Chapter 1

Luna's serene expressions broke. She stirred out of that deep sleep that kept her unaware of the horrors that awaited her.

Over the white bedsheets, her heavy hair was scattered, uneven and messy. 

The slim, petite body, just under the protection of a thin quilt, looked so provocative. It ignited a fire in the hearts of onlookers, making them want to quickly grab the quilt and throw it away and reveal the voluptuous body that hid underneath.

Yet at the same time, her fragility and daintiness and the innocence of that small flushed face elicited a feeling of gentleness towards her in one's heart. It made one want to treat her with such care and thoughtfulness as if handling the delicate petal of a rose.

Her long eyelashes lifted slightly to reveal those limpid, bright eyes that could stun any soul into awe. Every feature of that girl was perfect. Her eyes were like a pair of polished marble balls, with thick, long eyelashes and slightly tilted edges. Her small nose was sculptured into a perfectly straight, slightly edged shape. Her jawline was sharp, and her face had high cheekbones. Every feature of hers accentuated the others to enhance her overall beauty.

Her skin was even more enticing, delicate and smooth with a touch of natural blush.

But this time, those striking eyes only managed into a half-closed crescent shape. They looked somewhat hazy, and her face was also exceptionally rosy.

Surrounded by rose petals on the white sheets, she looked like an unblemished angel. Vulnerable, at the centre of that heart-shaped bed, ready to be taken advantage of anytime.

"Awake?" Suddenly, a voice travelled across the room and reached her ears. The familiar voice with the familiar coldness jolted her awake.

Memories from the last night erupted at the back of her head, making her face turn even more crimson. Within her heart, a strange flutter emerged.

Not daring to move, only her eyes shifted and came in contact with those piercing deep orbs.

She froze at once.

He wore an impassive look, like always. Upon eye contact, the corner of his lip tilted into a small smirk. No one could look past that man's icy eyes. No one had ever been able to. 

Some said under those cold eyes, he hid a savage beast. 

Some said he was just naturally unfeeling and cold without emotions.

Luna could not understand how, after sharing a night of such passion,such intimacy, this man could still be so—so cold.

Just his mere smirk would make one's soul shudder—she looked away

She could not maintain eye contact with his fierce gaze longer than this. No one could.

She shifted on the bed and forced herself into a sitting position. The movement caused a stabbing pain between her legs that travelled up. She winced. It wasn't the pain that bothered her. It was the reason that the pain was there. 

She had lost something last night.

And the pain was the evidence.

Evidence of the passion that overtook them last night. Evidence of the—

She shook her head vigorously, trying to get rid of those sinful thoughts. She even slightly bit her lip to make the pain distract her from the throbbing down there. Under the protection of the quilt, her hands were curled into fists. They were so tight that her knuckles had turned white.

"Look lovely, don't you?" His voice broke out of her memories and brought her back to reality. She didn't know which was worse. Luna paused, preparing herself for whatever words he had to say and the hurt that would come along with the words.

She knew he was not going to let her off easily. It wasn't his nature. He wasn't a kind man.

He walked towards her. The front of his white shirt was still unbuttoned. Everything underneath was visible. Toned, masculine chest. Smooth and inviting one's desire to run their hands all over it to feel every ridge and hardness. He slowly buttoned his cuffs as he approached her. "Covered in all these marks. Souvenirs of our night together." His voice grew low as his deep eyes inspected the marks on her body one by one.

Fresh, red and given by him. The proof she was taken. And taken by him.

He had made her his and marked her with persistent reminders. She could not deny it. 

Still not daring to look at him directly, she felt him approach. Closer and closer. Luna's heart thumped louder and louder, unaware of the dangerous thoughts emerging in the man's head.

Self-conscious, she tightly grabbed the silk sheets and covered her body as best as she could. She didn't want to provoke him. He head fell, her hair came forward and covered her face like a cascade, obscuring her vision and masking her expression.

At that moment, all she wanted was for him to leave her alone. To mend her wounds. To let her be.

If he didn't leave her, she feared.... she feared she might end up doing something to provoke him again. And everything that happened last night would end up repeating.

However, deep within, there was a part of her— a certain part that didn't want him to leave... that didn't want him to let her be... that wanted the very thing that happened last night to... repeat— a part she would never admit to having. 

But what she wanted was irrelevant. The man was not was not benevolent. If he really wanted her, he would take her. Whether she wanted it it not.

After she made the first move on him last night, he was not going to spare her. Not so easily.

She had opened the barrier, broken the boundary that kept him at bay.

Now he was free to do whatever he wanted with her whenever he wanted her.

One night of payment was definitely not enough.

Abruptly, her chin was grabbed, and she was forced to look straight into his deep, abyss-like eyes. Being pierced by those sharp yet mesmerisingly beautiful eyes, Luna's heart stopped for a second.

The hold was firm, unrelelntling but not hurtful. Control with gentleness.

Even though she had been pierced countless times by his gaze, every time the experience was fresh. Raw, intense and something that was felt in the depth of the soul. Always managing to stir something deep within that no other man could.

"Afraid?" The voice was soft, but Luna didn't miss the dangerous edge to it... the edge being the testimony of what that man was capable of despite being gentle with her.

Her heart rate spiked to an unbearable extent; she could hear it in her ears. The dum dum of her terrified self. With an abrupt jerk, she freed her face from his grip.

Looking away, she pressed her lips into a thin line. A frown appeared on her small forehead.

She made a powerful statement without saying a word. 

She wasn't going to interact with him

Her defiance earned a deep chuckle from the man.

Eyes wide, she looked back at him. This time not shying away from his incisive gaze. 

"I am not afraid of you." She announced.

"Oh, are you not?" Daimen raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"Definitely not!" She replied, resolute with her words.

"The way you are covering yourself with that thin, flimsy quilt as if seeking its protection from me. The way you are clutching it so tightly as if your life depends upon it..." He placed both his hands on the bed as he sat beside her. Leaning in towards her, his face inched closer. With the distance closing in, Luna's eyes widened with anticipation "But little girl, do you really think this little piece of cloth can save you from me?" His voice was still light, almost playful.

'This little piece of cloth can save you from me?' The words repeated in her mind as their implication was grasped. Her expressions altered from defiance to worry.

So last night was really not enough? He was not planning to let her off. But what more did he want when she had already...

A surge of heat rose from within her. She bit her lip in nervousness.

Without asking, Damian's hand reached out and wrapped a strand of the silky hair around his finger; his eyes intently looked into her soul through her glimmering eyes— eyes that looked so provocative when filled with confusion and fear.

Under his deep, incisive gaze, she was naked. Her every emotion, every thought, everything was being read by him. She couldn't hide any part of her soul. 

"What are you planning to do?" She asked, hugged herself deeper and retreated into herself. Her tone, meek.

'The moment she broke from his grasp, she was so ferocious. Yet now, her voice sounds so submissive.' The corner of his lip curled up slightly. 

His deep gaze continued to pin her with his heated stare. His finger continued to roll her silky brown hair; doing so, his hand inched closer to her face. The back of his hand brushed the side of her cheek. The touch was gentle but bone-chilling for Luna. 

His escalating actions and passionate eyes said all that his words didn't.

'So he really... really wants it again?' Luna's eyes widened upon realisation. Out of instinct, she shifted away.

She had just moved an inch when Damian guessed her intentions. His eyes turned icy; he slammed his hands on both her sides against the headboard, ending her means of escape. 

The abruptness of his action, the loudness of the slam and the coldness of his eyes—all screamed one thing at her.

Resistance wasn't an option.

Since she was the one who had started it... she would have to take responsibility.