LOGINAria’s POV:The morning light filtered through the heavy velvet drapes, casting long shadows across the room. I woke to the sensation of smooth skin beneath my fingertips. Lucien. I was tangled in his arms, my head pillowed on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. I traced the lines of his abs, following the hard definition with my eyes. It felt like a dream, a beautiful, terrifying dream that I wasn't sure I would ever wake up from.Yesterday was a blur of fire and ice. The blood. The intensity. The bond snapping into place. It had all been all-consuming. When our bond had finally cemented, it wasn't just a connection; it was an ocean. I could feel everything he felt. His hunger, his pride, his overwhelming need to possess me. It was different from Jasper. Jasper's bond had been a warm, steady light, grounding and comforting. Lucien's was a storm, wild and demanding. I knew Lucien cared about me, but I never thought it went this deep. I looked up to see Lucien
Lucien’s POV:The taste of her blood was electric, a spark that detonated something deep inside my chest. My fangs ached to sink deeper, to take everything she had to give. I couldn't pull away even though I knew I should. The moment her blood touched my tongue, the world tilted on its axis. The bond. That ancient, terrifying, wonderful thing I had been waiting for, snapped into place with a force that nearly knocked me to my knees.It was overwhelming. Every emotion she felt. Her hunger. Her confusion. Her longing. It poured through me, loud and clear. I was drowning in the scent of her, in the way her heart hammered against her ribs. Self-control, something I had prided myself on for centuries, evaporated like mist in the sun. I was nothing but instinct and need.I scooped her into my arms, her weight nothing as I carried her to the bed. Her scent enveloped me, clouding my thoughts further. I laid her down gently, her hair fanning out against the dark silk sheets. She looked like a
Aria’s POV: The world shifted as Lucien moved with impossible speed, his grip on me unwavering. The hallway blurred into streaks of candlelight and shadow until he kicked open a heavy oak door."Lucien, what…”My words cut off as he slid me from his shoulder and deposited me into a leather armchair that seemed to swallow me whole. His room was darker than Jasper's, filled with shadows that clung to every corner. The air smelled of him. Dark spices, old books, and something metallic that made my fangs ache."Running was fun," he said, his voice low as he circled the chair slowly. “But now you're caught."I swallowed hard as he stopped directly in front of me, caging me in with his arms on either side of the chair back. His dark hair fell across his forehead, those red-tinged eyes burning into mine."So," he tipped my chin up with cool fingers, forcing me to meet his gaze. “Would you like to tell me why you're running from me, little one?"Heat flooded my cheeks. "You know why.""Did
AriaJasper knew something was wrong. I had been avoiding his eyes for most of the afternoon, pretending to be interested in whatever book was open in front of me. I could feel him watching me from across the room, though, and I knew eventually he was going to ask. He always noticed.“Aria.” I kept my eyes on the page.“Hmm?”“You haven’t read the same paragraph for the last ten minutes.”I glanced down. He was right. I hadn’t absorbed a single word.“I’m tired.”Jasper leaned back in his chair, studying me. “You’re shutting me out.”My stomach tightened. “I’m not.”“You are.”His voice wasn’t accusing. If anything, it was gentle. That somehow made it harder. He moved closer and reached for my hand.“Talk to me, little nightmare.”I looked down at our intertwined fingers. There were so many things I couldn’t tell him. The blood. Archer. Lucien. The hunger that seemed to have a mind of its own. I felt like I was drowning beneath secrets I didn’t know how to explain.Finally, I whispere
Aria’s POV: I couldn’t stop thinking about Lucien. It had been almost twenty-four hours since I’d bitten him, and somehow the memory had only become stronger with time. The taste of his blood. The way his lips felt against mine. The way he’d looked at me afterward. Everything inside me had seemed to settle the moment his blood touched my tongue.I’d never felt anything like it. Well..I’d felt something similar with Archer. This was much more intense though. As if it had meant something deeper. That thought made guilt twist through my stomach.Jasper was my mate. My actual mate. And yesterday, I’d kissed another man. Not just kissed him. I’d wanted to kiss him. That was the part I couldn’t seem to forgive myself for.I pressed my fingers against my lips as I walked through the hallway, remembering the way Lucien had devoured my mouth before pulling away from me. What was happening to me?I cared about Jasper. I knew I did. Our bond was real, and every time I was around him, I felt tha
Lucien’s POV: I should have stopped her. Every instinct I possessed told me that. The moment Aria’s fangs pierced my skin, every thought in my mind disappeared.For a vampire, being bitten by another vampire was not something insignificant. It wasn’t something we did casually. A bite carried meaning. Intimacy. Trust. Something deeper than most humans could ever understand. And Aria had just done it to me. I should have pushed her away. Instead, my hand tightened around her waist.Her body trembled against mine as she drank, her fingers gripping the fabric of my shirt as though she needed something to anchor herself. I could feel every swallow. Every tiny movement of her mouth against my throat sent another wave of sensation through me. My eyes slipped closed.Gods.I had expected surprise. Maybe even anger.I hadn’t expected this. The hunger I’d seen building inside her for days was finally gone, but something inside me had taken its place. Something hot and consuming that I didn’t k







