Ava couldn't take her eyes off him. Lucien Vale, sitting in the corner of the hospital room, radiated a presence so commanding it made her heart hammer and her skin tingle. Every movement he made was deliberate—slow, precise—and she felt as if the air between them was charged with electricity.
"You said I was erased…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "How… how is that possible?"
Lucien leaned back, crossing one long leg over the other, eyes fixed on her like a predator studying prey. "Someone powerful decided your existence was inconvenient," he said. His tone was flat but threaded with something darker—something that made her pulse spike. "They wiped everything. Friends, family, records… even your name."
Ava's stomach lurched. "Why would anyone do that?"
Lucien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he rose and circled her like a shadow, every step deliberate, every inch of him radiating a dangerous heat that made her ache without knowing why.
"You got too close," he finally said. His voice was low, smooth, a velvet rumble that brushed over her skin. "Some secrets weren't meant to be uncovered. And you—curious, reckless, persistent—found one that could destroy lives."
Ava shivered. It wasn't just fear. The closer he moved, the more heat pooled between her thighs, a longing she didn't understand, and didn't want to admit.
He stopped in front of her, towering. His sharp gaze pinned her in place. "Do you feel it?" he murmured, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "The pull… the craving?"
She gasped, heart hammering. "I… I don't know what you mean."
Lucien's hand ghosted along the curve of her arm, fingertips light, teasing. A jolt of sensation ran through her, hot and unbearable, and she realized with a shock that she wanted more. He leaned closer, his chest brushing hers even though they weren't touching fully. His presence alone ignited something primal inside her.
"You're mine now," he whispered. "And soon, you'll realize there's no escape—from me… or from what you feel for me."
Ava's knees trembled. "I… I'm not sure I understand…"
He smiled, a flash of teeth, sharp and knowing. "That's fine. You don't have to understand yet. You only have to feel."
Before she could react, he leaned in, close enough that his lips almost brushed hers, teasing, taunting. Ava's body betrayed her—the desire was there, hot and fierce, making her shiver in every nerve ending.
And then the nurse entered, breaking the moment, and he stepped back, his dark eyes still boring into hers.
"Stay away from everyone else," he said quietly. "If anyone touches you, I'll know. And if they try to hurt you… I won't be gentle."
Ava's heart raced, confusion warring with something darker, hotter that made her pulse thrum. She didn't know if she should run or fall into him, but she already knew—there was no escaping Lucien Vale.