Semua Bab The Devil's Kiss: Craving The Vampire Dark Lord : Bab 1 - Bab 10

“Aunt Anna, this is all your fault.” I said slapping my temples. My blind date was sitting at the far end waiting for me like he was the Grim Reaper. I didn't need a seer to tell me that this date would be the perfect description of ruin. The place looked so fancy, it seemed to have a secret rule about having a Lamborghini packed somewhere before you had to step in. The air smelled of truffle oil and something else that would pay for my house rent in six months, and the lighting made everything feel like it was from one of those romantic dramas which I hated. Then I saw him. Joachim Knight. Cold- hearted, popular billionaire lawyer in Manhattan and supposedly, my blind date for the evening. My stomach twisted. Of all the people my family could have set me up with, it had to be him — the same man I had been secretly taking his photos and selling online . Yes, I was the Woodsman, the secret paparazzo who had a knack for taking celebrities photos when they least expected it.

Joachim's pov. The phone call ended, and I sat in silence for a moment, letting Delilah’s words settle in my gut. “Do you know any other lawyer who could handle my case better? ” she had asked so politely it nearly sounded like a warning. I rubbed my temples, pushing down the frustration. The last thing I needed right now was to feel second-rate. I was supposed to be the best at what I did. My track record has made me a name in the legal world. But after the new judge, Maxwell Lark, took over for the former one, things changed. I’d become the lawyer who couldn't file a case, no matter how hard I tried. Always second, never first. And Delilah — she was starting to notice. She was looking at other attorneys now. And that hurt more than I wanted to admit. Frankly speaking, the question had pierced my heart like an arrow. And why wouldn’t she doubt me? Recently, I've come second in every major case. It wasn’t just the press that had it out for me, Maxwell Lark, too, just be

So the deal's done. My hand is still buzzing where he touched it. It was cold. Not just winter-cold, but wrong like touching a statue. It just sucked the heat right out of me. Joachim Knight didn't just shake my hand, no, that was a branding. A final stamp. As if he was a king signing a death warrant or a life warrant. I'm still not sure which is worse. His grip was just this silent, heavy promise of all the control he had now. Then Harris—Detective Harris—shuffled back in and his face looked like he had gone to the locker room to cry. He really wanted me to go to jail. One minute he's a shark circling me, all smug and predatory and the next, he can barely look Joachim in the eye. He's standing all stiff, trying to look professional. It was actually kind of stunning to see power, real power, just radiating off a guy sitting perfectly still. Harris slides some papers across the table. The scrape was so loud in that quiet room. "Sign here," he says, "and here and here." Bas

His words just hung there. I'm the best lawyer in this city isn't it? And just like that. Any tiny little scrap of victory I thought I'd clawed out for myself? Gone. Turned to dust. This wasn't him blocking my move. This was him flipping the whole damn chessboard over, telling me he owned the board, the pieces, and the idiot sitting across from him. My one, single, clever little loophole was completely useless. Why? Because he was the one who'd be hearing the case. Judge, jury, and definitely executioner. Checkmate. In one quiet, killer sentence. I think a full minute passed where I just stared at him feeling defeated as I sank into the stupid expensive chair. He was right. He knew he was right. I felt my face flush, hot with shame and then this bitter, useless anger. At him. And at myself for being so naive, for thinking I could ever actually land a punch. He must've seen me deflate, because he pulled back. He has this way of moving, all smooth and unnerving. The ghost of a sm

Whatever Claire said on that call wasn't good. I was just hoping he wouldn't say that we were going to visit the cemetery this time. The artist I’d seen, the sad, lonely man in the library? Gone. Vanished. And the cold blooded, arrogant and annoying lawyer was back, his face looked like he had just swallowed stone. I had to look away and stare at the bare walls. He slowly picked up a document and pushed it under another, arranging his already perfect, sparkly table. “What next?” I asked. “What is all the about?” My voice sounded tiny in this huge room. I was still burning with humiliation from him catching me, but my stupid curiosity always wins. His eyes, those piercing blue things, snapped to me. For just a second, I saw this flash of pure annoyance. Like I was a gnat buzzing around his head. "A change of plans. We have an engagement." "An engagement?” I shireked. “You said it was a fundraiser gala.” “Change of plans.” “Why didn't mention it?” I said, a little pissed of