Jenna didn’t stop running until the city’s lights were just a blur behind her. Her breath came in sharp, controlled bursts, her heart still hammering from the encounter with Aryan. She was a vampire, for heaven’s sake—what was she doing running? What was she doing feeling anything at all?
She felt the familiar twinge of self-loathing settle in her chest. She had spent lifetimes perfecting the art of detachment. Emotions were a luxury she couldn’t afford. But Aryan Novak was different. Every inch of him was a raw magnet that pulled at her, and it terrified her. She could already sense the bond between them growing—something deep, something that felt… inevitable.
But it couldn’t be. It just couldn’t be.
As Jenna leaned against the cold stone of an alley wall, her fangs still ached, thirst gnawing at her. The bloodlust was nearly unbearable. She didn’t drink from humans often—preferably only when absolutely necessary. But tonight, the hunger was something primal, something that made her stomach twist with need.
Her sharp senses picked up the sounds of a distant heartbeat—rushing, frantic, a human in distress. She could feel the warmth of life, the fluttering pulse. It was tempting, more than tempting. It was an urge, a primal hunger she could not deny.
Just as she started to take a step toward the sound, a voice—calm, but with a faint undercurrent of mischief—cut through the air.
“You know, running away doesn’t make you less intriguing, Jenna.”
Her body froze. Aryan.
She turned slowly, her gaze locking onto him. There he was, standing in the mouth of the alleyway, hands in his pockets, his expression a perfect mixture of curiosity and challenge. He looked so incredibly human—so warm, so… alive. And yet, in his eyes, Jenna saw something more. Something that made her heart beat a little faster, against her will.
“I told you to leave,” she snapped, her voice hard, her fangs nearly visible now, the hunger flashing in her amber eyes.
But Aryan didn’t budge. He stood there, watching her, his smirk never faltering. “I don’t think you really want me to go.”
Jenna clenched her jaw. The audacity of him. He had no idea what he was dealing with—how dangerous she could be. She wasn’t like the others he’d probably flirted with, the women who melted at his touch. He had no idea what it would mean to get involved with her. She wasn’t some damsel in distress. She wasn’t human.
And yet, as she stood there, her body betraying her, a small, almost imperceptible part of her wondered if maybe, just maybe, he could be the one who didn’t run away. Maybe he was the one who could stand against her darkness.
No. She shoved the thought away, squaring her shoulders. “You don’t know anything about me.”
Aryan took a step closer, and she tensed, the heat between them flaring. She could smell him—his scent mixing with the night air—and for a split second, she was consumed by the idea of him closer, of being tangled in his warmth.
“I think I know enough.” His voice was steady, but there was something almost magnetic about it now. “I know you’re not as unaffected as you pretend to be. I saw it in your eyes, Jenna. You feel something for me. You’re trying to hide it, but I can see it. And trust me, you’re not the only one struggling to keep it under control.”
The words hit her like a punch, and for a moment, the floodgates threatened to open. She wasn’t just drawn to him. She wanted him. Wanted to taste him, to mark him, to make him hers. She could almost feel the surge of power that came with the desire to claim him—to sink her fangs into his skin and drain every last drop of life from him.
Her breath caught, and she struggled to regain control. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But Aryan didn’t retreat. He closed the gap between them, his presence overwhelming. “I think I do.” His voice dropped lower, more intimate. “You’re running because you don’t know what this means, what it could mean for you. But the more you run, the harder it’s going to be to escape.”
Jenna’s mind raced. He was right, and that terrified her more than anything. She was a predator. She had fought battles in far-off lands, fought to survive against creatures and forces far worse than him. She’d killed without a second thought. She wasn’t some love-struck girl who would fall for a charming smile and a sweet whisper. She had lived for too long, been betrayed by too many people, to be fooled by something as fleeting as infatuation.
But there was something there. Something in the way he looked at her that made her want to believe. Want to feel.
Her body was a battlefield—her desire warring against her reason, the cold, hard walls she had built around herself crumbling with every word he spoke.
“You don’t get to decide what happens between us, Aryan,” she said, her voice rough, but there was a trembling edge to it now. “I’m not like other women you’ve been with.”
His lips curved into that same infuriating, irresistible smile. “I know. That’s what makes you interesting. That’s what makes this… inevitable.”
The word hit her like a storm. Inevitable.
Jenna recoiled, stepping back sharply. Her mind spun, her instincts screamed at her to leave, to run away, to protect herself from the dangerous game that was starting to unfold. But deep down, a far more dangerous feeling was starting to grow—an anticipation of what was coming.
“You don’t understand,” she whispered, the hunger rising again. “If you stay… you might regret it.”
But Aryan only reached out, his hand brushing her arm, sending a surge of heat through her body. “I don’t think I will,” he replied softly. “I’m not going anywhere, Jenna.”
Jenna’s heart thudded in her chest. For a moment, it felt like the world stood still.
And then, without another word, she vanished into the shadows, leaving him standing there, waiting.
But she knew—he wasn’t going to let her go. And soon, neither would she.