The First Claim
Kai did not sleep.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, listening to the faint hum of the city through the cracked window. Cars passed. Sirens wailed somewhere far away. Life continued like nothing in his world had shifted.
But everything had.
Lucien's voice echoed in his head.
You're mine.
Kai squeezed his eyes shut.
"No," he whispered into the darkness.
His phone vibrated on the mattress beside him.
Unknown.
Kai's heart slammed against his ribs.
He didn't need to open it.
He already knew.
Unknown: You're awake.
Kai sat up.
Kai: Go away.
Three dots appeared instantly.
Unknown: Open your balcony door.
Kai stared at the message, breathing hard.
Kai: No.
A pause.
Then—
Unknown: I'm already there.
Cold spread through Kai's veins.
Slowly, unwillingly, he turned his head.
The sheer curtain fluttered.
The balcony door was ajar.
Kai scrambled off the bed. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"
A shadow moved.
Lucien stepped inside like the night itself had parted to let him pass.
Black suit.
Bare hands.
Crimson eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
"I asked permission," Lucien said calmly.
"You broke into my apartment!"
"I walked in."
"That's worse!"
Lucien shut the balcony door with a soft click.
The sound felt final.
"I won't hurt you," Lucien said.
Kai laughed shakily. "You keep saying that like it helps."
Lucien studied him, gaze slow and deliberate, as if memorizing every breath.
"You've been avoiding me," Lucien said.
Kai crossed his arms. "Good job noticing."
Lucien stepped closer.
The air thickened.
Kai stepped back.
Lucien stopped.
"You don't run very well," Lucien observed.
"I shouldn't have to run at all!"
Lucien tilted his head. "Yet you keep coming back."
Kai opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Because he had no answer.
Silence stretched.
Heavy.
Lucien's eyes softened slightly.
"I don't understand what you are," Lucien said. "I've lived for centuries. I've killed kings. I've broken gods. Nothing has ever unsettled me."
Kai's breath caught.
"You look at me," Lucien continued, "and my curse goes quiet."
Kai swallowed. "You're insane."
Lucien nodded once. "Yes."
He stepped closer.
Kai didn't move.
Lucien raised a hand slowly, giving Kai time to pull away.
Kai didn't.
Lucien's fingers brushed Kai's wrist.
Electric.
Not painful.
Not burning.
Alive.
Kai gasped softly.
Lucien's eyes darkened.
"There," Lucien murmured. "You feel it too."
Kai tried to pull his hand away.
Lucien didn't tighten his grip.
That somehow made it worse.
"I don't want this," Kai said weakly.
Lucien leaned down until their foreheads almost touched.
"You don't understand it," he corrected.
Kai's breath stuttered.
Lucien's thumb traced over Kai's pulse.
"So fast," Lucien whispered. "Every time you're near me."
Kai's knees felt unsteady.
Lucien slid his hand up, cupping Kai's cheek.
Warm.
Gentle.
Terrifying.
"No one touches you," Lucien said quietly. "No one claims you."
Kai whispered, "You don't get to decide that."
Lucien's lips hovered inches away.
"I already have."
Lucien did not kiss his lips.
Instead, he pressed a slow, deliberate kiss to Kai's temple.
Soft.
Possessive.
Intimate.
Something ancient passed through the air.
Kai's vision blurred.
Not with magic.
With emotion.
Fear.
Confusion.
Need.
Lucien pulled back slightly.
"You are under my protection now," Lucien said. "Anyone who harms you will cease to exist."
Kai's voice shook. "That's not romantic."
Lucien's mouth curved faintly.
"I am not romantic."
He brushed his thumb once more over Kai's cheek.
"Sleep."
Kai whispered, "What if I don't want to?"
Lucien's eyes glowed brighter.
"You will."
Kai blinked.
Darkness folded over him.
Not violent.
Not forced.
Like drifting underwater.
The last thing he felt was Lucien's hand steady on his back.
The first claim had been made.
Not with blood.
Not with teeth.
But with presence.
With promise.
With obsession.
And somewhere deep inside Kai's chest…
Something answered back.