Chapter 2: The Midnight Predator

The limousine standing beyond the window glowed through the heart of the darkness like some primal beast.

The gold pendant in my hand felt hot as fire. Every engraved design on the locket pricked my fingertips like poisonous thorns.

This was the same locket I saw repeatedly in my nightmares, yet in reality, it wasn't supposed to exist. My brain screamed at me—'Run Sophia, lock the door!' But my body moved toward the window, drawn by an uncontrollable pull.

​I knew Lucas Valentine was no ordinary client. He was a man who knew how to seize whatever he desired.

He knew my address, he knew my nightmares, and he knew how to stoke the forbidden fire within me. I didn't hesitate for another second. Looking at 'Snow', my only companion lying on the sofa, I whispered, "I'm coming, baby; I have to see what he wants today."

​I adjusted my dress and hurried downstairs. These Quebec nights are bone-chillingly cold, but inside me, heat flowed like lava. As I pushed the heavy door of the large apartment building and stepped onto the pavement, a white blanket of snowfall had covered the streets. The crunching sound of ice breaking under my thin heels created a strange sense of panic.

​The dark tint of the limousine window slid down slowly. Lucas's grey eyes looked as sharp as swords even in the dark. He didn't say a word; he just opened the rear seat door with one hand.

This wasn't an invitation; it was a command.

​"Do you think I'm so foolish that I’d just get into a stranger's car in the middle of the night?" I challenged him, standing tall.

My voice didn't tremble, though my heart was thumping wildly inside my chest.

​Lucas gave a strange smile that sent a cold shiver down my spine.

He said in a low voice, "You are no stranger, Sophia. You know who I am, and I know the dark history behind that little locket of yours. Get in the car, Sophia, or else your life will freeze into stone just like this blizzard."

​There was such dominance in his voice that I lacked the power to ignore it. I stepped into the car slowly. Once inside, the scent of expensive leather mixed with Lucas’s pungent oakwood and tobacco perfume nearly took my breath away.

The door closed automatically. All sounds of the outside world ceased, and a strange silence surrounded us. The limousine began to move toward an unknown destination.

​Lucas leaned toward me. In the blue neon light inside the limo, his face looked as beautiful yet terrifying as a Greek god.

He reached out and suddenly gripped my wrist tightly. The touch of his hand was ice-cold, yet it spread through my body like a wildfire.

​"Do you know who you are playing with?" he whispered near my ear. His lips were grazing my earlobe. "What you did on the plane this evening was just a small game. If I want, I can make you mine right here inside this car."

​Hiding my fear, I looked directly into his eyes. One of my hands moved to his tie, pulling him closer. "Then why aren't you doing it, Lucas? Are you waiting for something?"

​Lucas's eyes darkened for a moment. In one swift motion, he pinned me against the seat. The lace of my dress creaked under the pressure of his fingers.

He buried his face in my neck, and I felt his hot breath send tremors through my skin. He nipped gently at the base of my neck, sending a surge of forbidden pleasure through my blood that outweighed any pain.

​"I am not afraid, Sophia. I love to conquer. But tonight’s game is much darker than you imagine." He sat up straight and placed a black leather file on my lap.

"Here are the answers to your nightmares. If you want me to give this to you, you must agree to one condition."

​I took the file, my hands trembling. Was my past imprisoned inside this file? "What condition?" I managed to ask.

​Lucas took my chin and turned me toward him. His gaze was now like that of a hungry predator. "For the next seven days, you will stay in my palace. Before my eyes.

You will live by my rules. When I want, however I want, you must quench my thirst. In exchange, I will free you from that terrifying past of yours."

​My breath caught.

This was a deal with the devil. If I agreed, I would lose my freedom, but if I didn't, those nightmares would kill me bit by bit every night. I looked at Lucas's broad shoulders and muscular body.

I knew every touch of his would burn me in the fires of hell, yet also transport me to a heaven of ultimate pleasure.

​"Agreed,"

I whispered. My own voice sounded foreign to me.

​Lucas flashed a cruel smile of victory. He instructed the driver to speed up. As the limousine moved away from my apartment, I looked through the window glass and saw the light of my home gradually fading. Was I really entering a golden cage by my own will?

​The car passed through a massive iron gate and stopped before a palace situated on a hill. Every wall of the palace seemed shrouded in mystery. Lucas got out and pulled me out by my hand.

His grip was not loose. He dragged me into the living room. The light there was very dim.

​"Your room is upstairs," he said, pulling me toward him forcefully with a hand on my waist.

"But tonight belongs to me. Go, freshen up. I'm coming."

​I went upstairs and entered my room. A massive room, a royal bed. But my eyes fell on a box kept on the dressing table. Opening it, I saw a silk ribbon and a pair of handcuffs.

Along with a note: "The night will be long, Sophia. Be ready."

​As I entered the bathroom to take a shower, there was a sound at the door. Overpowering the scent of the liquid soap, I felt that oakwood perfume again. Lucas had come inside.

​As I stepped out wrapped in a towel after turning off the shower, I saw him reclining on my bed. The top few buttons of his shirt were open, revealing his chest hair.

"You’re late, Sophia," he said in a voice that was calm yet terrifying.

​He stood up and began walking toward me. I backed away until I hit the wall. He blocked me by placing both his hands on either side of me.

"Remember the condition?" He placed his hand on the knot of my towel. My heart was thumping a hundred times a second. I knew that tonight, the girl named Sophia would be lost forever in Lucas Valentine’s forbidden palace.