The room was quiet.
The only sound was the steady beeping of the machines beside Seraphina’s bed.
She stared at the unfamiliar ceiling, trying to put the pieces together.
The accident.
The water.
The man who saved her.
Lucien.
She still could not understand how he appeared at the right moment.
It was almost impossible.
“Are you always this mysterious, or is it just with me?” Seraphina asked.
Lucien stood near the window, his arms crossed.
He looked outside, ignoring her question.
Seraphina sighed.
“Right. You are the silent type.”
Lucien did not respond.
But for some reason, his silence did not annoy her as much as it should have.
After a few minutes, Seraphina slowly sat up.
She looked at her hands.
That was when she noticed something strange.
A black mark was on her palm.
Her eyes narrowed.
“What is this?”
Lucien immediately turned around.
His expression changed the moment he saw it.
Seraphina brought her hand closer to her face.
“It looks like a tattoo.”
She rubbed it with her fingers.
“It wasn’t there before.”
Lucien walked toward her.
“Don’t touch it.”
His voice was more serious than usual.
Seraphina looked at him.
“Why?”
Lucien stopped.
Because he knew he could not explain the truth.
“Just don’t.”
That answer only made her more curious.
Seraphina searched through the drawer beside the bed and found a small bottle of cleaning liquid.
Lucien’s eyes widened.
“What are you doing?”
She looked at him.
“Removing it.”
“No.”
The answer came instantly.
Seraphina raised an eyebrow.
“No?”
Lucien stepped closer.
“You cannot remove it.”
She looked at the mark again.
“It is a tattoo, not a curse.”
For the first time, Lucien looked almost nervous.
Almost.
“Seraphina.”
She froze.
It was the first time he said her name.
“Do not touch it.”
There was something different in his voice.
Not anger.
Not authority.
Fear.
Seraphina stared at him.
The Devil.
Was actually worried.
A small smile appeared on her face.
“Are you scared?”
Lucien’s expression immediately returned to normal.
“No.”
“You are.”
“I am not.”
“You literally told me not to remove a tattoo.”
“It is not a tattoo.”
“Then what is it?”
Lucien became silent.
Seraphina crossed her arms.
“Exactly.”
She picked up the bottle again.
The moment she moved closer to the mark, Lucien reached out and stopped her hand.
The instant their hands touched…
A powerful energy passed through them.
Lucien’s eyes changed.
His power returned.
Only for that moment.
Seraphina noticed.
“You felt that too.”
Lucien quickly released her hand.
His expression became serious.
The connection was undeniable.
The cross was tied to her.
And he was tied to the cross.
Seraphina looked at him carefully.
“Let me guess.”
She pointed at her hand.
“This thing is important.”
Lucien said nothing.
“You have enemies because of it.”
Still nothing.
“And you need it.”
His silence answered everything.
Seraphina leaned back.
“So the great mysterious man who saved my life has a problem.”
Lucien looked at her.
“I do not have problems.”
She smiled.
“You are standing in a hospital room begging me not to remove something from my own hand.”
Lucien’s expression darkened.
“I was not begging.”
“You were close.”
For a moment, Lucien looked offended.
A reaction Seraphina never expected from someone like him.
Seraphina looked at the mark again.
“So let me understand this.”
She pointed at him.
“You have enemies.”
Lucien nodded slightly.
“You need this cross.”
Another nod.
“And you cannot be far away from me.”
His eyes narrowed.
“That does not mean I need to stay with you.”
Seraphina smiled.
“Then what do you suggest?”
Lucien remained silent.
Because he had no answer.
“Then become my bodyguard.”
Lucien stared at her.
“No.”
The answer was immediate.
Seraphina blinked.
“That fast?”
“I am the Devil.”
“Congratulations.”
She looked at him calmly.
“But right now, you are a Devil without his full power.”
Lucien’s expression changed.
She had a point.
“You expect me to protect a human?”
“I expect you to protect the person holding the thing you need.”
Silence filled the room.
Lucien turned away.
“I refuse.”
Seraphina watched him leave.
She expected him to be stubborn.
But she did not expect him to actually walk away.
For a moment, she thought she had won.
Until…
Lucien stopped in the hallway.
His breathing became heavier.
The connection weakened.
The farther he moved away, the more painful it became.
His power faded.
His body felt heavier.
The Devil who had survived centuries was being weakened by distance from one human.
A human woman.
Lucien returned to the room.
Seraphina looked at him.
“You changed your mind?”
He looked away.
“No.”
She smiled.
“Then why are you back?”
Lucien was silent for a moment.
Then he finally spoke.
“Temporary.”
Seraphina raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“I will stay until I understand this connection.”
She smiled.
“So you are my bodyguard.”
Lucien frowned.
“Do not call me that.”
“Fine.”
She smiled wider.
“My personal guardian.”
His expression became even colder.
But for some reason…
Seraphina thought she saw a small hint of annoyance that looked almost human.
For centuries, Lucien Silva had been feared by everyone.
Demons.
Humans.
Even those who thought they were powerful.
Nobody gave him orders.
Nobody challenged him.
Nobody made him protect them.
Until Seraphina Vale.
The woman who unknowingly carried his cross.
The woman who turned the Devil into her guardian.