Chapter 2: Thorns in Velvet

Lydia’s POV

“I know your name, Lydia. I know all about you.”

“Is that supposed to scare me?” I asked, still reeling from the intensity of his sudden appearance.

“That is most certainly not my intention, Lydia. Are you scared?” He gave a small smirk. I hated how sweetly he said my name, so gentle it gave me whiplash.

“You’re causing a lot of chaos, Leonidas,” I said, ignoring his question. I wasn’t afraid, but I felt like I should be. There was danger in him, undeniable and thick in the air.

Leonidas slowly dragged his gaze away from my face, letting it sweep across the room. The partygoers still hadn’t stopped staring at him.

“Chaos seems to follow me wherever I go,” he drawled.

A man approached and tapped his shoulder. Leonidas hunched slightly, turning his ear to the shorter man’s lips. I watched him closely, his face blank, lips pressed into a hard line. He didn’t show emotion, but it was clear he didn’t like what he was hearing. A brief nod later, he turned his attention back to me.

“I’m afraid I have to cut this interaction short, Lady Lydia. It was nice putting a face to the name.”

With a curt nod, he turned and walked away. People trailed after him like flies. I watched, starstruck, my eyes locked on every step he took in silent awe.

I didn’t understand my body’s reaction to him, but one thing was certain. I disliked him. I disliked how he made me feel things. How he stirred my curiosity. How I wanted him in a way I couldn’t control.

Who the hell was Leonidas?

“Beautiful, isn’t he?” a voice murmured beside me.

I didn’t flinch this time. Instead, I tore my eyes away, reluctantly, to meet the deep green gaze of a woman. She was stunning in the way witches often were: sharp cheekbones, ageless skin, and an ethereal glow that shimmered even under the candlelight.

She watched me the same way I watched her, perhaps trying to read me, analyze me. But I couldn’t read her. That unsettled me. She had power.

“Who is?” I asked, responding to her earlier comment.

She nodded toward Leonidas.

“Him. He’s a sight to behold. Every woman in this room, and beyond, thinks so,” she said, her eyes gleaming as they lingered on him.

A pang twisted in my gut.

“And you?” I asked swallowing something bitter. “What do you think of him?”

I didn’t want to know her answer. I hated how familiar she seemed with him.

She shrugged and took a sip from her glass, some kind of shimmering, indigo liquid I didn’t recognize. “He’s more than a pretty face, trust me. People gravitate toward him. It’s just easier that way.”

“Easier?”

“Yeah. There are whispers about him. Dangerous ones.” Her voice dropped.

That piqued my interest, sharp and sudden.

“And what kind of dangerous things?” I asked, trying to sound indifferent but failing miserably.

“That he’s far more powerful than he lets on,” she said casually.

I waited with bated breath for her to spill more, but she simply watched me like I was insane. I narrowed my eyes. “That’s it?”

She shrugged again. “The rest, Lady Lydia, you’ll have to find out on your own.” She gave me a sly grin.

“You know who I am?” I asked, surprised.

“Just like Alpha Leonidas does. People are drawn to you too, Lady Luna.”

More like repelled, I thought.

But now I knew, Leonidas wasn’t just beautiful. He was an alpha. A powerful, dangerous one.

The woman who hadn’t given me her name drifted back into the crowd, maybe to spin more cryptic tales of alphas and ladies.

I turned back toward Leonidas, only to find he was gone. My eyes scanned the room quickly, knowing he wasn’t easy to miss, but he was gone.

Before I knew what I was doing, my feet were already moving probably in search for him. I was bored now that he’d left.

The ball was being held at my father’s estate, though I hadn’t mentioned it. Events like this rotated among the elite, vampires, wolves, witches, and warlocks. It just happened to be our turn to host. Hence, my forced attendance.

I padded through the familiar hallways, paths I used to run down as a child. My eyes lingered on the portraits of old vampires who had ruled long before us.

I paused at the door of my childhood bedroom, staring at it as though it might swallow me whole. I hovered there for a long moment before groaning and walking away.

I had no interest in opening old wounds.

I slipped outside into the quiet alley behind the cottage. The night was still and calm, the cool air brushing over my skin like silk, until a sharp, offensive smell hit my nose.

The scent of death.

To a vampire, death smelled like rotting meat steeped in burned fur, iron, and wet soil, ripe and suffocating.

I followed the trail, my expression twisted in confusion, until I found the source.

Slumped against the alley wall was a rogue. His eyes were glassy and wide open, throat torn so deep I could see his spine. Blood soaked the earth beneath him, thick and black beneath the moonlight. His hands were still half-shifted, claws frozen in mid-defense. His lips curled in a final snarl.

He fought hard.

Whoever did this didn’t just want him dead.

They wanted to send a message.

I crouched to examine him more closely when another scent hit me.

This one was familiar and enticing. It was mouthwatering.

I stood up quickly, heart thudding. Before I could regain balance, my knees gave out, and I stumbled. But I didn’t fall. A strong grip caught my wrist, pulling me back into a solid chest.

“Careful, Lydia.”

The whisper brushed my ear, making me suck in a breath. My body leaned into his of its own accord. That voice familiar.

Leonidas.

His arm wrapped around my waist, holding me firmly against him. His palm splayed across my stomach, anchoring me in place. I could feel the hairlines of his muscled chest and it weakened me further.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he murmured.

I tried to speak, but my throat was dry. The hunger to taste him up close nearly overtook me. What was happening to me?

“You’re awfully quiet. Are you uncomfortable?” he continued, his warm lips grazing my ear. Goosebumps bloomed across my skin. My nipples tightened beneath my dress.

“I’m not,” I finally whispered. “You just caught me off guard. Again.”

Leonidas chuckled, low and dark. “And again, I didn’t. You knew it was me.”

He leaned in deeper, inhaling me like a starving predator. His nose pressed into my hair as he drew in a long breath.

“Beautiful,” he murmured to himself.

I nearly collapsed.

What were we doing?

What was he doing to me?

I cleared my throat and wriggled out of his arms. He froze for a moment, then released me.

I braced myself against the wall, turned, and faced him.

“Did you come to inspect a body you killed?” I asked, eyeing him.

Somehow, he’d crossed to the other side of the alley without me noticing. Now he stood against the wall, watching me with burning intensity.

“Do I look that messy?” he said, teasing.

“Then what are you doing here?” I hated how curious I sounded.

Leonidas dragged his golden eyes, now slightly dim, across my face before glancing down at the rogue.

He tilted his head, then knelt beside the body and turned the neck sideways.

“He belonged to me,” he said simply, eyes fixed on the deep gash.

“So you feel entitled, is that it?” I asked, watching every movement. He was captivating in a way that made it impossible to look away.

“I don’t feel entitled, Lydia. He left,” he said, rising to his full height.

I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes, even in heels.

“What about you?” he asked. “Why are you here?”

“I smelled it and came to investigate,” I said with a shrug, trying to appear casual. But he always threw me off balance. I hated it.

“You know what killed him?” he asked. His tone wasn’t mocking, it was genuinely curious.

Did he know something?

I almost said yes… but stopped myself. I didn’t trust him. Not yet. I didn’t know if he was going to be like my father.

“No. Not really,” I lied.

He nodded, face unreadable but tense. He watched me for a while, face perched in a heavy frown that made me uncomfortable. I averted my gaze briefly, the intensity in his eyes doing things to my insides.

From my peripheral, I watched him glance at the watch on his wrist and stepped away from the wall.

“Seems I’m always the first to leave our conversations, Lydia. But I swear, it’s never intentional.”

His hands disappeared into his pockets.

“Maybe it’s because you’re afraid of being seen with me,” I said before I could stop myself. “Maybe you just can’t handle me.”

What the hell, Lydia? Are you flirting now?

Leonidas said nothing. He simply stared, eyes flicking from my mouth to my eyes.

I opened my lips to take it back, but he was already moving toward me in slow casual steps.

The alley was narrow, and within seconds he was in front of me, towering. His golden eyes burned into mine.

“I can handle you just fine, Lydia,” he said, voice low.

“The real question is, will you let me?”