GENESIS
"Do you like it, princess?" Kieran asked.
I pulled my eyes away from the ceiling I'd been staring at. It was covered in tiny lights—like little suns, but cold. The whole room, this place he called a restaurant, was loud. Too loud.
People sat in chairs just like ours, packed in all around. Some laughed. Others talked quickly, their hands moving like they were casting spells. I didn't understand most of what they were saying. I didn't try to.
The table between us was shiny. When I touched it, I could see my fingers reflected on the surface, like little ghosts. There were two cups. Two plates. Napkins folded like little triangles. The knife scared me a little—it looked sharp.
The chair beneath me was soft, not too deep. The lights weren't too bright, but not dark either. Like the room didn't know whether it wanted to be day or night.
A little boy at the next table dropped his spoon. It clattered to the floor with a sharp, metallic ring. My heart jumped. My fingers curled around the hem of my skirt as I turned quickly to Kieran.
He was already watching me.
His eyes softened. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "You okay?" he asked, voice lower now, just for me.
I nodded, even though I wasn't sure.
This place wasn't bad. But it wasn't safe either. It was open. Too open. Too many faces. Too many voices. Too many smells. I didn't even know what half of them were.
Then a buttery smell drifted by, and my stomach growled loud enough to make me freeze.
I folded my hands in my lap, cheeks burning.
Kieran smiled like he'd heard it. Maybe he had.
He reached across the table and brushed his thumb across the back of my hand. "We don't have to stay long, baby," he said gently. "I just wanted to give you something special. A normal night. Something nice."
I nodded again. Kieran was nice. And the more time I spent with him, the more that old fear—the one that whispered he might snap like my stepbrothers used to—started to fade.
Then someone appeared beside me, and I froze.
"Kieran, my brother!" The man boomed, voice deep and rich, every word rolling out heavy and strange. His English was mixed with something else—I didn't know the word for it, just that it sounded... different.
I flinched at the sudden volume, shrinking back into my seat.
Kieran stood with a grin and clapped hands with the man. "Luca. Good to see you."
Luca was big—not scary-big, just... loud. Warm, like a fireplace turned up too high. He wore a white apron over a dark shirt, his sleeves rolled to the elbows and dusted with flour. His hair looked like he'd been running his hands through it all day, and his smile practically swallowed his face.
Then he turned to me—and his eyes widened.
"And who is this beautiful ballerina with you?" he asked, grinning like he'd just discovered something rare.
Oh. Right.
I was still in my ballet clothes. I hadn't changed. Some of the other girls had gone home like this, but still… I should have changed.
Panic rose quietly in my chest.
Everyone else in the restaurant looked so elegant, like they belonged. And here I was in tights and a leotard. I must've embarrassed Kieran. He hadn't said anything, but what if he was just being polite?
What if he changed?
What if he got angry?
Please don't be angry. Please don't change on me.
That feeling returned—like invisible hands pressing me down, one of them tightening around my throat.
"…is she your cousin or something? She's so cute—"
I flinched when a hand—rough and unwanted—touched my face. My eyes snapped open.
Luca.
"Get your hand away from her, Luca," Kieran said, voice like a blade.
He didn't shout. He didn't have to.
Luca turned, surprise flashing in his eyes. Then his expression shifted—like something clicked.
"S-she's your girl," he said, stumbling over the words.
"Of course she is," Kieran said coldly. "And I don't like when people touch what belongs to me."
The words should've scared me.
They didn't.
He was protecting me.
And somehow, even with my heart pounding and my throat tight, that made something warm flicker inside me.
"Of course, of course. Forgive me—I thought she was…" Luca trailed off, scratching the back of his head as if words had abandoned him.
He cleared his throat. "Anyway, what can I get for the both of you?"
Kieran gave a tight nod, still tense, but he lowered his gaze to the menu in front of him.
"I'll have the carbonara. No bacon," he said, his tone flat, the earlier edge still simmering beneath the surface.
Luca gave a sharp nod, then turned to me again—this time more carefully, like he was afraid even looking too long would spark something.
"And for the lady?"
I swallowed, panic rising. What was I supposed to say? I didn't understand most of the names on the menu. It was like a secret code I hadn't learned yet.
Before I could fumble for my notepad, Kieran stepped in, his voice gentler now. "She doesn't eat meat. No beef, no pork—nothing like that."
Luca blinked, then smiled, softer this time. "Ah. No meat. Got it." He rubbed his hands together. "I have something perfect—soft gnocchi with butter and herbs. Maybe a little cheese, yes?"
I gave a small nod, grateful.
"Good." Luca took a step back. "Ten minutes. And…" His eyes flicked to Kieran, his tone turning serious. "Sorry again, brother. I meant no harm."
Kieran didn't smile. He simply nodded and reached across the table, his fingers wrapping around mine. "It's okay. Just don't do it again."
Luca gave a stiff nod and walked off.
We sat in silence after that. The noise around us continued—clinking glasses, bursts of laughter—but at our table, the air was still.
Kieran opened his mouth like he was about to say something—then his phone buzzed.
He sighed, the softness in his eyes fading.
He raised a hand in a silent gesture and stood, walking away to take the call.
I stayed seated, glancing around the restaurant that still didn't feel like it was meant for me. No—I knew it wasn't. The colors, the sounds, the smells, it was too much, too different, too far from what I knew.
A voice pulled me from my thoughts.
"If it isn't the beautiful Genesis."
I looked up, startled—and my breath caught.
Those strange blue eyes.
It was him.