Julian's pov..
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass of my penthouse, the lights of Manhattan spread out like a cold, electric grid. In my hand, a glass of neat scotch sweated against my palm, but the liquid offered no burn compared to the fire Arya had left on my skin.
I shouldn't have touched her. I shouldn't have let my guard slip in that office.
"Anything, Marcus?" I barked into my phone without turning around.
"Nothing, sir," my head of security rumbled through the speaker. "Arya's file is a dead end. Standard background, clean credit, no social media presence before three years ago. It's like she stepped out of thin air. But there is one thing..."
"Speak."
"Lucian Belthazaar. I've been tracking his movements since their firm tried the hostile takeover. He's been seen in the same sectors where Arya hangs out. It's not just business, Julian. He's looking for someone. He's hunting."
I hung up, my jaw tightening until it pulsed. Lucian Belthazaar—the golden boy of my greatest rival, a man with the face of an angel and the soul of a shark. The thought of him even breathing the same air as Arya made a primal, protective rage boil in my gut. Why was a titan like Lucian obsessed with a marketing assistant? And why, God help me, was I?
I set the glass down, my hands trembling. I could still smell her—that scent of ozone and something ancient, like rain on heated marble. Every time she was near, the air in the room changed. It wasn't just attraction; it was a gravitational pull that made my logic crumble. I was a man of cold facts and hard numbers, yet I was losing my mind over a girl who thought I was a male escort.
I closed my eyes, and the image of her in the office—tear-streaked, defiant, her eyes glowing with a strange, hazel intensity—seared into my mind. I wanted to break her walls. I wanted to shield her from whatever ghost she was running from.
The heat between my legs was a dull, persistent ache that wouldn't quit. I moved to the oversized leather chair, my breath hitching as I remembered the spark that jumped between us in the car. It was electric. Raw.
I reached for myself, my movements heavy and desperate. Every friction, every sharp intake of breath was punctuated by her name. Arya. I imagined her under me, her "goodness" bleeding into my darkness, her hands clutching my shoulders as I finally claimed the soul that felt like it already belonged to me. The release was violent, a jagged collision of frustration and unfiltered craving, leaving me hollowed out in the dark.
I slumped back, staring at the ceiling. I was the CEO of Vanguard Holdings, a man who didn't believe in fate. But as I watched the clouds grumble outside, heavy and pregnant with a storm, I knew one thing for certain.
If Lucian Belthazaar wanted her, he'd have to burn my empire to the ground to get to her. Because I wasn't just her boss anymore. I was her predator. And I was never letting her go.
Pov…
The weekend had been a fever dream of Julian's touch and the lingering scent of cedar. I walked into Vanguard Holdings with my guard doubled, my "human" mask fused to my face. I could feel the Soul Pull vibrating through the lobby floor the second I stepped out of the elevator. He was already here.
I sat at my desk, ignoring the "Vultures" and their petty sneers. I had bigger problems. I could feel a different kind of pressure in the air today—a cold, predatory static that didn't belong to Julian.
It was Lucian Belthazaar.
He was across the street, likely perched in his own glass tower, watching. To a human, he was just a rival CEO. To the supernatural underground, he was a High-Tier Alpha, a man who collected "rare things" to strengthen his bloodline. He didn't know about my celestial mission, and he certainly didn't know that a kiss from my "Groom" would ignite a beacon the heavens couldn't ignore. He just thought I was a powerful stray he could cage.
"Arya."
The voice was like a gavel. Julian stood at his office door, his tie slightly loosened, his eyes rimmed with the same restless exhaustion I felt. He looked at me, and for a split second, the "Aloof CEO" cracked. The memory of our near-kiss flashed between us, thick enough to touch.
"The Belthazaars just put in a hostile bid for our newest acquisition," he rumbled, his voice dropping so only I could hear. "They're moving faster than expected. I need you in the strategy meeting. Now."
He was using work to keep me in his line of sight, a human instinct to protect what he didn't even realize was divine. He thought he was fighting a corporate war. He had no idea he was standing in the center of a celestial battlefield.
As I followed him into the boardroom, I caught my reflection in the glass. My eyes were a dull, safe brown, but deep down, the Argathar blood was boiling. I had to find my sacrifice. I had to finish the mission before the "Earthly" monsters realized they were hunting a goddess.