Morning sunlight slipped through the curtains of Seraphina’s bedroom, waking her slowly.
For a few seconds, she lay still, staring at the ceiling.
Then everything from the previous night came rushing back.
The hospital.
The blood.
Lucien’s wound.
And the black cross on her left hand.
She sat up and immediately looked at her palm.
The cross was still there.
It looked exactly the same as it had before.
Seraphina rubbed her thumb across it.
Nothing happened.
She sighed and got out of bed.
After taking a shower and getting dressed for work, she walked downstairs.
She expected the house to be quiet.
Instead, she found Lucien sitting at the dining table with a cup of coffee in front of him.
He looked perfectly fine.
No bandage.
No blood.
Not even a scar.
Seraphina stopped halfway down the stairs.
She stared at him.
“You were stabbed yesterday.”
Lucien took a sip of his coffee.
“I remember.”
“And you almost bled to death.”
“I didn’t.”
“You were lying in a hospital bed.”
“I was.”
Seraphina walked closer and stared at his side.
“How can you look completely normal?”
Lucien shrugged.
“You healed me.”
Seraphina looked at her palm.
“You mean the cross healed you.”
“Yes.”
She pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.
“Then I have questions.”
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
“I expected that.”
“How old are you?”
He paused.
“That’s your first question?”
“Yes.”
Lucien leaned back.
“Old enough.”
Seraphina frowned.
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It is the answer you’re getting.”
She folded her arms.
“Fine. Then how long have you had those powers?”
“Longer than you’ve been alive.”
“That’s not exactly difficult.”
Lucien almost smiled.
Seraphina continued.
“Why do people come to you?”
“To make wishes.”
“And you give them what they want?”
“Yes.”
“In exchange for their souls.”
“Yes.”
She stared at him.
“And you don’t feel bad about it?”
Lucien’s expression changed slightly.
“I don’t force anyone to make a deal.”
“But you know they’ll regret it.”
“Sometimes.”
“And you still do it?”
Lucien looked down at his coffee.
“People rarely come to me when they’re happy.”
Seraphina became quiet.
He continued.
“They come when they’re desperate. When they’ve already lost hope and are willing to pay any price for one more chance.”
She studied his face.
For the first time, she wondered how many people Lucien had watched lose everything.
“How many souls have you taken?”
Lucien looked at her.
“Too many to count.”
Seraphina didn’t know what to say. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
The silence between them lasted several seconds.
Then Lucien looked toward the kitchen.
“Are you going to eat?”
She blinked.
“What?”
“You haven’t had breakfast.”
“You’re changing the subject.”
“Yes.”
She sighed.
“You’re impossible.”
“I’ve been told.”
By the time they arrived at Alexandria Corporation, Seraphina had almost forgotten about their argument.
Almost.
She walked through the lobby with Lucien beside her.
Several employees immediately noticed them.
Two women near the reception desk whispered to each other.
Seraphina caught only one sentence.
“That’s definitely her boyfriend.”
She stopped walking.
Lucien continued for another step before noticing she wasn’t beside him.
“What?”
“Did you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“They think you’re my boyfriend.”
Lucien looked around the lobby.
“And?”
Seraphina stared at him.
“And?”
He shrugged.
“It doesn’t affect me.”
“It affects me.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
Lucien leaned slightly closer.
“Would it be embarrassing if I actually were?”
Seraphina froze.
Her cheeks warmed.
She quickly looked away.
“Just keep walking.”
Lucien’s lips curved into a small smile.
For once, he didn’t argue.
Later that afternoon, Seraphina sat in her office reviewing documents when Lucien’s phone rang.
He stepped outside to answer it.
A few minutes later, Darius arrived.
He entered the office with a serious expression.
“We found something.”
Lucien turned toward him.
“What?”
“The man who attacked you.”
Seraphina looked up from her desk.
Darius glanced at her before continuing.
“We couldn’t identify him, but we found something interesting.”
“What?”
“He wasn’t trying to kill you.”
Lucien’s expression hardened.
“Then what was he doing?”
“Testing you.”
Silence filled the room.
Seraphina slowly stood.
“Testing him for what?”
Darius hesitated.
Lucien answered.
“To see whether I could still use my power.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened.
Darius nodded.
“That is what we believe.”
Lucien looked toward Seraphina’s left hand.
She noticed.
“Because of the cross?”
Lucien didn’t answer immediately.
Darius looked between them.
“I’ll continue the investigation.”
He turned and left.
Seraphina waited until the door closed.
Then she faced Lucien.
“I suspected.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
She stared at him.
“That stopped working a long time ago.”
Lucien almost smiled.
That evening, they left Alexandria together.
As they walked toward the car, a familiar voice came from behind them.
“Still playing guardian?”
Lucien stopped.
Seraphina turned.
A man stood several feet away.
Adrian Blackwood.
Lucien’s expression immediately became colder.
“You again.”
Adrian smiled faintly.
“It’s been a while.”
“Not long enough.”
Adrian’s eyes moved toward Seraphina.
“So she’s the reason you’ve been staying in one place.”
Seraphina looked at Lucien.
“You know him?”
“Yes.”
Adrian looked amused.
“That’s one way of putting it.”
Lucien stepped slightly in front of Seraphina.
“What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
Adrian placed his hands into his coat pockets.
“I was simply curious.”
“About what?”
“Why a man like you suddenly decided to protect someone.”
Lucien’s eyes narrowed.
“You should mind your business.”
Adrian smiled.
“Perhaps.”
He turned and walked away.
Seraphina watched him disappear.
“Who was that?”
Lucien opened the car door.
“Someone from my past.”
“That explains nothing.”
“It wasn’t supposed to.”
She sighed and got inside.
Lucien closed the door behind her.
Neither of them noticed Adrian stop at the end of the street.
He looked back at them.
His expression was thoughtful.
There was something different about Lucien.
Something Adrian couldn’t explain.
That night, Seraphina lay in bed unable to sleep.
Her mind kept returning to Lucien.
His wounds.
His powers.
The cross.
And the strange man from his past.
She lifted her left hand.
The black cross was faintly visible beneath the moonlight.
She whispered,
“What are you?”
Nothing happened.
Seraphina lowered her hand and closed her eyes.
Minutes passed.
Then the cross began to glow.
Softly at first.
Almost like a heartbeat.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Seraphina’s eyes opened.
At the exact same moment, somewhere far away, a man suddenly woke from his sleep.
He sat upright.
His breathing became unsteady.
He looked toward the darkness outside his window.
“The cross…”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“It’s awake.”