That night, long after the estate had gone quiet, Auren lay on the grass beyond the servants' quarters, hands folded behind his head, eyes on the open sky.
Then there was a Movement, he stilled, senses reaching outward without effort, and felt it again….soft footsteps, careful, deliberate. Someone slipping where they weren't meant to be.
Evryn.
He didn't rise immediately. He waited, watching as she eased through the gate at the edge of the estate, glancing back once before continuing down the narrow path. She moved with purpose, not fear. That intrigued him more than it should have.
Curiosity pulled him up silently. He followed at a distance, careful enough that even her alert instincts didn't catch him. She reached a low, forgotten wall near one of the abandoned houses bordering the grounds. Without hesitation, she found gaps in the stone, places where time had eaten away at mortar, and climbed.
Auren paused.
Then, effortlessly, he vaulted the wall and landed soundlessly on the other side.
He searched for her instinctively, senses brushing the dark, before spotting her crouched near the far corner of the house. Moonlight caught in her hair as she reached toward a cluster of black flowers blooming stubbornly against the stone.
She was smiling.
She plucked one carefully, then another, breath held like she was stealing something precious.
He stepped closer.
"What are you doing here?"
Evryn yelped, spinning so fast she nearly lost her footing. "Gods..." She pressed a hand to her chest, breath racing, then froze when she saw his face. Relief flooded her features immediately. "Corin. You scared me."
he said calmly. "What are you doing here, Evryn?"
She glanced at the flowers, then back at him, suddenly sheepish. "I saw them from the gate," she admitted. "The color. They're… different." She shrugged. "I wanted them. So I figured out how to get in."
She spoke as she worked, carefully picking another bloom, explaining how she'd watched the guards, how she'd tested the wall days before, how she knew this place was empty. Her voice was animated, alive in a way he hadn't seen before.
Then she hissed softly.
He was beside her instantly.
When she hissed softly, he was beside her instantly.
"What happened?" he asked, already taking her hand, his fingers closing around her wrist with care rather than force. Moonlight caught the thin line of blood where the thorn had bitten her finger. It was nothing…barely a wound…but the sight of it tightened something sharp and instinctive in his chest.
"It's nothing," Evryn said quickly. "Just a thorn."
"Still," he replied, quieter now.
His thumb brushed her skin as he turned her hand, checking the cut. The contact was accidental at first…..just a light pass of his fingers…..he tasted without thinking then he felt it.
Her blood.
Warm. Alive.
The world narrowed.
For a single, dangerous heartbeat, instinct surged forward, ancient and immediate. He turned his face away at once, breath held, eyes closing as if shutting them might shut the hunger with it. The taste lingered anyway…..faint, sweet, unmistakable. Not fire. Not frenzy.
Delicious.
His jaw tightened.
He wanted more.
The realization hit hard….not as loss of control, but as a test of it.
He opened his eyes slowly.
He was not any vampire.
He was the Lord.
Without looking at her, he said evenly, "I'll do it for you."
Before she could ask what he meant, he released her hand and stepped past her, reaching for the flowers himself. His movements were precise now, deliberate, every motion controlled. He avoided the thorns effortlessly, gathering the blooms with practiced care, as if channeling everything he refused to take into something harmless instead.
Evryn watched him, unaware of how close the moment had come to breaking.
After a few seconds, she reached out and touched his arm. "That's enough," she said gently. "Thank you."
He straightened, breathing steady again, the hunger locked down where it belonged.
"You shouldn't come out here alone at night," he said, voice firm, almost sharp. "You could've been hurt."
She studied him then...really studied him...and smiled, something warm and pleased flickering in her eyes. "You worry too much."
His gaze softened despite himself. "Someone has to."
She hugged the flowers to her chest, clearly happy, clearly unaware of the restraint she'd just inspired.
And that...more than the blood…..was what stayed with him.
She hugged the flowers to her chest, pleased in a way she didn't try to hide. "I'm glad it's you."
The words surprised both of them.
For a moment, neither spoke. The night held still around them.
Then she turned toward the wall. "Come on," she said lightly. "Before I decide to steal something else."
He followed her back without hesitation.
And for the first time, walking beside him in the dark felt less like breaking rules...and more like choosing company.....
Auren entered to his place then a servant approached to him. he looked nervous but determined, shifting his weight as if practicing the words in his head.
"Corin," he said carefully, "I need your help. I know you're close to Evryn."
Auren looked up instantly when he heard her name.
"And?" he asked.
The servant took a breath. "I like her. So I thought I'd ask you what she loves, what she hates. I want to confess to her."
Something cold settled in Auren's chest.
"Come with me," he said.
The servant hesitated, then followed. They walked through quiet corridors until they reached a room rarely used, its walls bare, the air still. Auren stopped in the center and spoke calmly.
"Abby," he said, "call Asric."
The servant frowned. "Corin? Are you talking to me?"
Before Auren could answer, the air shifted. A gate opened soundlessly, folding the space inward. Asric stepped through, relaxed, amused.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
His eyes landed on the servant.
The man froze.
Fear hit him all at once. His knees gave way, and he dropped to the floor, staring at the open gate, his mind unable to understand what he was seeing.
Asric glanced at Auren. "Ah."
Auren's voice was flat. "Erase Evryn's name from his mind and Transfer him anywhere else, i don't want see him here"
Asric nodded once.
The servant didn't scream. He couldn't. Asric moved with ease, power quiet and precise. When it was done, the man lay still, breathing, empty-eyed.
Auren ran a hand through his hair, frustration clear in the motion. "I'm starting to get tired of pretending, it's hard to block my strength " he said. "I don't know how long I can stand it."
Asric laughed softly. "I think this is harder than ruling."
"It is," Auren replied.
Asric glanced at the man on the floor. "So what do we do with him?"
"Leave him here," Auren said