The night was thick with heat, the kind that clung to your skin like a secret. Aria's heels clicked softly on the wet pavement as she slipped down the alley—short cut, bad idea. She knew better. But her body was aching, her legs sore from the bar shift, and the city's pulse was far behind her now.
She didn't hear him at first. Not the footsteps. Not the breath. Just the sensation—a shift in the air, like a predator had stepped into her world and sucked all the oxygen out of it.
Then, a voice. Low. Deep. Dark chocolate melting over gravel.
"I wouldn't go that way if I were you."
Aria turned, heart clenching, lips parting.
He stood beneath the flickering streetlight like he was carved from sin itself. Tall. Brooding. Hair black as midnight, swept back from a cruelly handsome face. Eyes like cold fire—dark and silver all at once, burning without mercy.
Her pulse skittered. "Do I look like I'm asking for directions?" she shot back, chin lifted.
He stepped forward, slow and deliberate. And gods help her, her thighs clenched.
"No," he said, gaze raking over her. "You look like trouble. The kind that doesn't know how close she is to being devoured."
Her breath caught. Her body betrayed her. Every nerve snapped awake. What the fuck was wrong with her?
Maybe it was the way he looked at her—like he could already taste her. Like he'd already imagined how she'd moan.
"You should go," she whispered. She meant to sound firm. But it came out breathy. Needy.
He didn't.
Lucien closed the space between them in two slow strides, his fingers grazing her jaw as he tilted her face toward him.
"Say stop, and I will," he murmured.
But Aria didn't. Couldn't.
Her breath hitched. "Touch me."
A low groan vibrated from his chest as he kissed her. Not rough this time, but soft, coaxing, pulling her lips apart with his own. She melted, body folding into his. He tasted like dark wine and secrets, his tongue teasing hers, his hands exploring the curves of her waist before dragging up to cup her breasts.
"So warm," he whispered, flicking his thumbs over her hardened nipples through the thin fabric of her top. "So responsive."
He kissed down her neck, hands sliding beneath her skirt. She gasped when he found her slick and bare under her panties. His fingers dipped between her folds, gathering the wetness, and he moaned against her throat.
"Fuck, Aria. You're soaked."
She whimpered. "Please..."
He backed her into the alley wall gently, lowering to his knees, eyes never leaving hers. "I want to taste you first," he murmured.
He kissed her inner thighs, lips soft and reverent, until her legs trembled. Then he licked a slow stripe up her pussy, groaning like she was the first thing he'd truly craved in centuries.
His tongue found her clit and flicked with deliberate slowness, his fingers spreading her open as he sucked softly.
Aria cried out, hips bucking.
"More," she begged, nails clawing at the brick.
He gave her more. Tongue circling, dipping, teasing until she was gasping and twitching. Then he thrust two fingers inside her, curling just right, mouth never leaving her clit. Her orgasm slammed into her hard and hot, making her cry out his name.
"Lucien! Oh god—"
He rose, licking her taste from his lips, and kissed her again, letting her taste herself.
"I'm not done," he growled.
He freed his cock, thick and pulsing, and her eyes widened.
"Can I..." she whispered, licking her lips.
Lucien smiled darkly. "You want to suck me off, sweet girl?"
She nodded.
He leaned back against the wall and watched as she sank to her knees.
She wrapped her hand around him, stroking slowly as her tongue teased the head. He hissed, hand tangling in her hair.
"God, yes. Just like that."
She took him into her mouth, inch by inch, eyes locked on his. Her lips stretched, her tongue swirling, her moans vibrating along his length.
"Fuck," he groaned, hips flexing forward. "You feel like heaven. Your mouth is so fucking perfect."
She bobbed faster, sloppier, spit dripping down her chin. He tightened his grip in her hair, panting, his eyes glowing.
"Stop, or I'll cum," he growled.
She pulled back, lips wet and swollen. "I want you to."
That snapped something in him.
He yanked her up and spun her around, pressing her chest against the wall, lifting her leg as he slid into her from behind.
She screamed. He was deeper this time. Slower. But each thrust was purposeful. Designed to make her feel everything.
"You're mine now," he said, biting gently at her shoulder. "No going back."
She nodded, crying out as her second orgasm built.
"Say it," he growled.
"Yours," she gasped. "I'm yours, Lucien!"
He thrust harder, faster, until she came again with a sob. Only then did he let go, groaning her name as he spilled inside her.
He held her there, pressed against him, breath mingling. Then he kissed her bare shoulder, nuzzling his face into her neck.
"You okay?"
She nodded weakly, breathless. "I don't know what you just did to me."
"Neither do I. But I don't regret it."
Then his lips brushed her neck.
"One more thing," he whispered.
His fangs sank into her with exquisite pressure, and she came again as he drank—slow and worshipful. He only took enough to taste her soul.
When he pulled back, blood on his lips, eyes glowing, he kissed her forehead.
"You don't know it yet," he said softly, "but you just saved me."
He cradled her against his chest, his body no longer cold, but burning.
And in her dazed haze, Aria smiled.
Because despite the danger in his touch and the hunger in his kiss—she believed him.
He was a monster.
But tonight, he was hers.