The night I met him, I should have died.
I knew something was wrong the moment the street went quiet.
Too quiet.
The kind of silence that didn't feel natural. No passing cars. No distant chatter. Not even the usual hum of the city. It was like the world had paused… and forgotten to press play again.
I tightened my grip on my bag and picked up my pace, my heels tapping sharply against the pavement. The sound echoed louder than it should have, bouncing off the empty buildings around me.
"Relax, Aria," I muttered under my breath, forcing out a shaky laugh. "You're just tired."
It had been a long day. Another double shift. Another night of pretending everything in my life wasn't slowly falling apart.
Bills piling up. Rent overdue. A boss who barely noticed I existed.
And now this.
This feeling.
Like I wasn't alone.
A cold breeze brushed against my skin, raising goosebumps along my arms. I wrapped my jacket tighter around myself and kept walking, my eyes darting around nervously.
Then I heard it.
A footstep.
Right behind me.
I froze.
My heart skipped, then slammed hard against my chest.
Slowly—too slowly—I turned around.
Nothing.
The street was empty.
A flicker of relief passed through me, but it didn't last.
Because the feeling didn't go away.
If anything… it got worse.
I swallowed hard and turned back around—
And walked straight into someone.
I gasped, stumbling backward, my foot slipping slightly as I lost my balance. Before I could fall, a strong hand shot out and caught my arm, steadying me instantly.
"Careful."
The word was low. Smooth.
Too smooth.
My breath caught as I looked up.
And everything inside me went still.
He was… beautiful.
In a way that didn't feel real.
Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark clothes that seemed to blend into the night itself. His skin was pale—unnaturally pale—and his features were sharp, almost sculpted.
But it wasn't his looks that froze me.
It was his eyes.
They glowed.
A deep, burning red.
My stomach dropped.
"You shouldn't be here," he said quietly.
His voice sent a strange chill through me, like it carried something deeper than just words. A warning. A command.
Something dangerous.
"I—I didn't mean to—" My voice trembled as I tried to pull my arm away, but his grip tightened slightly.
Not painfully.
Just enough to stop me.
His gaze locked onto mine, intense and unreadable. He studied me like I was something unfamiliar. Something unexpected.
Or something important.
"W-who are you?" I whispered.
For a moment, he didn't answer.
The air between us felt heavy, thick with tension I couldn't explain.
Then something shifted in his expression.
A flicker of confusion.
Then something darker.
Hunger.
His eyes dropped briefly—to my lips… my neck—and my breath hitched.
Every instinct inside me screamed at me to run.
But I couldn't move.
"Lucien."
The voice came from the darkness.
Sharp. Mocking.
And suddenly, everything changed.
The man—Lucien—went completely still.
Then, in one swift motion, he pulled me behind him.
"Stay behind me," he said, his tone no longer calm—but commanding.
Fear shot through me as I stumbled back, my hands trembling.
That's when I saw them.
Shapes emerging from the shadows.
One.
Two.
Three…
No—more.
Their movements were too fast. Too smooth. Like predators circling their prey.
My breath caught in my throat as they stepped into the dim light.
Pale skin.
Dark clothing.
And eyes that glowed just like his.
"Oh God…" I whispered.
They weren't human.
None of them were.
"Well," one of them said, stepping forward with a slow, amused smile. "This is interesting."
My stomach twisted as his gaze landed on me.
It felt like being stripped bare.
Like he could see straight through me.
"Lucien," another one added, his voice low and taunting. "You always did have a talent for finding rare things."
Lucien didn't move.
Didn't speak.
But I could feel the tension radiating off him.
Sharp. Dangerous.
"What do you want?" he said finally, his voice cold enough to freeze the air.
The man in front chuckled.
"Oh, come on. Don't act like you don't know." His eyes flicked toward me again. "We can feel it."
My heart pounded harder.
Feel what?
"I found her first," Lucien said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
A dark laugh echoed through the group.
"And you think that means she belongs to you?" another voice said.
Belongs?
My breath hitched.
I wasn't an object.
Was I?
"Stay out of this," Lucien snapped.
For a split second, silence fell.
Then—
They all smiled.
Not normal smiles.
Hungry ones.
"Or what?" one of them challenged.
The air shifted.
Everything felt like it was about to explode.
And then—
It did.
They moved all at once.
Too fast for me to follow.
One second they were standing still—
The next, they were right in front of us.
I screamed, stumbling backward as chaos erupted.
Lucien moved like a blur, stepping in front of me as he struck one of them with inhuman speed. The sound of something cracking echoed through the night.
I covered my mouth, my whole body shaking as I watched them fight.
It wasn't normal.
Nothing about this was normal.
They were faster than anything I'd ever seen. Stronger. Deadlier.
Like monsters straight out of a nightmare.
I tried to run.
I really did.
But my legs wouldn't cooperate.
Fear had locked me in place.
Suddenly, someone appeared right in front of me.
I gasped, stumbling back as a pale hand reached out toward me.
"Well, aren't you special?" he murmured, his red eyes glowing brighter.
Before he could touch me—
He was gone.
Thrown across the street in a blur.
Lucien stood in front of me again, his chest rising and falling slowly, his expression dark.
Dangerous.
Terrifying.
"Don't touch her," he growled.
Something in his voice made even them hesitate.
For a moment… I thought it was over.
But then one of them smirked.
"This isn't over, Lucien," he said softly. "Not when she smells like that."
My stomach dropped.
Smells?
What did that mean?
"We'll be back," another added.
And just like that—
They were gone.
The street fell silent again.
But this time… it felt worse.
Because now I knew the truth.
I wasn't alone in this world.
And whatever those things were…
They wanted me.
I swallowed hard, my body trembling as I slowly looked up at Lucien.
He was staring at me.
Not like before.
This time, his gaze was darker.
More intense.
More dangerous.
"What… are you?" I whispered.
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he stepped closer.
Too close.
My heart pounded wildly as his eyes dropped to my neck again.
And for a split second—
His fangs showed.
My breath caught.
Fear and something else twisted inside me.
Something I didn't understand.
"You should have run," he said quietly.
I swallowed hard.
"I couldn't."
His gaze snapped back to mine.
And something shifted between us.
Something deeper than fear.
"Now it's too late," he murmured.
A chill ran down my spine.
"Too late for what?"
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"For you to escape me."