"Your short, pathetic human lifetime will not be enough atonement for trying to steal from me."

Lucian's cold voice cut through her ears like a sharp blade through the howling wind as his blood shot eyes looked up at Seraphine whose frail body now hovers above the ground dangling like a rag doll as the rageing storm whipped around them.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as his iron-like grip tightened around her neck, she kicked and twisted, a desperate attempt to escape the suffocating power of his hand, but all proved futile. Her eyes widened in horror as she could feel the strength of the vampire pulsing through his fingertips, a strength that threatened to crush her if he so willed.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" she spat, thrashing as the sky spun beneath her feet. "It was just some fruits! I didn't take a life you evil...."

She was ready to unleash as much venom in her words but the tightening grip on her neck reminded her one thing. Her life was in his hands.

Lucian's bloodshot eyes gleamed with contempt as he lifted her higher. His towering frame stood still against the night, unshaken by the fierce winds that beat against his towering mansion, moving the trees and it's leaves from one end of the garden to the other.

He smirked, his fangs flashing admist the thundering storm. A sight that sent shivers down Seraphine's spine and made her heart shudder at the thought of what he could do to her.

"Fruit?" His voice was deceptively soft, but it oozed with menace. "What were you and your friends really after, little thief? The fruits of my garden? Or perhaps something far more valuable?"

Her mind wandered back, as though reminding her of details she had forgotten as the world tipped below her. Her friends. They had vanished the second the door creaked open, their laughter and whispers vanishing into the night, leaving her alone to face this terrifying creature.

She had heard the stories whispered in the streets, tales of a reclusive vampire lord who ruled the night, his garden growing fruits that mortals only dreamed of tasting.

Desperation had driven her to this dark edge of the world. Hunger, the gnawing ache and rumble in her belly, had made her brave or perhaps foolish enough to believe she could sneak in and take what she needed. But now, as she hanged helplessly from his grip, she realized just how wrong she had been.

"We didn't mean any harm," she muttered, her voice trembling as the tears she was fighting so hard to hold back began pouring like beads of rainfall on her cheeks. "Please…"

His grip tightened, forcing a gasp out of her, but he did not lower her. Instead, his gaze wandered over her ragged clothes, the dirt smudging her face, the defiance in her eyes despite the fact that her fear can be seen as clear as day.

"You dare plead for mercy? After trespassing on my land? After attempting to take what is mine?" His voice grew quieter, more dangerous.

"I should end your miserable life right here."

Seraphine's heart raced. She could feel the cold seeping from his very presence, the palpable darkness in his words made heart skip a beat as terror and panic swept through her entire body. He wasn't just threatening her, he meant it. The power in his hands could end her life in an instant. This realization surged a new zeal in her, one last attempt for her survival. She thrashed again, kicking wildly, but it was useless.

"Why don't you then?" she shot back, voice shaky but still defiant. "Because even you know this isn't worth killing over. You...."

Before she could finish, Lucian pulled her closer, her feet barely touching the ground now, her face inches from his, her shaky breath fanning his cheeks. The scent of blood and the chill of death clung to him, his predatory gaze piercing through her. Seraphine felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Perhaps," he whispered, his tone soft as before, but hinting a thread of danger, "there is something you can offer me. Your life may be pathetic, but it doesn't have to be wasted just yet."

Her blood ran cold. There was something more dangerous in his voice than before, something that signaled a fate worse than death. She stared into his bloodshot eyes, searching for any trace of humanity in them, but there was none.

"What... what do you want?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper as she fought back tears.

Lucian's lips curved into a slow, cruel smile revealing even more of his fangs. "Atonement."

Before Seraphine could respond, he loosened the grip on her neck and let her go, and with a thud, she hit the ground, gasping for breath. Her limbs ached, but she quickly scrambled to her feet, her mind racing. What did he mean by atonement?

As she backed away in fear, Lucian's cold gaze never left her. "You've stolen from me, little thief. Now, you'll pay the price. You belong to me until your debt is repaid."

Her heart sank. She knew the rumors. No one who entered Lucian's dark mansion ever left the same. She had been foolish to think she could escape without consequences. But now, as she stood trembling in the storm, she realized she was about to face something far worse than she could have ever imagined.

"And if I refuse?" she challenged as if trying to test her fate, despite the tremor in her voice.

Lucian's smile faded. "Then I'll drain every drop of life from your veins."

She swallowed hard, the weight of his words sinking in. There was no choice, no escaping this, she was now his prisoner, a fate worst than death.

"Good girl," he murmured, his voice dark with satisfaction. "Now come, we have much to discuss."

And with that, Lucian turned, his figure disappearing into the shadows of his mansion. Seraphine hesitated for a moment, glancing toward the garden where freedom lay just beyond the gates. But she knew there was no escaping this evil vampire.

With one last glance at the stormy sky, she followed him inside, the first steps into a fate she could never have imagined.

The storm may have raged outside, but the true tempest was only just beginning.