PROLOGUE

"Lucas stop!!!" Aria screamed, and tried to wriggle out of the guard's arms, but Lucas didn't hear her. He didn't want to listen to her. All he wanted to do was burn the boys who had tried to hurt his woman.

** ** **

Aria served a cupcake and tea to the last customer that walked into the store before her shift ended. She heaved a sigh, and took off her apron, then she took out a strawberry cupcake that she had kept aside for herself. As she was about to bite into it, her phone rang, and she smiled seeing the caller.

"Lucas?"

"Aria, how are you doing?"

"I think I'm good. I was just about to eat a cupcake, and head home."

"I think I guessed right, then. Do you wanna hang out for lunch?"

"That would've been nice, but it's not necessary. I'll just have the cupcake, and eat something else when I get home." Aria politely declined.

"You know, for a person who said she could be my friend, you're pretty distant. You don't ever want to hangout with me, unless I come to that cake shop where you'd barely say a few words to me. Do I make you uncomfortable that much?" Lucas asked her with a note of sadness in his voice.

Aria took a breath. She thought about Lucas complaints, and realized she hadn't been a good friend to him, and she felt horrible for that.

"I'm so sorry Lucas. You don't make me uncomfortable and I am your friend."

"So why do you keep refusing to hangout with me?"

"I guess we should have lunch today, then. Where should I meet you?"

"Whoa! Just stay put where you are. I'll be there in twenty minutes." Lucas replied excitedly.

"You don't have to stress yourself, Lucas. I can just meet you where you are." Aria tried to argue. She didn't want to draw attention when he'd pull up with cars and guards.

"It's not stress, Aria. I want to pick you up, so stay put." Lucas said, and the call ended.

Aria wrapped up the cupcake, and decided it would be nice to gift it to Lucas when he came to pick her up. She grabbed her bag, and took out the trash.

As she turned to leave, three boys stood in her way, sneering at her.

"Can I help you guys?" Aria asked them, taking a step backwards.

"Give me your bag and the phone." One of the boys said, and moved closer to her.

"Please you can't do this now. I have a friend who's coming here to pick me up, and he wouldn't react nicely to this. You guys might find yourselves in a lot of trouble." Aria tried to plead with the boys.

"Grab the fucking bag from her." One of the boys said to the one standing close to her.

As the boy made for the bag, Aria whirled and ran away, with them on her heels. She bumped into a man, and the cupcake splattered on the ground. When she looked up at the face of the man she had bumped into, it was Lucas. His eyes were the color of fire, as he stared right at the boys who had stopped running too.

Aria felt the dark energy that emitted from him, and noticed that his guards had the look of concern on their faces. She held onto Lucas.

"Lucas, let's go." She said to him.

"Did they touch you?" Lucas asked her. His voice was merely a hoarse whisper, and this scared Aria.

"No, they did not. I must've misunderstood the situation, and that's why I ran, but I'm fine. They didn't hurt me." Aria stammered a response.

Lucas eyes went to the ground, and he saw the splattered cupcake.

"Was that supposed to be for me?" He asked her again.

"Yes, it was, but I can get you another. Let's just go and grab lunch. Lucas please."

Lucas turned back to the guards, and with a nod, they dragged Aria away from him. The boys saw that they were in imminent danger, and they tried to run away, but Lucas got ahold of one of them, and threw him into the wall. Something snapped in the boys body, and he fell. He grabbed the other two, and threw them as well, and they lay there half-conscious.

"Lucas, stop!!!" Aria yelled out of fear. She tried to break away from the guards, but they held her still.

Lucas walked to closer to where the boys lay, struggling to keep their eyes open. A flicker of fire appeared on his fingers, and he wanted to burn them to death, but his personal assistant who was also a demon mind-linked him.

'Master, I don't think killing them in her front is appropriate. She doesn't know what you are, and she might get scared of you. Let them go, we'll come back later for them.'

Lucas closed his eyes, and drew a long breath. The fire went out, and he turned to see Aria who had cried her eyes out. He turned back to the boys, and squatted so they could hear him.

"You tried to hurt what is mine. You owe me a debt, and I'll always collect. I'll find you, and I'll burn you." He whispered so the boys alone could hear him, then he walked back to Aria.

The guards finally let go of Aria, but instead of getting into the car, she moved away from them.

"What are you doing? I was only trying to defend you." Lucas said to her.

"Defend me? You're about to leave these boys lying half-dead, and that is how you defend me? How can you call yourself human?" Aria was visibly upset.

"Well technically, I'm not human." Lucas simply said.

"Of course you can't be human. You're either the devil's son, or the devil himself. I shouldn't have met you in the first place. Stay away from me." Aria warned, and ran back to the already unconscious boys. She took out her phone and called for an ambulance.

Lucas watched her for some time, the anger returning to him. He got into the car.

"Take me to the chambers." He ordered the driver.