THE HEIRESS OF BLOOD AND DESIRE

"Careful, Sera. You're drinking more than you can handle!" Sheila shouted over the loud speaker, but Seraphina was just getting started.

That was the point. She intended to be reckless in this sinful club tonight.

She wanted to drown out everything. The sound of her father's coffin lowering into the earth earlier today, the echo of her stepmom's voice claiming her father's years of hard work as hers, the blank message screen where her mother's name hadn't appeared in days.

So, she let the music bruise her ears. Let the glass burn her throat. Let herself stop being the girl who was supposed to become an heiress of a reputable empire, and instead become a stranger in heels and a sinful red dress that didn't belong to grief.

Seraphina downed the rest of the drink in one go, and slammed it on the counter, blinking through the sting.

It didn't help. The ache was still there. She filled her glass cup again, then leaned across the bar and whispered into Sheila's ears. "I will be back."

She stood, staggering a little bit, glass in hand. She didn't wait as Sheila 'mummied' her with words of caution from behind.

And then, "Ah!..." She collided into a hard figure.

The impact sent her drink splashing straight onto his shirt.

She gasped as her heel slipped against the floor.

But before she could fall, strong arms caught her instantly, pulling her against a body that felt like solid steel.

Seraphina had closed her eyes out of the fear of falling. When she opened them, she almost forgot how to breathe.

She was staring into the most beautiful set of gray eyes she had ever seen in her entire life. His scent drifted to her nostrils, addictive as he looked. But his eyes- they were so cold and empty they scared her.

"You should watch where you're going," he cautioned, but his eyes didn't leave her for a second.

Seraphina blinked, then glanced at the damp stain spreading across his dark shirt.

Her lips curved. "I think you should be saying that to yourself," she shot back, steadying herself but not stepping away. "You ran into me."

The stranger lifted a brow at her in question.

"And now you owe me a drink." She completed.

For a brief moment, he looked taken aback, and Seraphina find that expression on him very attractive. Her tipsy state wasn't helping her logic at the moment.

The stranger's gaze dropped slowly, taking in her figure, like he was cataloging every detail.

It sent an unexpected heat curling through Sera's stomach. She was enjoying having his attention on her.

"Do I?" he murmured.

"Yes," she said, lifting her chin. "So be a gentleman and right your wrong."

A faint smile touched his lips. The feeling was mutual. He also found her very attractive. And the high slit at the front of the red gown hugging her generous curve was a total-worthy distraction to him.

Without another word, he turned toward the bar.

"Whiskey," he said to the bartender, then glanced at her. "Or do you prefer something sweeter?"

Seraphina tilted her head. "Surprise me."

His eyes lingered on her a second longer before he nodded.

Minutes later, he handed her a fresh glass, his fingers brushing hers briefly. The contact was light-but it didn't feel like it to either of them.

They moved to a booth tucked away from the party floor, the noise fading into a dull hum around them. Seraphina looked around for Sheila, but didn't catch sight of her.

Up close, she registered inwardly that the man was even more intimidating, and damning attractive. His height...his stature...his face...she almost couldn't look away.

They sat beside each other, drinking away. But Seraphina realized he was barely talking. He was looking at her more than he was talking to her.

"You don't talk much," she said, tracing the rim of her glass.

"I don't waste words." He easily replied, his breathy low voice charming in her ears.

Her lips tilted faintly and his gaze locked onto hers. "I only talk when it matters." He added. The mystery surrounding this stranger made him even more interesting to her.

A quiet tension slipped between them, tightening the air.

Seraphina leaned back slightly, studying him. "Then say something that matters."

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then- his next words surprised her.

"You should leave. Before you regret staying." He said calmly.

A thrill ran through her instead of fear.

Too late for that.

"I don't regret interesting decisions," she replied softly. "And right now... you're the most interesting thing in this room."

He smirked then reached forward and brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch slow and sensual. Seraphina felt all the hairs on her body stood at just his light touch.

And then she couldn't help but imagine- What if he was really touching her? What if he was doing- unthinkable things to her? She had no doubt that he could make her forget her name and the sorrow she carried into this bar tonight.

She didn't want to talk anymore.

She wanted to feel.

"You want something from me, say it." His sudden assertiveness shocked her. But the control and dominance behind his tone made her stomach flutter.

"I want you to take my pain away, Zeus."

His gray eyes darkened, then his hand darted forward to touch her exposed bare thigh. "Zeus?" He asked, voice amused.

"Yeah. Zeus. You look like a god." That did it. His hold on her naked thigh tightened and she unknowingly released a soft gasp.

He leaned forward, his lips touching her ear skin as he whispered huskily, "Well, pretty, can we get out of here right now? I have a room secured upstairs" Her rise in breathing was the answer he needed.

He led her to the elevator and immediately they got in, his lips attacked hers. She gasped into his mouth, craving things that she had never had the courage of exploring before.

Seraphina's back met the mirror. His hand found the panel beside her head as he deepened the kiss. Then he pulled back. She yearned.

For a suspended heartbeat, he simply watched her, her fragile hands tugging at his shirt as if begging for more. The gray in his eyes had deepened to smoke, like he was fighting his urge.

"Tell me to stop," he murmured.

She didn't. Couldn't. Her voice was a trembling whisper as she said,  "If I wanted you to stop, we wouldn't be here, Zeus."

Those words ruined him. "Fuck-me." He grabbed her hand and led her out as the elevator opened. When they finally got inside the room, he shut the door behind them and turned to her.

He didn't talk while undressing her. But he made sure she felt every movement of his fingers. What intrigued her the most was that he didn't break eye-contact.

When they were both finally naked, Seraphina stared at his body that looked like God had a special time sculpting. The tattoos gracing his chest was a sight she didn't want to look away from.

"You are so unreal." Again, the alcohol was pushing out the dirtiest part of her. The stranger didn't say more. He lifted her and gently dropped her on the large bed.

For the first time in Seraphina's twenty one years of life, she was strongly willing for a man to cross the line with her. And she let him.

The night was long and reviving, until Seraphina woke up the next morning to an empty space beside her. But his phone was on the bedside drawer.

She turned lazily, her vision still hazy, and caught the message on the screen before it dimmed:

"His corpse has been disposed. You should leave now."

Seraphina stilled. Her instinct wasn't wrong after all. But she had been blinded by lust. The irresistible stranger that she had just spent all night losing her virginity too was a devil.

She didn't know where he was currently- whether he was in the bathroom or outside. But Seraphina didn't wait to find out. She slipped into her clothes, grabbed her heels in her hands, and ran out.