Chapter 2: A Deal with the Devil

Lena’s breath came in short, uneven gasps. Every nerve in her body screamed at her to run. To get as far away from him as possible.

But her feet refused to move.

Adrian Blackwell.

The name rang in the back of her mind, a whisper of something she should have remembered. He was the kind of man spoken about in hushed tones—scandal, power, disappearances. He wasn’t just wealthy. His influence stretched beyond money, beyond reason.

But none of that explained the fangs.

Lena’s heart pounded so loudly she swore he could hear it. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe exhaustion was playing tricks on her. But as Adrian’s silver eyes locked onto hers—steady, unblinking, inhuman—a chilling certainty settled in her bones.

He wasn’t human.

She yanked her hand back, fingers curling into fists to stop them from shaking. “What do you want from me?” Her voice was stronger than she expected.

Adrian didn’t move. He simply observed her, head tilting slightly as if amused.

“It’s not about what I want, Lena.” His voice was deep and smooth, sliding over her like silk and steel. “It’s about what you need.”

Her muscles tensed. “I don’t need anything from you.”

His lips curled in a slow, knowing smirk. “Don’t you?”

Before she could respond, he reached into his pocket and withdrew a folded piece of paper. He held it up between two fingers, waiting.

Lena’s stomach twisted.

“What is that?” she asked, though she had a terrible feeling she already knew.

Adrian’s smirk deepened. “Your rent notice.”

Her lungs squeezed tight.

Snatching the paper from his hand, she unfolded it with trembling fingers. The words blurred together, but she didn’t need to read them. She’d already memorized them.

Final eviction notice.

Balance due: Three days.

A cold wave of panic crashed over her.

How the hell did he get this?

She hadn’t told anyone. Not her coworkers, not her few remaining friends. The letter had arrived that morning, left unopened on her kitchen counter while she tried to pretend it didn’t exist.

Yet here it was. In his hands.

Her head snapped up, anger barely masking the fear curling in her gut. “How do you have this?”

Adrian took a single step forward, closing the space between them. He didn’t loom over her, but he didn’t need to. His presence was a force, something she could feel pressing against her skin like a shifting shadow.

“I make it my business to know everything about the things I want.” His voice was soft, deceptively gentle. “And, Lena… I want you.”

A shiver ran through her, an unsettling mix of fear and something she didn’t want to name.

Why does he want me?

She swallowed hard. “Why?”

His hand lifted, fingers brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His touch was cool, but somehow it sent heat curling through her veins.

“There’s something different about you,” he murmured. “Something even you don’t understand yet.”

A sharp, involuntary breath escaped her.

Every instinct screamed that he was dangerous. That she should shove him away, run out the door, never look back.

But her feet remained rooted to the floor.

Her eyes flickered to the eviction notice still crumpled in her grip.

She was out of options.

“And if I refuse?” she forced out.

Adrian’s expression didn’t change, but his gaze darkened—like a storm rolling in over black water.

“Then you’ll be out on the street by the end of the week.” He tilted his head slightly, as if considering something. “Or worse.”

Her blood ran cold.

“Are you threatening me?”

His eyes never wavered. “No, sweetheart.” His voice dipped lower, a dark caress of sound. “I’m offering you a deal.”

Lena’s pulse hammered against her ribs.

Every rational part of her told her to walk away. That making a deal with a man like Adrian—a monster like him—was a mistake she wouldn’t recover from.

But as she looked at the letter in her hand, the weight of her reality settled like a noose tightening around her throat.

She didn’t have a choice.

Her fingers curled around the paper. Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“What kind of deal?”

Adrian’s smile was slow, wicked.

“Be mine, Lena.”