Mira's POV
The thing about fear is that it changes shape.
At first, it's loud—sharp and frantic, all racing thoughts and cold hands. Later, it settles. Becomes quieter. More observant. Like it's learning you.
By the third day after the gala, I realized mine had evolved.
I went about my routine—meetings, calls, obligations—but something inside me had shifted. I found myself listening more closely. Watching reflections. Noticing patterns I'd never cared about before.
And somehow, Damion King kept appearing in the margins of my life.
Not physically.
Digitally.
On screens. In articles. In conversations I hadn't initiated.
"King Industries is rumored to acquire—"
"Damion King declined to comment—"
"Sources close to King say—"
I muted the TV.
"This is ridiculous," I muttered.
I leaned against my desk, rubbing my temples. I refused to romanticize paranoia. I refused to let my mind stitch unrelated threads into something monstrous.
Still, I couldn't shake the memory of the way the air had felt near him. Cooler. Heavier. Like the room itself had leaned in.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," I called.
My assistant stepped in, tablet in hand. "Your father asked me to let you know—Mr. King will be attending the board summit next week."
I stiffened.
"Oh," I said carefully. "That's… good."
She nodded and left, unaware she'd just dropped a stone into still water.
I sat slowly.
I wasn't afraid of Damion King.
I was afraid of what my instincts were trying to tell me.
Magnus's POV
I followed her trail without touching it.
That was the rule.
No introductions. No proximity. Just observation.
Mira Ross moved through the city like she belonged to it, unaware of how closely it watched her in return. Her routines were predictable, but her reactions weren't. She noticed when something was off. When the air shifted. When a stranger lingered too long.
She would have made a dangerous immortal.
Damion knew that.
"You're circling," he said, voice cutting through the quiet of my office.
I didn't look up. "I'm learning."
"You're pushing."
"You're hiding."
He stood near the doorway, posture rigid, eyes darker than usual. He hadn't fed again. I could feel it—his restraint stretching thin like a wire pulled too tight.
"You're older than me," I said calmly. "You should know better than to pretend this ends cleanly."
"This ends when I say it does."
I smiled faintly. "That's the problem. You're saying nothing."
Silence.
Then, quietly, "She's closer than you think."
That got a reaction.
Damion's jaw tightened. "Stay away."
"I haven't touched her."
"That's not what I mean."
I rose slowly, meeting his gaze. "You don't get to shield her forever. The world you belong to doesn't allow it."
His voice dropped. "Then I'll break the world."
Ah.
There it was.
The crack.
Mira's POV
I didn't expect to see him again so soon.
I was leaving a private gallery showing—one of those quiet, invitation-only affairs meant to cultivate "culture"—when the temperature shifted.
Not dramatically.
Just enough to make my skin prickle.
I paused near the entrance, glancing around.
People moved normally. Conversations flowed. No one seemed alarmed.
And yet…
I felt watched.
Not the way I felt with the stalker. That was invasive. Suffocating. This was different.
Curious.
Measured.
I turned slightly—and my gaze snagged on a man standing across the street.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in dark clothing that blended too easily into the night. His face was half-shadowed beneath the glow of a streetlight.
Our eyes met.
Something electric snapped between us.
He didn't smile.
Didn't wave.
Just watched me with an intensity that made my breath catch.
Then a car passed—and when it cleared, he was gone.
My heart pounded.
"What the hell," I whispered.
I scanned the street again, pulse racing. Nothing. No sign he'd ever been there.
"Get it together," I muttered, unlocking my car.
This city was messing with my head.
Damion's POV
Magnus had been sloppy.
Not enough for her to know—but enough for me to feel it.
I stood on the rooftop of my building, city wind tugging at my coat, rage simmering beneath my skin like a second pulse.
"She saw you," I said flatly.
"I didn't approach her."
"You don't have to," I snapped. "Your presence alone is disruptive."
Magnus leaned against the ledge, unbothered. "She handled it."
"She's human."
"She's stronger than you think."
I turned on him. "Do not confuse resilience with invincibility."
Silence stretched between us, thick with old history. Centuries of blood and battles and mistakes we never spoke of.
"You're losing control," Magnus said quietly.
"I'm maintaining it."
"You're starving."
"I don't need to feed."
"That's a lie," he replied. "You're older. Stronger. But that also means your mistakes carry more weight."
I looked away.
Below us, the city pulsed with life.
And Mira Ross slept somewhere within it.
Mira's POV
The message came just before midnight.
Unknown Number:
You seemed unsettled today.
My fingers trembled.
Mira:
Stop watching me.
A pause.
Then—
I would never hurt you.
I laughed—sharp and humorless.
Mira:
That's not comforting.
The reply took longer this time.
I know.
My chest tightened.
There was no threat. No demand.
Just awareness.
And that terrified me more than anger ever could.
Magnus's POV
I shouldn't have enjoyed this.
But I did.
The tension. The restraint. The way Damion tried to cage something that had already tasted freedom.
Mira Ross was not prey.
She was a catalyst.
And Damion—ancient, controlled, arrogant Damion—was standing far too close to the blast radius.
I smiled to myself.
This was going to be spectacular.
Damion's POV
I crushed the glass in my hand without realizing it.
Blood—human—spilled across the floor, rich and intoxicating.
I ignored it.
Because somewhere across the city, Mira Ross was becoming aware of the dark.
And awareness was the most dangerous thing of all.
And for some unmentioned reasons, I must keep Magnus away from her.
Mira Pov
'You have to learn the truth behind it all mira' said the distant voice ,"WHY ME!" I shouted in response, 'you will find that out for yourself. Eventually' , the voice said , then it faded ,"wait. WAIT!" , I woke up , taking deep breaths. Then I sighed ,"it was just a dream", I said to myself. "But what does it mean!" , I didn't know, but somehow, somewhere deep inside me, I felt it had something to do with my stalker, and strangely, Damion King.