Seraphine stood by the window, staring down at the garden that stretched out beneath the mansion. Her fingers traced absentmindedly over her neck, where the delicate mark left by Lucian's bite still lingered.
It had been days since he'd marked her, claimed her as his own, yet the sensation of it still tingled, as if it had just happened. She could still feel the gentle brush of his lips on her skin, the sharp but swift puncture of his fangs as they sank in, followed by a warmth she hadn't expected.
Her hand continued to trace the spot, lingering there as a smile crept across her face. Seraphine had always hated the idea of belonging to anyone, she'd rather choose death than no longer have the power to live her life by her own rules. The thought of being someone's possession had once made her stomach churn. Yet now, she found herself oddly comforted by the notion that she was his.
Lucian.
The enigmatic vampire who confused her more than anyone she had ever met.
She leaned against the window, her mind replaying the events of the last few days like an old film reel. After he had claimed her, she thought things would change. That he would be around more, that he would stay close to her. But to her surprise, Lucian had been absent ever since he left her at the mansion. He had disappeared, leaving her all alone within the empty walls of his home. Although there were servants, guards and maids coming into Lucian's room occasionally to check on her, bring her food, and pick up clothes for lundry, she still felt lonely without him.
Lucian had given her the freedom to roam the halls, to walk around the estate as she pleased, but the thought of encountering another vampire had kept her locked away in his room, too fearful to venture out. Seraphine knew there were others like Lucian, and the mere idea of running into one of them terrified her. What if they saw her as nothing more than prey, a human wandering unclaimed? Without Lucian by her side, she felt vulnerable, fragile, and lost in this strange world.
She sighed, pressing her forehead against the cool glass of the window.
"Where are you?" she whispered into the growing darkness.
Each day without him felt like an eternity. At first, she had panicked, her heart racing as she paced the room. She had rushed to Agatha, the mansion's housekeeper, demanding to know where Lucian had gone. Each time, Agatha's answer was the same:
"He's attending to business at the Grand Lord's Manor. He'll return soon."
Soon
Seraphine had begun to detest the sound of that word.
Soon, felt like forever when she hadn't seen Lucian in what seemed like days. She missed him. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed the quiet strength of his presence, the way the air seemed to shift whenever he was near. His aura was comforting, grounding her in a world that otherwise felt strange and new.
She hadn't told anyone, but the first two nights without him had been the hardest. Every creak of the mansion made her jump, every whisper of wind outside made her heart race. She had slept fitfully, waking at the slightest sound, expecting Lucian to return. But he hadn't. She knew because she was a light sleeper, and the door hadn't opened once. She had spent those nights curled up in his bed, the scent of him still clinging to the sheets, a faint reminder that he had been there, that he was real.
As the days stretched on, her panic had turned to frustration, and now, to a dull ache of boredom. She had stared out at the garden so many times that she could tell the position of every flower, every plant, and every twist of vine with her eyes closed. The vibrant greens and soft pinks of the roses had lost their charm. The garden no longer offered her any solace; it had become just another reminder of her isolation.
As darkness slowly crept in, swallowing up the last remnants of light, seraphine decided to retire to bed, it was yet another day gone without lucian and she didnt know how long this will drag on for. With a sigh, Seraphine turned away from the window, closing the heavy velvet curtains behind her. The room was dim now, only illuminated by the soft glow of the single lamp by the bedside.
She climbed into bed, her body sinking into the plush mattress as exhaustion slowly took over her body. The day had passed slowly, just like the ones before it, and she found herself wishing for sleep, as it was her only escape from this endless waiting.
Maybe tonight...., she thought,
maybe tonight Lucian would return.
But as sleep began to take her, her thoughts returned to him once more. She remembered the way he had looked at her that day at Madam Bee's, the intensity of his gaze as he bought her dresses, how he had watched her every move with such focus, like she was the only thing that mattered in that moment.
She remembered the way his fingers had brushed against her skin when he had handed her the necklace, how her breath had caught in her throat when his lips hovered near her ear, whispering words she still couldn't quite understand.
It confused her this strange pull she felt toward him.
Lucian was unlike anyone she had ever known. Cold and distant one moment, gentle and protective the next. He had marked her, claimed her as his pet, and yet here she was, lying in his bed, alone, while he was somewhere far away, tending to his duties, or perhaps having the time of his life who knows.
The contradiction of it all was maddening.
And yet, even with all the confusion, all the unanswered questions that swirled in her mind, there was something undeniable about the connection between them. Seraphine didn't know if it was the bond created by the mark or something deeper, but she couldn't deny the way her heart fluttered whenever she thought of him. In some twisted way, she found solace in the fact that he had claimed her, that she belonged to him now. Because in a world where everything felt uncertain, at least that one thing was constant.
As sleep slowly overtook her, Seraphine's mind wandered back to that day at the shop. She remembered Lucian's hand in hers, guiding her through the crowded streets, his body a solid presence beside her. She had felt safe then, safe in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. She missed that feeling. She missed him.
Her eyelids grew heavy, her thoughts blurring into one another as sleep pulled her deeper. The last thing she saw in her mind's eye was his face, his piercing eyes staring into hers, and the soft whisper of his voice calling her name.
"Seraphine..."
And then, darkness.