Warning content
This chapter contains slow-burn chemistry , heart fluttering and dangerously magnetic encounter
Proceed if your ready for the ache of wanting someone you can't have
And then there was Riah,standing just across the room radiant in her silver gown.
Every movement of hers was soft and deliberate the kind that pulled attention without trying,a face and body of a goodness which makes her outstanding.
From one of the upper balconies, Lucian watched.
For someone so composed, so detached, he felt his control unravel piece by piece.
His piercing blue eyes followed her every move, his chest tightening as jealousy clawed at him. He watched as one CEO after another approached her, asking for a dance, only to be met with her polite refusal.
But when Louis approached her she accepted because she was familiar with him and nessa was ok with it.
The music swelled. Riah hesitated, then smiled softly and accepted Louis' hand.
Her fingers slipped into his.
Lucian's jaw clenched.
Not jealousy this was something deeper, heavier, something ancient that stirred at the sight of her.
His chest tightened. He couldn't name the feeling, but it crawled beneath his skin, sending sparks through his veins as he watched her from across the hall
Riah the woman in the silver gown.
The same woman whose name he had whispered into the darkness of his empty room, he had seen her the other day and he couldn't explain why his demons reacted the way they did, he felt strange as he left her by herself but he was trying to focus on something else before his demon takes over him,he had to leave That's why he left abruptly, he said as if trying to convince hiself, her laughter,the gentle curve of her smile, it all sent his pulse thundering in his ears,and for the first time in centuries, Lucian felt alive in a way that terrified him.
Riah was nervous, though she hid it behind her soft, dimpled smile.
She politely turned down dance offers from a string of CEOs and directors, her voice sweet but distant.
Until Louis appeared before her, hand extended,asking for a dance.
"Dance with me, Miss Riah," he said lightly. "I promise not to step on your feet."
Riah giggled, taking his hand. As they danced, Louis's tone softened,"Lucian's been quiet lately," he said watching her expression carefully.
"I think you might be the reason."
Riah's eyes widened slightly. "Me?" She asked.
Louis smirked. "He doesn't let people in Riah, Not easily. But you—"
He spun her gracefully, leaning closer. "—you've done something no one else has."
The song ended before she could respond. Louis bowed, kissed her hand and left her with a smile that hinted he knew more than he should.
He spotted nessa by the corner talking to directors .
Nessa looked stunnig and Louis wasn't going to let her go so easily. She was done talking with the directors, she walked towards louis and asked for a dance. They danced gracefully to the song while he complimented her.
"You look ravishing I'm glad you like the dress, and I'm sorry for the other day I just had a lot of thought to process".
Nessa said, "I don't believe your sorry don't ,think I'm going to let you off easily"
Then a whisper follows from nessa "show me how sorry you are".
The seductress was back to business and wasn't easy going she wasn't going to close the business so easily.
Louis couldn't help but chuckle
"Can we step outside my lady" he said.
The left the banquet and went outside where the cold breeze could touch there skin, outside , under the moonlight, Louis and Nessa leaning against the balcony, enyoyijh the view city."I'm glad you wore the dress," he said softly,
Nessa looked at Louis smiling, and said " you're proud of that, huh?"
"Maybe",Louis said "It suits you so well".
There was a magnetic silence that neither of them broke until he whispered,
"I wanted to finish what we started."
Her breath caught. "And what's that?"
Louis stepped closer, close enough that his breath brushed her cheek,he siad "the moment where I was suppose to kiss you and didn't do it so its..... the moment I almost kissed you."
Their eyes locked, hearts racing, as he playfully played with her hair and brush her skin with his fingertips, lightly placing a kiss on her knuckles, caressing her hand, then looks straight into her doll black eyes deep enough to see her needs
She wants him she wants to feel those warm lips , she wants to know how it tastes, how it will feel when he kissed her. He could see she wanted it. He thought he could calm the voices in side her they seem to get too loud anytime he's around her, he wanted her but he knew if here kissed her it won't end there, he tried so hard to push the demons away, for the first time he didn't want her getting hurt, he didn't want her to be scared of him, he was gradually falling for her, and her stubborn charms, but before anything more could happen, he exhaled sharply and turned away, restraining himself.
Nessa's heart sank again what's wrong why does he always stop midway Nessa questioned herself feeling sad,
He didn't like this feeling of making her sad
But she wouldn't understand there was more to him than she'll ever know, he couldn't explain to her,he felt that he'll make her feel more sad so he held her hand "don't fall for me I'm not special I'll only cause you pain and sadness". He walked away, tears threatening to come out of nessa eyes "what did I do so wrong, why….why does he always pull away from me, doesn't he feel the way I feel, so why does he…keep pulling away he said he wanted to pick up from where he started I didn't force him to so just why he keeps driving me nuts"
She sighed, with her her tilted upwards she wouldn't accept this feeling she wasn't going to back down now, she was going to make him accept his feelings.
Meanwhile, Riah needed air she walked into the garden, the cool night wrapping around her like silk blond hair, her heels clicked softly against the cobblestone, her sliver gown trailing like starlight behind her, then she saw him.
Lucian,standing under a marble arch, his tall frame cloaked in black, the moonlight outlining the hard edges of his face, hos eyes, deep and stormy blue, found her instantly as if he had been waiting.
Riah's breath hitched, her heart thundering against her ribs.
"Why do you keep showing up everywhere I go?" she asked softly, her voice trembling between awe and frustration.
Lucian's lips quirked faintly. "Maybe because you keeps pulling me there."
She took a step closer. "Or maybe because you can't seem to stay away."
Lucian inhaled deeply, that same strange sensation stirring again something that made his chest tighten and his control slip.
"I don't know what this is," he said lowly. "But when I see you, something inside me moves. Something I thought died long ago."
Her pulse quickened. The night seemed to hush around them.
"Then stop running," she whispered.
Lucian took one step closer, his gaze locked on her lips, the air thick between them,but then she broke the silence, her voice trembling but fierce.
"Do me a favour," she said quietly, her eyes shining.
"Dont show up in my dreams like you own them, don't come there to hunt me make me feel like your chaos brings me peace and longings, don't be so sweet in my dream, don't touch or get close to me don't give me warmth and make me yearn for it when I wake up,don't make me… fall with no chances of catching me just leave me alone".
Here she was confessing her emotions without even releasing it.
She got startled by her own outburst she looked him in the eyes, still couldn't understand his expression, itas if everything she said, didn't trigger anything in him,it was tormenting her,. she didn't know if she should run away,how should she face him. For a moment, neither of them spoke,the world stood still just the sound of their breathing, the whisper of the wind, and that unspoken truth hanging between them,she had questioned only him had answers to, why won't he tell her, why does he makes her long for him so much,why is she so attached to him, why does he makes her long for what she couldn't get. Riah's denial of not liking this man, all the things she said to herself, her attraction toward Lucian and how she labelled it as just curiousity. That was how she hid the bittersweet truth she didn't want to believe this strange man has stolen her heart completely and how insane his driving her by being distant,she just wanted him to say something, teased her like he did the other day, Riah whispered to herself " please say something don't leave me hanging or wanting more" she muttered underneath her breathe"as she met his gaze,she couldn't get it why he affected her like this and wondered if he feels the way she feels, she felt frustrated and sad she couldn't take it any longer. " I won't stop Lucian, I'll keep coming to you untill you give me answers, I need to know why I feel this way and why it keeps leading to you",she said gently then walked away while trying to hold in her tears.
Lucian watched her walk away, her silver gown shimmered like liquid moonlight, each step deliberate, graceful, unhurried yet it tore something inside him apart,he could feel her heart beat,feel every emotion she felt, he knew how she hold back her tears from him,
"Why I'm I even pushing her away when I want her just as much" he said gently ,but he didn't move he couldn't run after her , he was in conflict with his head and heart,her words echoed in his head, soft but dangerous:
Don't show up in my dreams like you own them., don't come there to hunt me make me feel like your chaos brings me peace and longings, don't be so sweet in my dream, don't touch or get close to me don't give me warmth and make me yearn for it when I wake up, don't make me… fall with no chances of catching me just leave me alone man of my dreams. He exhaled slowly, trying to steady his pulse. But it was useless,everytime she spoke, her voice found a way into the parts of him that weren't supposed to exist anymore,something inside him moved,something ancient,something Restless. Lucian ran his hand through his hair, forcing a laugh under his breath.
"Dreams…" Lucian murmured. "If only she knew",lucian had lived lifetimes untouched by emotion, he had known desire, yes, but never this pull this aching gravity that dragged him toward someone he could never have and yet, here she was, rewriting every rule he lived by.
Around the banquet hall nessa teary sat down kept saying to her she wasn't going to let Louis go, her confidence came back she stood up searching around for him, she looked from the balcony, search for him everywhere she could possibly think of, still she didn't see him, she ran toward the elevator to go downstairs, and there he was a bit haggard as if he had been battling with something, she rushed inside the elevator as the elevator door shut, "what are you doing you need to leave nessa" Louis said as if worrying for her, Nessa was to upset to listen to anything he said.
"You don't push people but you push me away, I know you won't deny the fact that you know how I feel about you, I know you like me Louis why do you keep pushing me away it's hurts so much I'm not going to stop liking you because you push me away….."Nessa added "I'm not even going to stop I'll chase you I'll follow you to the moon and down I'll chase you until you admit you like me too….so stop being a baby and stop running away from your feelings, I'm not going to let you run away anymore, I've been clear about my feeling since day one and you should too". Nessa added her heart beating like crazy, she had gathered the courage to stand in front of him and say all those things, as she seized the distance between them.
" I know you want to kiss me as much as I want to, go on kiss me I won't stop you I very much want you to kiss me, I am curious as what those lips taste like so please let me have a taste of them, I'm starving and it's just you who can quench this taste",Nessa added. It didn't take time for Louis to go mad and lost his cool the words the woman was say was soothing his ears like affirmation and every words hits him deep enough to make him crazy for her, as his hand brushed the side of her face, her resolve melted.The world seemed to narrow to the sound of her heartbeat and the warmth of his skin, his fingertips traced her jaw, his eyes fix on her witnessing another pull from her eyes before his lips finally met hers a soft, lingering kiss that sent a rush through her chest. Louis lost all his cool and close the distance between them sucking and kissing Nessa's lips as he bit and suck her lips holding her tightly in his arms, caressing her like she the most fragile thing in the word, exploring her body with his hand and not giving her space to breathe. It was becoming intense and Nessa couldn't breathe not that she wanted to stop, she didn't know he was this intense about her then why did he push her all those times,why when he needed her just as much as she does, Nessa pushed all the questions away as she deepened the kiss, caress his hair, as she felt just how smooth soft his hair was, she couldn't help it anymore this man was taking all her strength away making her weak under him. As if he could feel her legs giveing out he placed her by the wall in the elevator and sucked her necks, her collar bones as he grab her thighs his hand slowing moving towards her inner thighs.
His kisses where not gentile it was full of wants and needs, a bit rough that made Louis mind go wild as he tasted and sucked her lips "your lips taste like plum fruit", Louis said breaking their sweet passionate kiss,the sweet savoury tastes of her bloosom lips,as he went in again for another taste the kiss deepened, unhurried but full of want, it wasn't just desire, this was what he has been running from, each sucking and deepening made his head spinning, the sound of there kisses echoed inside the elevator, Louis had kissed her with the same energy as she wanted, "you taste deliciously sweet" she said not breaking the kiss as she didn't want it to end, she felt a prickling sensation on her lower lips, knowing he had bit her she tried to pull away from the kiss but he didn't let her pull away, he kept kissing her sucking on the blood as if he was enjoying her blood, she was becoming dizzy due to her lack of breathe. Louis on the other hand was battling his demon, trying to make them stop but as the kiss deepened his demon where taking over. Louis bit her lower lips as the taste of her blood flows into his mouth , just a little taste of her blood his demons ran wild seeing as she tried to pull away made him greedy and didn't let go, this was what he was so scared of he tried to pull away so hard because he was scared of hurting her , she was capable of making his demon go berserk, he finally pulled her away from the kiss and couldn't look in her eye, he turned away, looking for a scent that different from the smell of her blood, he was loosing it and he had no control over his feeling now and could only send signals to Lucian for help.
As if lucian felt the atmosphere tightened ,he knew it could only be Louis he sensed where Louis was as he open the elevator Louis ran out with speed that was in-human, lucian question nessa if she was ok and told her, her friend was waiting for her.For nessa this wasn't the time to exchange pleasantry she understood and left , she turn her back out of worry " I hope his fine is he sick or something was the kiss to much because i couldn't breathe, i could have swore i felt something like fangs", not wanting to dwell much in it, she couldn't handle the thought that he had finally kissed her, Nessa's mind drifted back to Lucian he was so all that, " no wonder Riah was all over so that lucian fox up close he does looks like a Greek GOD".
Louis rushed out at the thought of almost hurting nessa, the scene kept playing over and over again as if he had hurt her. Lucian rushed over and saw his friend in a form he hasn't seen in centuries, he wasn't surprised at Louis reaction, he had seen it before long before how many of Louis kind go berserk just by having a taste of their fated blood, "Wasn't he aware how drawn and inseparable they are with they're fated" Lucian whispered, trying to comprehend why Louis was behaving as if he didn't know this kind of stuff.
" Louis your aware she your fated right?"lucian added
" how's that possible?, fated to a human"
Louis projected,
" aaaah this is driving me nuts she can't be I almost killed her"
"Those that mean wait if I'm fated to a human and you don't know why your so drawn to riah is there a chance she could also your fated?", Lucian sighed but didn't give an answer " take me home Lucian" Louis said tiredness mixed with confusion.
The party ended Riah and nessa has gone straight home feeling what they both couldn't fathom.
Lucian had reach his home, as he walked away from the balcony, shoving his hands into his pockets, but his chest felt tight.
He could still smell her warm skin, and something soft, something real.
He wasn't sure when it started when her scent began haunting him, when her laugh started echoing in his mind, when his self-control started slipping. But now, even silence carried her name, as he remembered her words like sweet tortures, don't show up in my dreams like you own them….
He smirked faintly, his voice low, amused, almost tender,"I don't just show up, sweetheart," he whispered to the night.
"You call me there." But even as he said it, he knew this was no simple attraction,with the thought of what Louis had said, "Could she really be my fated?",It was as if the universe had looped him back to something he'd forgotten something old, a bond he didn't understand a familiarity he couldn't explain.
When he closed his eyes, he saw flashes fragments, a forest burning, a woman's voice crying his name.
A silver light, A promise whispered before everything went dark and then… her face, riah's face he snapped his eyes opened, breathing unevenly the images faded, but the ache stayed, lucian leaned against the marble wall, his throat dry, this can't be real why now after centuries why her ," he muttered. But he knew the time he saw her, the pull grew stronger. Maybe this was fate's cruel trick, just maybe she wasn't new to him at all she was really his fated.
Lucian played back on his bed staring at the ceiling as she quickly drifted back to sleep .
Meanwhile …:Nessa couldn't sleep,everytime she closed her eyes, she saw the memory of that elevator moment, his breath against her neck, the way his touch set her whole body aflame, came rushing back in flashes that made her heartbeat quicken, It wasn't just the kiss. It was the way he made her feel wanted, seen, and yet… afraid.There had been something wild in Louis's eyes, something raw that felt both thrilling and dangerous,her fingers brushed her lips unconsciously, It still tingled there, where his lips had lingered the longest, she could swear she felt a sharp sting, her lips which he had bit and sucked on, " maybe he was overwhelmed maybe it's just the intensity of our kiss, but that couldn't be real right he didn't mean to bite me right?" Nessa said with questions in her head " he didn't let me go, he just held me tight could it be the way he sucked on my bloody lips like they where new addiction" Nessa was filled with question. She sat up, heart pounding,"What was that?" she whispered into the dark,the memory of how his expression changed how he suddenly pulled back as if he'd hurt her haunted her, the pain in his eyes, the way he looked at her before disappearing… it didn't make sense, her thoughts spiraled, "why did it feel like he was fighting himself?, just why couldn't he look at me and why did Lucian ask me if I was ok, why did it feel like he wanted me, but was afraid of what he nut do to me". She picked her phone, contemplating if she should text him or call him, she felt so confused it didn't sit well her, why does she feel like this now, she hugged her knees to her chest, feeling the ache of longing mixed with fear while staring at his contact . "Louis," she whispered his name like a confession. "What are you?.
Other side of the city Louis still battling with the thought of how he almost hurt nessa, Damn it…" he hissed, gripping the wall for balance, his veins burned, His skin felt too tight, his fangs ached to return, to relive that moment, her taste had been maddening sweet and wild, like sin dressed in innocence. It wasn't just blood, it was her blood carried her warmth, her laughter, her soul and he had sucked from it without meaning to,It called to him now, a siren's pull that he couldn't ignore, he dragged his fingers through his hair, trying to find another scent, anything to drown her out, but it was useless he cursed under his breath. "What have you done to me Nessa?", his mind played it back the way she said he tasted deliciously sweet , the way she walked into his world and took over, those words of hers, the courage it took for her to say those things to him, it was enough to break his wall downs, the way her fingers curled against him,her sweet plum lips, her blood on his lips, his tongue tracing that delicate skin and the beast inside him snarled for more. Louis shut his eyes tight trying to divert his wild thoughts. He had tasted blood before centuries' worth but nothing like hers, she wasn't just sweet, she was addictive, filling every nerve, every cell, with something he hadn't felt in centuries desire, danger, and something far worse,Bond.
That word sliced through his thoughts, and suddenly everything made sense the pull, the obsession, the heat under his skin.
She was his the one his fated, and he had nearly destroyed her before even knowing it, he wouldn't fight the thought of it anymore although it's extremely rare to be fated with a human. Louis slammed his fist against the wall, leaving cracks in the marble.
"Nessa …" he whispered. "My fated is human." Louis turned his head toward the city lights, the taste of her still heavy on his tongue,all he could think of was her scent, her warmth, the way his name sounded on her lips, as he gave up the thought of pushing her out of his mind, he was burning alive because of one woman,he would never be able to run far enough to forget her taste.
That night, far from Louis's turmoil, Riah tossed beneath her sheets, her mind caught between sleep and something deeper.
The air in her room felt strange heavy, charged as though someone was there, watching, the silver glow of the moon bled through her curtains, tracing soft lines across her skin,she turned, restless, her breath hitched,a whisper drifted through the air, low, velvet, unmistakable,
"You keep calling for me, Riah."
Her heart stopped, the voice that voice she knew it. It slid through her bones, smooth and deep like honey over ice, Lucian. There he was standing by her window, a tall figure half swallowed by the moonlight, eyes burning like frozen stars, he didn't move, he only watched her expression, unreadable, as if he'd stepped straight out of her dreams and into her reality.
Riah swallowed hard, "H-how— how are you here?"
His lips curved, faint, dangerous,
"I don't just appear," he said softly, "You call for me." The words rolled from his tongue like a spell dark, tempting, impossible to deny, she shook her head "That's not true," she whispered, but even her voice betrayed her.
"I don't… I didn't—"
"Didn't you?", he took a slow step forward, and the air thinned around her, his presence filled every corner of the room his scent, that same mix of rain and woody smell something ancient, wrapped around her, grounding and suffocating at once. Her pulse drummed in her ears, "why do you keep showing up?" she asked, voice trembling, he tilted his head, his eyes locked on hers as if reading every thought she tried to bury,
"Because," he murmured, "you keep wishing I would," She drew in a shaky breath, torn between fear and something far deeper longing, "Then give me answers,tell me why I keep longing for you no wait what am I saying this is just a dream," she muttered, trying to convince herself, clutching the sheet to her chest. Lucian's lips twitched, almost into a smile. "If this were just a dream," he said, voice low, "you wouldn't be trembling like that", her cheeks flushed, she couldn't look away, the air around them buzzed, thick with tension the kind that burned, the kind that asked for surrender, then he moved closer, the space between them barely a breath.
He raised a hand, slow, deliberate, his fingertips brushing her cheek, she gasped softly, her skin alight where he touched her, he smiled at her express. "Answers you say the answers you seek are far beyond time"
He trailed off "you shouldn't call for me riah," he whispered, his voice softer now, almost pained. "Because one day… I might not stop coming." Before she could reply, before her mind could catch up with her racing heart he was gone, the curtains swayed gently she blinking slowly and tiredly, she had woken up from her sleep brushed by the wind, the moonlight spilling across the empty space he'd stood in her dream.
Riah sat up, clutching her chest, breath uneven, her heart pounded so loud it drowned everything else, she touched her cheek the spot where his fingers had been still felt warm, tears welled in her eyes as she whispered into the night,"What are you doing to me, Lucian?" But there was no answer Only the echo of her own heartbeat — and the faintest trace of his scent lingering in the air.
Lucian woke with a start.
His breaths came out ragged, his body drenched in cold sweat, for a moment, he couldn't tell if he was still dreaming or if the dream had followed him back into reality, the air in his dark chamber pulsed faintly with energy, thick with her scent lavender and chocolate.That same scent that had haunted him since the night he first saw her, he sat up slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose, his jaw tense, he could still hear her voice "What are you doing to me, Lucian?" echoing inside his skull like a plea he couldn't erase, and worse, he could still feel it the warmth of her cheek against his fingertips, the tremor in her breath, the way her heartbeat tangled with his,he had dreamed of her again. But this one felt… different,It wasn't like the others faint glimpses, flashes of her smile, her laugh, her eyes, this time he'd touched her, this time he had heard her call his name,he dragged his hand through his dark hair, exhaling sharply, "This is madness," he muttered to himself,but the mark of her presence was carved too deep into him to ignore,he could still taste her in his breath a sweetness that burned, pulling at something ancient within him, "She is the one you've been waiting for." Lucian's voice low, husky, conflicted, haunted. "You shouldn't call for me, Riah… because I might not stop coming."