CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

By evening, Elias found himself avoiding Lucian, his cheeks burning with shame. He had gotten aroused by a stranger—someone he knew nothing about, someone dangerous. The very thought sent a fresh wave of mortification through him.

He clenched his fists, pacing in his room. This was madness. He needed to get away.

Determined, he stormed out, finding Lucian lounging in a grand sitting room, a book in one hand and a glass of that thick red liquid in the other.

“I want to leave.” Elias’s voice was steady, but his heart pounded.

Lucian didn’t even glance up. “No.”

Elias gritted his teeth. “You can’t keep me here.”

Lucian finally set the book aside and looked at him, amusement flickering in his silver eyes. “Can’t I?”

“I have a life—I have places to be,” Elias argued, crossing his arms.

Lucian exhaled through his nose, unimpressed. “Really? Where?”

Elias flinched but stood his ground. “Anywhere but here.”

Lucian leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “You have no family. No friends. No one waiting for you.”

Elias’s breath hitched. “That’s not—”

Lucian’s lips curved into something cruel. “You were a servant, weren’t you? A nameless boy in some manor, living at the mercy of people who never truly saw you.”

Elias’s hands trembled. “Shut up.”

Lucian tilted his head, studying him. “Oh? Did I touch a nerve?”

Elias’s eyes burned, the memories crashing over him. Tristan. The boy he had trusted. The boy who had kissed him, only to betray him when they were caught.

His first kiss.

“You don’t know anything about me,” Elias whispered, voice cracking.

Lucian stood, closing the distance between them. “Don’t I?”

Elias’s eyes welled with tears. He hated this. Hated that Lucian was right. Hated that he was alone. He had always been alone.

Lucian reached out, brushing away a stray tear with a finger. “You have nowhere to run, Elias. Accept it.”

Elias slapped his hand away, chest heaving. “I’d rather die than stay here with you.”

Lucian’s smirk faded. “Careful what you wish for, darling.”

Lucian leaned back against the grand chair, one leg draped over the other, watching Elias with a knowing smirk.

“You shouldn’t waste your thoughts on that idiot,” Lucian said smoothly, swirling the thick red liquid in his goblet.

Elias narrowed his eyes. “And what do you know about him?”

Lucian let out a low chuckle. “Enough to know he was a coward.”

Elias tensed. “You don’t know anything about me.”

Lucian’s smirk deepened. “Don’t I?” He took a slow sip of his drink before setting the goblet down. “Come to think of it, I never even told you my name.” Elias’s brow furrowed. “How do you know about me at all?”

Lucian tilted his head, watching Elias as if he were something fascinating. “I know a lot about you, kitten.”

Elias’s stomach flipped at the pet name. “Stop calling me that.”

“I don’t think I will.” Lucian stood, approaching him with slow, deliberate steps. “But let’s not argue about names. I’d rather show you something else.”

Elias swallowed hard. “And what exactly is that?”

Lucian’s eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a velvety whisper. “What a real kiss feels like.”

Before Elias could protest, Lucian’s lips crashed against his own. Elias gasped, his body stiffening for a brief moment before warmth, pleasure, and something more dangerous consumed him. Lucian kissed him deeply, his tongue sliding against Elias’s, stealing his breath. Elias clutched at Lucian’s shoulders, his head spinning as if he had been set on fire.

Lucian broke the kiss just enough to murmur against his lips. “You taste so sweet.”

Elias was trembling, his knees weak. He barely had time to process his reaction before Lucian whispered, “Jump.”

“What—?”

“Jump, kitten.”

Lucian’s voice was laced with command, with something irresistible. Elias obeyed without thinking, wrapping his legs around Lucian’s waist. The height difference between them was stark, making Elias feel even smaller in Lucian’s hold. Lucian carried him effortlessly, his hands firm under Elias’s thighs as he moved them toward the grand chair.

Lucian sat, settling Elias onto his lap, so that Elias was straddling him. Elias felt his face burn. “I—I shouldn’t—”

Lucian’s hands slid up Elias’s back, pulling him closer. “And yet, here you are.”

Elias shuddered as Lucian pressed a lingering kiss to his jaw, then his neck. The sensation sent a rush of heat pooling low in his stomach. He needed more—his body ached in ways he didn’t understand. Without realizing it, he started moving, pressing against Lucian’s body, grinding down slowly.

Lucian groaned, his grip tightening. “Elias.”

Elias barely registered the warning in Lucian’s tone. He was drowning in sensation, in the way Lucian’s body felt beneath him—strong, solid, consuming. He wanted to keep going, to chase the heat curling in his belly.

Lucian’s hands suddenly gripped his hips, halting his movements. His breath was heavy, his silver eyes burning. “Don’t do something you’ll regret, kitten.”

Elias blinked, his mind suddenly clearing as if cold water had been thrown on him. The haze of need lifted, and mortification crashed into him like a tidal wave. What was he doing? He barely knew this man—this vampire. And yet, he had been—

His face flamed, and he scrambled to push himself off Lucian’s lap. “I—I need to go.”

Lucian’s smirk was gone, replaced by something unreadable. He exhaled through his nose before reaching up, cupping Elias’s cheek. “Sleep, darling.”

His voice was soft, but there was a strange pull behind it, a force that made Elias’s limbs suddenly heavy. His vision blurred, exhaustion sweeping over him like a drug. He

barely had time to protest before his body gave in, and the world around him faded into darkness.