I woke up to warmth. To the slow rise and fall of steady breaths against my skin. For a moment, I was caught in the haze of sleep, my body tangled in soft sheets, my limbs heavy with exhaustion. My head ached, my throat was dry.

I sucked in a sharp breath. I was naked. Panic surged through me, my heart slamming against my ribs as last night's events came rushing back in fragmented pieces. The bar. The drinks. The men surrounding me. And him.

My breath hitched as my gaze darted to the figure beside me. Broad shoulders. Tanned skin. A face that was both terrifying and breathtaking. Ryker. The man who killed my father. A choked sound rose in my throat as I jerked up, clutching the sheets to my chest. My pulse pounded violently as my mind screamed at me to run, to get as far away from him as possible. But before I could even move, his arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back into the heat of his body.

"I've missed you," he murmured, his voice deep and husky against my ear.

I stiffened. My breath came in short, rapid bursts, my skin crawling with fear. I could feel the sheer power in his hold, the way I barely even existed in his arms.

He was too strong. Too dangerous. And yet... last night, I had let him touch me. I had let him- I squeezed my eyes shut, bile rising in my throat.

He took me. My virginity. My first time. And I had let him, completely oblivious to the monster lying beside me. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I swallowed them down, forcing myself to breathe.

Focus, Serena. You can't break now. You can't- I shoved against his chest, and he let me go, his piercing golden eyes meeting mine as I scrambled to sit up. His gaze was unreadable, but there was something dark, something possessive flickering beneath his handsome face.

"What do you want?" I demanded, my voice shaking. He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he just watched me, as if memorizing every detail of my face.

Then, in a slow, deliberate voice, he said, "I've been looking for you." I felt sick. His tone was soft, almost tender. Like he hadn't just stolen something from me. Like he hadn't destroyed my life.

I clenched the sheets tighter around myself. "You-" My voice broke, but I forced myself to continue. "You took advantage of me."

His expression didn't change. "You wanted me just as much as I wanted you." My fingers trembled.

"You're disgusting." His lips twitched into something that might have been amusement.

"I can still taste you," he murmured. My stomach lurched. He's toying with me.

I sucked in a deep breath, forcing the terror in my chest to settle into something sharper. Anger.

"You killed my father." He tilted his head, unfazed.

"I've killed many people. You might have to be more specific."

My blood boiled. "How dare you?" I snapped, fury burning away my fear. "You murdered him in cold blood! I saw you! And you think it's funny?" He hummed, as if considering my words.

"Not funny. Just... unimportant." Unimportant? A wave of red clouded my vision, and before I could stop myself, I lashed out.

My fist connected with his bare chest, uselessly. It was like hitting stone. I went to hit him again, but this time, he caught my wrist effortlessly. His eyes flickered with amusement.

"Are we fighting now? I'd rather take you back to bed, but if this is your idea of foreplay..." I let out a sound of frustration, yanking my arm away.

Every word out of his mouth was infuriating. I needed to get out of here. Now. "I made a mistake last night," I spat. "A mistake I'll never make again. I was drunk. If I knew it was you, I would have rather died than let you touch me."

A muscle ticked in his jaw, the amusement on his face vanishing. Good. Let him feel something other than smug arrogance. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did to my father," I continued, my voice steady. "You might have gotten away with it once, but I will never let you escape again." With that, I spun on my heel and stormed toward the door, my pulse racing.

I had barely taken three steps before something cold and powerful wrapped around my body. I barely had time to gasp before I was slammed into the wall, my breath leaving me in a sharp exhale.

The movement was too fast too unnatural. He wasn't human that confirm what I saw yesterday.

My heart pounded as I stared up at him, my body pinned between his and the hard wall. His golden eyes glowed.

His breathing was slow. Controlled. Then, right in front of me, his nails lengthened into sharp claws, his teeth extending into gleaming fangs. It was him. It was just like that night. The night my father died. Terror paralyzed me as he leaned in, his breath hot against my skin.

"You're mine," he murmured, his voice dangerously low. "Mine alone. No other man will touch you. No other man will even breathe the same air as you."

I wanted to scream, to fight, but I couldn't move. His head dipped lower, his lips brushing the curve of my neck. Then, without warning I felt Pain. A sharp, unbearable pain as his teeth pierced my skin, sinking deep into the flesh of my neck. I cried out, the agony burning through every nerve in my body.

It was like fire, like lightning, like nothing I had ever felt before. My knees buckled, and just as my vision blurred, I heard his voice.

"Go to sleep now, My little hellfire."

Chapter 4 One night mistake

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