Mia woke to the sound of rain.It whispered against the tall glass windows of the unfamiliar room, soft and endless, like a heartbeat she didn't recognize.
The sheets beneath her were silk, cool against her skin. For a few seconds, she didn't remember where she was — until the faint warmth around her wrist pulsed again, steady, rhythmic, alive. She lifted her hand. The faint red mark shimmered in the dim light, curling like smoke beneath her skin.
Her breath hitched. The mark of the Valerius bride.
A chill ran through her spine, and memories of last night hit her like shards of glass — the glowing contract, Asher's crimson eyes, the court of creatures that weren't supposed to exist. Vampires.And her. Bound to one.
She swung her legs off the bed and stood, clutching the silk coat that still smelled faintly of him — dark cedar, iron, and something she couldn't name. The room itself was too perfect, too silent. Shadows moved where the light didn't reach.
Then the door opened.
Asher stepped in as though he had been waiting outside all along.Black suit, white shirt open at the collar, no tie — effortless authority. His gaze found her instantly.
"You're awake," he said. His voice was calm, deep, and carried that quiet power that made the air heavier around him.
Mia's throat went dry. "You— you could have told me the truth."
"I did," he replied simply, walking closer. "You just weren't ready to believe it."
She took a step back. He took another forward. The distance between them thinned like mist.
"Why me?" she asked, voice breaking slightly. "There must be thousands of women who would die to stand where I am. Why me?"
Asher tilted his head slightly, studying her. "Because I don't choose what attracts me, kitten. I feel it." His eyes darkened. "And the first time I caught your scent, I knew it wasn't human fate that crossed our paths. It was blood fate."
Mia's pulse hammered so hard it hurt. "You keep saying things like that — blood, fate — but I don't understand what you want from me!"
He stopped barely a breath away from her. "You don't have to understand. You only have to survive it."
His hand rose, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. The touch was feather-light, almost reverent, and yet her knees weakened instantly. She hated that her body reacted before her mind could catch up — warmth curling in her stomach, heart stuttering.
"The mark will bind your life to mine," he murmured. "It keeps you safe. No vampire can harm or feed on you. But it also… connects us. You will feel it."
"Feel… what?"
His smile was faint, dangerous. "Me."
Her breath caught. "No—"
"Yes." He leaned closer, his breath brushing her cheek. "The pull between us is real. It's instinct. My blood recognizes yours now. You'll feel it when I'm near… or when I think of you."
Mia stepped back, trembling. "That's— that's wrong. I didn't ask for that!"
Asher's eyes softened, almost imperceptibly. "No. You didn't. But now that bond protects you from everything outside these walls. Even from yourself."
He turned, walking toward the window. The rain caught the sharp lines of his reflection, turning him into a silhouette of cold perfection.
Outside, the sky was black, split by faint streaks of lightning. And beyond the courtyard, she saw them — figures moving faster than human sight could follow, gliding through the shadows. Vampires. Guards. Servants. His world.
The sky outside wasn't bright. It was darker than midnight, painted in silver and red hues. She realized, with a chill, that this was morning here — in his world, the sun never rose.
Mia's stomach turned cold. "They're… real."
"Yes," he said quietly. "The night belongs to us."
She watched the elegant movements below — unnatural, graceful, predatory. "Do they know about me?"
He looked back, expression unreadable. "They know you're mine."
The word mine hit like a strike.Mia's pulse jumped, both in fear and something she didn't want to name.
"You act like you own me."
"I don't act," he replied. "You signed it, kitten. It's sealed in blood."
Her eyes stung. "I only signed because I was scared."
"And yet," he murmured, closing the distance between them again, "fear has always been the most honest form of consent."
"Asher—"
He stopped her name on his lips, his tone softening — just a fraction. "I won't hurt you, Mia. I need you to understand that."
"Then let me go."
"I can't."
The silence after that was suffocating.
He lifted his hand again, tracing the faint glow under her skin where the bond mark rested. "This will fade from sight soon. But you'll still feel it. When I call for you. When danger is near. When I'm—" He stopped himself, jaw tightening.
"When you're what?" she whispered.
"When I'm losing control," he said finally, almost like an admission he hated to make.
Their eyes met — predator and prey, but something else lingered between them now. Curiosity. Heat. Confusion.
Asher looked away first. "Come," he said. "There's something you need to see."
He led her out into a vast corridor lined with dark marble and portraits that seemed to watch her as she passed. The air smelled of candle smoke and ancient power. Down the stairs, the world unfolded — a ballroom of glass and stone, where vampires moved like royalty. Some bowed slightly as Asher passed. Others watched Mia with barely disguised hunger.
Her heart pounded.
"You rule them?" she whispered.
"I control them," he corrected. "Ruling implies they have a choice."
One of the older vampires — silver-haired, eyes like molten gold — stepped forward. "The human has signed then?"
Asher's tone dropped. "She has."
The elder smiled thinly. "A dangerous game, my prince. Humans… break easily."
Asher's voice was pure ice. "So do those who touch what's mine."
The elder's smirk faded. The air in the hall seemed to freeze.
Mia felt the invisible shift of power, like an unseen storm. When Asher looked back at her, there was something almost protective in the way his gaze softened.
"Welcome to the Court, kitten," he said quietly. "Every one of them would kill to drink from you. And every one of them knows they never will."
Mia swallowed hard. "Why do you keep calling me that?"
He smiled faintly, eyes glinting crimson again. "Because you look fragile, soft… but you still bare your claws when you're scared. Like a kitten pretending to fight a lion."
She wanted to argue, to deny it, but the heat in his gaze stole her voice.
When he finally turned to walk away, she realized something terrifying:Despite everything — the fear, the danger, the impossible world she'd fallen into — her pulse no longer trembled out of terror alone.
Something darker was beginning to bloom beneath her skin. Something that felt a lot like desire.