The rain had stopped, but the storm had only just begun.
Dante Valerio stood at the edge of his balcony, blood dripping from his fingertips, his breath misting in the cold night air. Below, the grounds of the Valerio estate were soaked in red, and the howls of the dying still echoed in the dark corners of his mind. The beast inside him was momentarily satisfied, but the man—the cursed soul bound by centuries of rage—was far from at peace.
Behind him, Selena stirred.
She was no longer in the bed where he had commanded her to sleep. She stood now, in one of his shirts, far too large for her slender frame, the fabric brushing her knees. Her hair was damp, her eyes wild. But it wasn't fear that danced in her gaze.
It was curiosity.
"You didn't kill me," she said quietly.
Dante turned, his glowing eyes dimming to a molten gold. "You're not like them."
She crossed her arms. "What am I, then?"
"Mine."
Selena's jaw tightened. "You keep saying that. Like it's a fact."
"It is." He stepped toward her, and she didn't flinch this time. "The bond is sealed. You felt it."
"I don't want it," she said. "I don't want you."
He stopped inches from her. "Lies taste bitter, little dove. Even when whispered through beautiful lips."
She tried to step around him, but he moved faster—always faster. He caught her wrist, holding it with gentle but unbreakable strength.
"Let me go."
"I can't."
"Why? Because of the bond?"
He leaned in, his voice low and dark. "Because if I let you go, I'll lose the last shred of humanity I have left."
The words stole the breath from her lungs.
She looked into his eyes and saw not just the beast, but the man. The broken, cursed soul desperate for salvation.
"You killed those men like animals," she whispered.
"They were animals," he growled. "They came to take you, to hurt you. I gave them a merciful death."
"There's no mercy in what you did."
He smirked. "You haven't seen me without mercy."
She pulled her wrist free and stepped back. "I don't belong to you."
"You do. But not because I say so. Because fate decreed it. You're my mate. My equal. The one who can either save me—or destroy me."
Selena laughed bitterly. "You think I want to save someone like you?"
Dante's smile vanished. He stepped close again, his voice colder than death. "No. I think you'll try to run. And when you do, I'll chase you. I'll hunt you. And when I catch you, I'll make you remember exactly why you can't escape me."
Her heart thundered in her chest, torn between fury and something far more dangerous—longing.
"I should hate you," she said.
"Then do it," he challenged. "Hate me. Despise me. But never deny me."
A shadow flickered outside the window. Dante's head snapped toward it, his expression darkening.
"They've found us."
"Who?"
"The Council," he said, his voice grim. "They know about you now. And they'll come. Not to save you. But to use you."
"Use me how?"
"You're not just my mate," he said. "You're something more. Something they fear."
Before she could speak, the windows exploded inward.
Selena screamed as Dante shielded her with his body, the beast rising in his veins once more.
"Stay behind me," he growled.
Figures emerged from the smoke—men in black robes, eyes glowing blue, weapons drawn.
Dante bared his fangs.
"Looks like we skip foreplay," he snarled.
And with that, the monster was unleashed again.
Selena watched in horror and awe as Dante moved like shadow and fire, tearing through their attackers with ruthless precision. The beast within him reveled in the violence, but his eyes never left her—not once.
As the last man fell, Dante stood drenched in blood, chest heaving.
Selena took a shaky step forward. "What now?"
He looked at her, the beast receding just enough for the man to speak.
"Now, we run. Together."
"I didn't agree to that."
"You don't have to," he said. "The world is already hunting you. And I'm the only one who can protect you."
She stared at him, the weight of her fate crashing over her like a tidal wave.
"I hate you," she whispered.
"I know," he said. "But soon, you'll understand."
"Understand what?"
"That monsters can love too."
And with that, he took her hand, and they vanished into the night—bound by blood, cursed by fate, and hunted by powers darker than either of them could imagine.