LENA
I should never have taken that turn.
One moment, I was weaving through the crowded city streets, the pulsing bass of a nearby club thudding in my chest. The next, I was stepping onto cobblestone, my heels clicking against the unexpected change in terrain. The alley I'd wandered into was nothing like the neon-lit chaos behind me. Here, the air carried the crisp scent of aged wine and expensive cigars, a stark contrast to the beer and sweat of the club. An ornate iron gate stood ajar at the alley's end, golden light spilling from beyond its bars, beckoning me forward.
Curiosity prickled along my skin, and I couldn't think past the need to see inside. I stepped through.
Beyond the gate, an elegant courtyard stretched before me, surrounded by towering stone walls draped in ivy. Chandeliers dangled from arching trellises above, their golden glow illuminating men and women dressed in immaculate suits and evening gowns, moving with the refined ease of aristocrats at an exclusive gathering. The air hummed with murmured conversation, the clinking of crystal glasses, the occasional burst of laughter.
At the center of it all stood a man, tall and imposing, his presence commanding even among the extravagance. His suit was dark, tailored to perfection, the crisp white of his shirt highlighting the sharp planes of his face. He spoke in a rich and deep voice, addressing a semi-circle of attentive men who stood with the kind of discipline that suggested unwavering loyalty. None of it compared to how breathtakingly gorgeous he was. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but the weight of his presence sent a shiver down my spine.
Then his head turned.
Our eyes met.
I sucked in a sharp breath as something surged through me, electric and wild, racing beneath my skin like fire catching in dry brush. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out every sound and feeling aside from my sudden fierce awareness of him. I had never felt anything like this pull, this gravity, as if the space between us would collapse instantly if I so much as breathed wrong.
His expression flickered—something fierce, something raw—before his features hardened into steel. In the next breath, he moved.
Before I could react and think to turn and run, a firm hand wrapped around my wrist. The moment his skin touched mine, the current that had sparked between us exploded. A gasp ripped from my throat, my knees nearly buckling as the energy gripped me, weaving through my veins and anchoring me to him. His fingers flexed as if he felt it too, his grip tightening before he pulled me closer.
"Who are you?" he demanded, voice low and controlled. His eyes showed an edge to his composure, though—something taut, like a man holding back the full force of a storm.
"My name is none of your business," I bit out, trying to wrench my arm away.
His grip tightened. "Your name."
The command in his tone sent a strange shiver through me. I clenched my jaw, willing myself not to respond, but the longer I stayed trapped in his gaze, the harder it became to resist. My lips parted against my will. "Lena."
The moment my name slipped past my lips, his expression shifted. His grip faltered—just for a second—before his fingers curled around my wrist again, as if the sound of my name had sealed something between us.
My lips parted, my breath shaky. "I—I was just—"
"She saw too much." A voice cut through the hum of the gathering, drawing my attention. A man stepped forward, broad-shouldered and severe, his dark eyes sharp with scrutiny. "You know the rules, Dominic."
Dominic.
The name curled through me, a perfect fit for the power coiling beneath his surface. He hadn't let go of my wrist, and I felt the way his pulse thundered against my skin, the way his breath had deepened as if he was fighting the same violent current raging inside me.
"She's human," another man said, his tone laced with disapproval. "We can't risk—"
"She's mine."
The words hit like a gunshot, ringing in the heavy silence. I froze, the meaning slamming into my body even as my brain rejected it outright.
"Excuse me?" I snapped, my fear surging into fury. "I'm no one's anything. Now, let me go."
Dominic's jaw flexed, his grip ironclad, tugging me even closer. "You don't understand."
"I understand plenty. This is kidnapping."
"You trespassed." His voice was calm, but something was simmering beneath it. "And now, you belong to me."
I saw red. I drove my knee upward, aiming for his gut, but he moved too fast. In a blink, he had me turned, one arm wrapped around my torso, the other clamping over my mouth before I could scream.
"Enough," he murmured, lips ghosting over my ear.
The command rolled through me. It wasn't just the deep rumble of his voice but also something intense curling within me. The energy in the air pressed down on me, making my limbs feel heavy, my breath short. I wanted to fight, to scream, but my body obeyed.
Terror gripped me harder than his hold ever could.
"Take her to the estate," Dominic ordered.
"No," I tried to say, but the word barely made it out before I felt his thumb trace along my lower lip, and darkness swallowed me whole.
My dreams were confusing and dark, full of rough hands along my body, toned steel muscles under my own, and a name that I wanted to remember but couldn't.
I awoke with a gasp.
I bolted upright, my heart thundering, the remnants of something unnatural lingering in my veins. My surroundings snapped into focus. I was in a massive room, all dark wood and cold stone, a fireplace crackling low in the corner. The bed beneath me was impossibly soft, the air scented with pine and something unfamiliar yet intoxicating.
Then it hit me.
The soiree. The capture. Dominic.
My body reacted before my mind could even process its response. I turned and was nearly nose to nose with Dominic, his blue eyes blazing.
I shuddered, and certainty seeped into my bones that my life would never be the same.