The rain didn't fall.
It attacked.
Lightning ripped across the sky like something divine had lost its patience.
Inside a suffocating house at the edge of the city—
A scream shattered the air.
"You are nothing but a burden!"
Glass exploded against the wall.
Elena Virelle didn't flinch.
She never did anymore.
Twenty-two years old.
Beautiful in the quiet, heartbreaking way of someone who never believed she was.
Wide eyes that had learned to hide tears.
Soft lips that forgot how to smile honestly.
A heart trained to survive without affection.
Her mother's palm still burned on her cheek.
"You ruin everything! Even your father left because of you!"
That hurt more than the slap.
Elena lowered her gaze.
Because arguing only made it worse.
Because wanting only made it worse.
Because in this house—
She was unwanted.
Unlovable.
Replaceable.
"And next month," her mother continued coldly, "you're marrying Victor. End of discussion."
Victor.
Forty-five.
Cold smile.
Greedy eyes.
A business contract disguised as a husband.
Elena's throat tightened.
"I don't want to," she whispered.
Her mother laughed.
"You don't get to want anything."
Something inside her didn't shatter loudly.
It cracked quietly.
Dangerously.
Elena turned.
Walked to the door.
No bag.
No phone.
No plan.
Just rain.
And a chest that felt too tight to breathe.
The storm swallowed her whole.
Barefoot.
Drenched.
Invisible.
She didn't know where she was going.
She just knew she couldn't stay.
"I don't want this life…" she whispered into the thunder.
And somewhere—
High above the city—
Someone heard her.
Lucien Draven stood on the edge of a cathedral tower.
Four hundred and thirty-two years old.
The last pure-blooded Vampire Lord.
Immortal.
Feared.
Untouched by time.
Untouched by weakness.
He had not fed in twelve days.
On purpose.
Because lately—
Blood tasted empty.
Like dust.
Like centuries of regret.
His crimson eyes scanned the city.
Thousands of heartbeats.
None interesting.
None alive in a way that mattered.
Then—
He froze.
One heartbeat felt different.
Soft.
Fragile.
But pulsing with something ancient.
And then—
The scent reached him.
His pupils dilated.
It wasn't just blood.
It was warmth.
It was light.
It was something that did not belong in the night.
"What are you…" he murmured.
Without hesitation—
He stepped off the tower.
And vanished before touching the ground.
Elena stopped under a flickering streetlight.
Her body trembled.
Not from cold.
From everything she had swallowed for years.
Lightning struck nearby.
The streetlight burst.
Darkness swallowed her.
And then—
The air shifted.
Temperature dropped.
Her breath fogged.
From the alley—
Shadows twisted unnaturally.
The air tore open.
A crack formed in reality itself.
And something stepped through.
Not human.
Not alive.
Smoke fused with bone.
Eyes hollow and endless.
It turned toward her.
Sniffed.
"Elena…"
Her blood froze.
It knew her name.
The creature screeched and lunged.
She couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe—
Until a blur of black intercepted.
A violent impact shook the street.
The entity flew across the pavement.
Elena fell backward—
And saw him.
Tall.
Dominant.
Terrifying.
Beautiful.
Lucien stood between her and the nightmare.
His red eyes glowed like controlled destruction.
"You cannot claim her, Vampire," the ghost hissed.
Lucien's voice was calm.
Cold.
"Leave."
The creature laughed.
"She is marked. The Veil has opened."
Lucien's gaze darkened slightly.
The Veil?
The ghost attacked again.
Lucien didn't even step back.
Shadows obeyed him like loyal soldiers.
They pierced the creature midair.
It screamed.
"You cannot protect her forever!"
With a flick of his fingers—
It disintegrated.
Silence returned.
Only rain.
Only her shaking breath.
She stared at him.
"You… killed it."
He stepped closer.
She instinctively backed into the wall.
He crouched in front of her.
Close enough that she felt the unnatural cold radiating from his body.
"Who are you?" she whispered.
He studied her face.
The tear tracks.
The quiet despair.
The absence of protection.
For the first time in four centuries—
His dead heart gave a painful, unfamiliar thud.
"I am not your enemy," he said quietly.
"Then what are you?"
A faint curve touched his lips.
"Something your world fears."
She almost laughed.
"Of course. Why not."
That sarcasm—
It wasn't fear.
It was exhaustion.
And something inside him shifted.
Possession.
Protectiveness.
Dangerous instincts he had buried centuries ago.
He extended his hand.
"Come with me."
She stared at it.
"Why would I trust you?"
He leaned closer.
Close enough that her pulse betrayed her.
Close enough that her scent nearly broke his restraint.
"I have not fed in twelve days," he whispered.
Her breath caught.
"And yet," his eyes darkened slightly, "I refuse to drink you."
Her heart slammed violently.
"You're a vampire," she breathed.
"Yes."
"And you're not attacking me?"
His gaze locked with hers.
"I have never wanted blood this badly."
The confession was dangerous.
Raw.
Honest.
"And I have never refused."
The tension between them thickened.
Rain poured harder.
Above them—
More tears split open in the sky.
Three more entities emerged.
Watching.
Waiting.
Lucien stood abruptly.
His expression turned lethal.
"They are not here for chance."
"What do you mean?"
"They are here for you."
Fear flashed across her face.
Without another word—
He lifted her into his arms.
She gasped.
"Put me down!"
"Hold on."
Before she could argue—
He leapt.
They soared onto a rooftop.
Wind tearing around them.
Her arms wrapped around his neck instinctively.
She felt how strong he was.
How steady.
How dangerous.
Below—
Dozens of shadows gathered.
The city lights flickered violently.
Lucien's eyes glowed brighter.
"If they want you," he murmured, voice low and lethal, "they will go through me."
She looked up at him.
"Why would you protect me?"
Because your blood feels like destiny.
Because something ancient just woke up.
Because I would burn the world before letting them touch you.
But he only said—
"You are not ordinary."
Her voice trembled.
"I don't want to be special. I just want peace."
His expression darkened.
"Peace ended the moment they sensed you."
Above them—
The clouds parted.
A crimson moon flickered unnaturally.
Watching.
Far beyond this world—
A shadowed entity opened its eyes.
"She has been found."
Lucien tightened his hold on her.
For the first time in centuries—
He felt alive.
And somewhere deep inside him—
A prophecy he had ignored began to stir.
The one whose blood rejects the night…
Will either save the Vampire King—
Or destroy him.
He looked down at the trembling girl in his arms.
And for the first time—
Lucien Draven was afraid.
Not of death.
But of wanting her.
He leapt into the storm.
And the night closed behind them.