, unsettling amber, searching my face. I avoid his face, lowering my chin. “Stella, look at me. This place is not a pin on a map. We moved in shadows. How could they know?", his next words are laced heavily with pain and accus
The final sensation is not the crushing weight of sand. It was a terrifying, blinding heat. It rushes at me with a physical force that evaporates the soil around my face and lungs. I cough violently, spewing dirt and grit as my eyes snap open. I’m not buried. I’m falling. A massive, lava-red hand catches me effortlessly. Its fingers resembled cooled obsidian, wrapping around my waist. The heat radiating off of it is scorching, but it doesn't burn my skin. It only drives the chill of near-death from my bones. I look up and gasp, my panic renewed. Above me, the pit is a jagged hole rapidly closing in the ceiling. Below, I’m held in the massive, terrifying embrace of Luca's King form. He is unrecognizable. His head nearly grazes the newly formed ceiling of the underground chamber. The cracks in his skin glow with a bright, sulfurous yellow light, illuminating the darkness. "You will not fall," he says, his yellow eyes blazing. "You will not die. Not here. Not ever.", His usu







