Prologue

WARNING: This story contains mature content intended for adult readers only. Discretion is advised.

SERAPHINA'S POINT OF VIEW

"L-Lucian! O-Oh!"

A moan tore through me as his hand closed over my breast, sudden and possessive. I tried to push him away, to still his fingers, but every touch was a spark, igniting a fire that spread uncontrollably through my skin, betraying my protests.

"Your body responds to me so beautifully," he said, his voice a low, husky whisper that sent shivers down my spine, as his hand glided down my left thigh, caressing and claiming.

My breathing hitched, growing heavy and ragged, my senses overwhelmed. I wanted to stop him, to regain control. I needed to see the look in his eyes, to understand what he was feeling. But my limbs had turned to water, and darkness was all I'd known since the accident that stole my sight, trapping me in a world of shadows and echoes. This man my husband only by contract was the one who'd taken me in, offering me a haven I didn't know if I deserved.

"Ahh!" I gasped, a sound that was both a protest and a plea, as his hand moved higher, tracing the sensitive skin on the inside of my thigh, igniting a trembling sensation, a forbidden pleasure I'd never known before.

I pressed my palm to my mouth, desperately muffling the sounds building in my throat, fighting a losing battle against the tide of desire that threatened to drown me.

Since losing my sight, my other senses had grown razor sharp, a cruel twist of fate that amplified every sensation, every touch, every sound, leading us inevitably to this moment.

I heard his soft laugh, warm and rich, a sensual caress that settled deep in my bones, vibrating through my very core.

"So this is how it is… your eyes are gone, but every other part of you is so alive. Especially how you feel me." A jolt went through me as he reached for the hem of my shirt, his fingers brushing against my skin, sending a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

"Lucian!" I tried to pull away, the word a desperate whisper, but his touch was a magnetic force, holding me captive, binding me to him.

It was a cruel irony I'd never seen his face. All I knew of him was his voice, a deep, resonant rumble that both soothed and aroused, the way he touched me, his hands knowing exactly how to ignite my desires, the phantom sensations he evoked, painting vivid pictures in my mind. Those were the only things that anchored me, confirming that he was real, that he was here with me, not just a figment of my imagination, a projection of my loneliness.

"Easy, Sera. Isn't this what married couples do?" he asked, his breath warm against my neck as he drew closer, his presence filling the space around me, stealing my breath, intoxicating my senses.

I braced my hands on the bed beside me, fighting to stay steady, struggling to maintain a grip on reality, to resist the pull that drew me inexorably towards him.

"W-We're not really married," I whispered, the words barely audible, a fragile protest against the inevitable. "It's just a contract. You don't want this you only agreed because your grandmother made you. This is just payment. For saving her, for what happened to my eyes "

My words were cut off as something soft brushed against my jaw. His lips. He was kissing me there, his touch gentle but possessive, and heat flooded through me all over again, drowning my protests, silencing my doubts.

"Papers don't change the fact that you're mine," he murmured against my ear, sending a fresh wave of shivers down my spine. "Contract or no contract, you're my wife, Sera. You belong to me."

He held my shoulders gently, his touch both possessive and comforting, then eased me back onto the mattress, his movements deliberate and sure. I let him guide me what choice did I have? I was lost in the darkness, and he was the only light I knew, the only anchor in this storm.

I felt his body press closer, not crushing, but claiming, and my heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat against the silence, a wild, untamed rhythm that mirrored the chaos within me.

Lucian… what are you thinking right now? What do you see when you look at me? Do you see a broken thing, a woman bound to you by duty, or something more?

"You're vulnerable, fragile." His voice was a low rumble, a comforting vibration against my skin. "My grandmother made sure the contract keeps you safe. Protects you. Binds me to you." He breathed me in, as if trying to memorize my scent, then kissed my neck, slow and deliberate, staking his claim. "So until your sight returns I'll be your eyes, your guide. Whether you think I want to or not, I'll take care of you. I'll be the one who touches you the only one with the right-" He laughed softly, a sound that sent shivers dancing down my spine, kissing my neck again, moving up to my jaw, then finally claiming my lips with a fierce tenderness.

I clung to his firm biceps, my knuckles white, my body trembling with a confusing mix of fear and longing, as his mouth claimed mine, deep and hungry, as if I were the one thing he'd been searching for, the missing piece he'd finally found. Without thinking, surrendering to the pull, I kissed him back lost, desperate, consumed by a need that threatened to shatter me, to break down the walls I'd so carefully constructed. If I didn't kiss him back, I'd have drowned in the rising tide of my own desires.

When we finally pulled apart, gasping for breath, my chest heaving with the force of it all, the silence that followed was charged with unspoken emotions, with promises and threats.

"And I'll be the one who gives you pleasure," he said, his voice rough with undisguised desire, a promise and a challenge all rolled into one.

My heart leaped at his words, a mixture of fear and anticipation swirling within me. His hands slid down my legs again, slowly, deliberately, as if savoring the moment, then paused at the hem of my shorts, giving me a chance to pull away, to say no. But I was silent, lost in the darkness, wanting something I couldn't define, surrendering to a hunger I couldn't deny.

His hands continued their slow descent, peeling off my shorts and underwear, leaving me exposed, vulnerable, completely at his mercy.

I bit my lip to stifle a cry, my skin on fire, every nerve ending screaming for release. My body ached with need, a desperate longing for something I didn't understand.

I want to see what you're doing, I thought, a silent plea echoing in the darkness. I want to see your face, to know what you're feeling, to understand the desire that burned between us.

Lucian… when did you start being so gentle with me? When did you start caring?

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to stifle the moans that threatened to escape, as his fingers parted my legs, a deliberate and intimate caress that sent a fresh wave of heat coursing through me. I was open to him now, completely exposed, and I knew he could see how my body had awakened under his touch, how desperate I was for his touch.

"O-Ohh!" I cried out, the sound escaping before I could stop it, as his finger slid inside me, slow and deliberate, teasing my sensitive flesh, igniting a pleasure so intense it was almost painful.

"You're so wet for me," he murmured, his voice thick with satisfaction, a possessive claim that both frightened and thrilled me. I was done for. Utterly and completely at his mercy.

No matter how hard I tried to deny what he did to me, no matter how much I fought against his power, my body never lied, it never betrayed me in the same way that my mind was doing. It craved his touch, yearned for his presence, surrendered to his dominance without reservation.

Our relationship changed irrevocably after that day. We grew closer, our connection deepening, our passion burning hotter, consuming us with a fierce intensity I'd never imagined possible.

Slowly, painstakingly, I learned to know him through touch alone. I memorized the texture of his skin, the curve of his muscles, the way he breathed when he was aroused. I found myself craving even the lightest brush of his fingers, the mere whisper of his breath against my skin, the sound of his voice, his scent, the only things that brought him to life within me. And what I never saw coming… was that I'd fallen in love with him, with the man I couldn't see, with the man who held the key to my heart, the man who might also be my destroyer.

But where did it all go wrong? 

When did the shadows start to lengthen, threatening to consume us both? Was it because I knew so little about him, because I was blinded by my own desires, by the heat of his touch? 

All I had was his name, the fact that he was a billionaire businessman, a man of power and influence. Did I fail to ask the right questions? Did I fail to see the darkness lurking beneath the surface, the secrets he guarded so carefully?

I was shattered, my world ripped apart, the day I overheard him talking, his voice cold and devoid of emotion, revealing a side of him I never knew existed. Hearing words I never thought I'd hear words that condemned me to death.

Lucian planned to kill me once my sight came back.

The doctors said there was every chance I'd see again. That's why the contract was only temporary, a means to an end.

Lucian… who are you really? You're not just a businessman, are you? What darkness do you hide behind that beautiful voice of yours?

So, on the very day my vision flickered back, painting the world in blurry hues, the first thing I saw was not the man I loved, but the fear that lurked behind his mask, the darkness that threatened to consume us both. I ran. I hid from him, terrified that he would carry out the veiled threat I had overheard, fulfilling the promise of the contract, securing my life for the price of my death, and for so many years, I believed this to be true. I left without knowing I was carrying his child a tiny, precious secret, the unexpected consequence of our passion, a life that bound me to him forever, whether I wanted it or not.

I ran away with his heir, fleeing not just a man, but the future I thought we might have had, the lie that had been our love. I tried to forget him, to erase the memories that haunted my waking hours, but it was a futile exercise. After all, I'd never seen his face, not clearly, not really. My memories were built on fragments, impressions of a man I knew only through touch and sound, a ghost that lived in the shadows, just as he seemed to like it. I only knew his scent, a heady mix of sandalwood and smoke that clung to my skin like a promise, his voice, a low, resonant rumble that could soothe or terrify, the way he touched me, with a possessiveness that both thrilled and frightened me. He was my sin, and my salvation, and these are the things that haunted me most of all.

But why?

Why is there a man here now this stranger who feels so heartbreakingly familiar, whose presence stirs something deep within my soul, making my blood run cold and my heart race with longing? Why does he smell like him, that same captivating scent that used to fill my senses; sound like him, his voice echoing with the same inflections, the same seductive tone; touch me the same way, igniting the same forbidden fires with just a brush of his hand, even when he doesn't know me?

A man with no memory of who he was, a blank slate upon which fate has chosen to rewrite our story

LUCIAN

"Fuck me! How long has it been? Shit, I'd forgotten how this place smells!"

We all flinched as Kidd one of my oldest friends yelled loud enough to turn heads. We'd barely stepped off the jet, and he was already drawing stares.

Kieran smacked him upside the head. "Chill out! You're yelling like a madman," he snapped, and we all huffed out a laugh.

"Someone's in a mood," Kidd shot back. "Go find a woman and work that out! Dammit."

"Believe me, I will," Kieran fired back. "Better than you! You let that blonde in Moscow slip away without even a kiss. Useless."

Kidd's jaw tightened. "Coward? I'm not the one who still defends our old man!"

That pushed Kieran over the edge. "Bullshit! He's our father!"

They were still at it as we reached the terminal. No one would guess they were brothers, but they fought like this over everything.

"You okay?"

I glanced at Ace, my right-hand man, walking beside me.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" I said, moving through the crowd, not really seeing it.

He chuckled. "Right… why wouldn't you be?"

How long since I left this country? How long since I lost her?

I remember her clearly her scent like jasmine and rain, the way her voice softened when she spoke, the sound of her laugh. It all feels like yesterday.

Why did you run the second you could see me, Sera? Was I not enough?

I laughed bitterly, my mind drifting until I bumped into something small and solid.

"Ouch!" A tiny voice squeaked.

I snapped to attention and looked down. A little boy maybe four, dressed in a fluffy bear costume was on the ground, struggling to push himself up. His eyes were glossy with tears.

"You okay, kiddo?" I knelt to help him, lifting him into my arms with one hand.

He just nodded, his voice trembling. "Mama and Leo… gone."

Shit. He was alone.

"Hey!" Kidd waved a giant chocolate lollipop overhead, with Kieran scowling beside him. "Holy fuck! Since when did you become a kidnapper?!"

Kieran smacked him again. "Idiot! Keep your voice down!"

Ace shook his head at the pair before walking over. "So? Whose kid is this?"

"No idea, we collided. Looks like he's lost." The boy suddenly wrapped his arms around my neck, his small hands warm on my skin.

Sweet kid…

We were about to head inside when another boy came running toward us, shouting.

"Bad man! Give me Rio back!"

Ace and I exchanged looks.

"Leo!" The boy in my arms called out.

"Your brother?" I asked. He nodded.

Twins. And they spoke fluently impressive for their age.

"Rio! Wahh!" The second boy hit my arm lightly as he reached us. Ace lifted him up; he was a mirror image of the first.

"Where the hell are their parents?" Kieran muttered.

"Let's take them to"

"Leo! Rio!"

We all turned at the sound of the voice. A woman was running toward us, panic etched into every line of her face. The boys lit up and yelled "Mom!"

My body went still. I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, as I stared at her.

"Sera," I whispered her name, and it felt like coming home.

"Oh my God! Rio! Leo!" She reached us, tears streaming down her cheeks as she took the boy from me. "Thank you thank you so much for looking after them."

Boys? She has children?

"Hehe! Mom, they're nice!" The boy in her arms said, and our eyes met.

I'd know her anywhere. Every curve of her face, the way her voice cracked when she was upset. Everything about her was exactly as I remembered.

"Thank you again," she said, pressing her face to the boy's hair. "I just stepped away for a minute to use the restroom, and they were gone! I've been looking everywhere."

But I couldn't hear her. All I could see was her my Sera, standing right in front of me.

She didn't recognize me, of course. She'd been blind back then. She'd never seen my face.

I stood frozen as she turned and walked away with the boys, her hand holding tight to each of theirs.

"L! What the fuck? You're staring into space."

I shook my head, not answering. Then I started walking, a smirk pulling at my lips.

Finally. Fate brought us back together.

No matter what life she has now. No matter who she says fathered those boys. No matter why she left me four years ago.

I'll win her back. She won't get away this time.

Because she's mine.

Contracted or not you're my wife, Sera.