The city never truly slept but tonight, it watched.
From the tinted windows of the black Bentley, Lucien Moretti observed the streets like a king surveying his territory. Neon lights reflected off rain-slicked asphalt, blurring into streaks of color that meant nothing to him. Cities were all the same. Loud. Hungry. Corruptible.
People were predictable.
Power was not.
Lucien adjusted his cufflinks slowly, deliberately. Italian silk. Custom made. The faint weight of a concealed firearm pressed comfortably against his ribs a reminder of who he truly was beneath the billion dollar suits and magazine covers.
"Any movement?" he asked calmly.
His driver, Matteo, stiffened. "No, boss. But something feels… off."
Lucien's lips curved faintly. "Something always does."
That was when it happened.
A sharp, unfamiliar pull slammed into his chest.
Lucien froze.
Not pain.
Not fear.
Something worse.
Recognition.
His breath hitched just once but that was enough to alert the men in the car. Matteo glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
"Sir?"
Lucien ignored him.
The sensation deepened, spreading through his veins like a low burning fire. His heartbeat stuttered, then synchronized with something outside himself.
Someone.
His jaw tightened. "Stop the car."
"Sir this isn't a safe"
"Now."
The Bentley eased to the curb.
Lucien stepped out into the rain.
And that's when he saw her.
Ava Collins had no idea she'd just stepped into hell.
She clutched her jacket tighter as she hurried down the sidewalk, mentally cursing herself for staying late at work again. The night air was cold, damp, uncomfortable yet her skin burned strangely, like she'd just brushed against static electricity.
She slowed.
Her heart began to race.
Why do I feel like I'm being watched?
She turned.
Her breath caught.
A man stood across the street, half-shrouded in shadow, rain dripping from his dark hair. He was tall unnaturally so and radiated a presence so heavy it felt like gravity bent toward him.
Their eyes met.
And the world fractured.
Ava gasped, stumbling back as something slammed into her chest heat, pressure, awareness. Her knees weakened, and she grabbed a lamppost to steady herself.
"What the"
Lucien's pupils dilated.
There it was again.
The pull.
Stronger now.
Violent.
Possessive.
His instincts razor-honed by blood and war screamed one word:
Mine.
Lucien
This was impossible.
He had no illusions. No delusions. Soulmates were myths fairy tales whispered to distract the weak.
And yet
The air between them crackled.
The city noise faded.
Lucien took a step forward without realizing it.
Her scent hit him warm, human, devastatingly right. Not perfume. Not luxury. Something real. Something that wrapped around his senses and refused to let go.
Danger flared.
Not from her.
From himself.
"Boss?" Matteo called urgently. "We need to go. Now."
Lucien didn't move.
The girl woman looked terrified.
Good.
Fear meant distance.
Distance meant control.
But his body betrayed him.
Ava turned abruptly and ran.
Something in Lucien snapped.
"Follow her," he said coldly.
Ava
She didn't know why she ran.
Only that every instinct screamed danger.
Her heels slipped on wet pavement as she darted into an alley, heart pounding violently. The city felt different now closer, darker, predatory.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
Too measured.
Too calm.
She spun around and collided with a wall of muscle.
Strong hands gripped her arms, steadying her before she could fall.
Her scream died in her throat.
Those eyes.
Up close, they were devastating. Dark. Endless. Not cruel but not kind either.
"I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I didn't mean to"
Lucien released her instantly, stepping back like she'd burned him.
The restraint nearly killed him.
"I won't hurt you," he said quietly.
She laughed nervously. "You kidnapped me into an alley, and that's your opening line?"
A corner of his mouth twitched.
Interesting.
"You felt it too," he said instead.
Her smile faded.
"…felt what?"
The pull surged again.
Ava's breath shuddered.
"Oh God," she whispered. "That's not normal, is it?"
Lucien's gaze hardened.
"No," he said. "It's not."
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Lucien's phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen and swore under his breath.
"Trouble?" Ava asked shakily.
"Yes," he said, eyes never leaving hers. "And you're standing in the middle of it."
A gunshot cracked nearby.
Ava screamed.
Lucien moved instantly, pulling her against his chest as bullets tore into brick behind them.
"Get down!"
She shook violently in his arms.
"Who are you?!" she cried.
Lucien met her gaze, rain dripping down his face.
"Someone you should never have met."
Another shot.
Closer.
Lucien's men appeared at the mouth of the alley, weapons drawn.
But the danger wasn't them.
It was coming from behind.
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
Too late.
A figure stepped from the shadows gun raised, smiling.
"Well," the man drawled. "If it isn't the devil himself."
Ava felt Lucien tense.
The stranger's gaze slid to her and widened.
"Well, shit," he laughed. "You finally found her."
Her blood turned to ice.
"What does he mean?" she whispered.
Lucien didn't answer.
Because for the first time in years.
He felt fear.