Lucien regretted agreeing almost immediately.
The moment Seraphina fell asleep that night, he stood beside the window and stared at the city below.
He had made a terrible mistake.
He had agreed to become a guardian.
A guardian.
The word itself was enough to irritate him.
For centuries, Lucien had been the one making contracts with humans, granting their deepest desires in exchange for their souls.
He had never followed anyone around, waited outside an office, or worried about whether a human had eaten breakfast.
Yet somehow, he had ended up doing exactly that.
And the worst part was that he still had no idea how to get his power back.
His eyes moved toward Seraphina’s sleeping figure.
The black cross was faintly visible on her left palm.
“There has to be a way,” Lucien muttered.
He had no intention of remaining powerless because of a human girl.
The next morning, Seraphina woke up to find Lucien standing beside her bed.
She nearly screamed.
“What are you doing in my room?”
Lucien looked completely calm.
“Get dressed.”
She stared at him.
“Excuse me?”
“We’re leaving.”
“Where?”
“The river.”
Seraphina slowly sat up.
“You want to take me to a river this early in the morning?”
Lucien turned toward the door.
“Yes.”
She stared at his back.
“You’re weird.”
“I have been called worse.”
An hour later, they arrived at the river where the accident had happened.
Seraphina stepped out of the car and immediately recognized the place.
Her expression changed as she looked at the dark water.
“This is where I almost died.”
Lucien walked toward the edge.
“Yes.”
She followed him cautiously.
“Why did you bring me here?”
Lucien looked at her left hand.
“The cross.”
Seraphina frowned.
“What about it?”
“I believe I can transfer it back.”
Her eyes widened.
“Back to you?”
“That is the plan.”
She looked at the water and then back at him.
“And how exactly are you planning to do that?”
Lucien pointed toward the river.
“Jump.”
Seraphina stared at him.
For several seconds, she wondered if he was joking.
He wasn’t.
“You want me to jump into the river?”
“Yes.”
“After I almost died here?”
“Yes.”
Seraphina’s face reddened with anger.
“Are you insane?”
Lucien remained strangely calm.
“If the cross transferred when I saved you in the water, there is a possibility that it will respond again.”
“A possibility?”
“Yes.”
“You brought me here to experiment?”
Lucien frowned.
“I need my power.”
“And what about me?”
He said nothing.
Seraphina stepped closer.
“You don’t care if I get hurt, do you?”
Lucien looked at her.
“I saved you.”
“That doesn’t mean you care about me!”
Her voice echoed across the river.
“You barely know me, and yet you expect me to jump into the same water that nearly killed me because you want your power back.”
Lucien opened his mouth.
For once, he had no answer.
Because she was right.
Seraphina turned away from him.
“You’re unbelievable.”
Lucien watched her walk toward the car.
He wanted to call her back.
But he didn’t.
For the first time, he realized that protecting someone was not simply about keeping them alive.
Sometimes, it meant understanding why they were afraid.
And Lucien had never learned how to do that.
The following morning, Seraphina walked downstairs and found Lucien sitting at the dining table.
He was staring at a cup of coffee as though it had personally offended him.
She stopped.
“You’re still here?”
Lucien looked at her.
“You asked me to stay.”
“I didn’t ask you to move into my house.”
“You need protection.”
“I have security.”
“They are useless.”
Seraphina frowned.
“You’ve known them for five minutes.”
“That was enough.”
She wanted to argue, but instead she picked up her bag.
“I’m going to work.”
“I know.”
She stopped.
“How?”
Lucien stood.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m your guardian.”
Seraphina looked at him.
“You really like that word now.”
“I don’t.”
“Then stop acting like one.”
Lucien opened the door.
“Get in the car.”
She sighed.
“You’re impossible.”
From that day onward, Lucien began accompanying Seraphina to work.
He waited outside her meetings, followed her through the building, and somehow always appeared whenever she needed to leave.
At first, Seraphina found it irritating.
After a while, she became used to him.
Sometimes they argued.
Sometimes they barely spoke.
And occasionally, she caught herself smiling at something he said without realizing it.
Lucien was terrible at pretending to be normal.
He did not understand office gossip.
He did not understand why Seraphina needed so long to choose lunch.
And he certainly did not understand why humans complained about being tired after spending eight hours sitting behind a desk.
But despite all the differences between them, something was slowly changing.
Neither of them wanted to admit it.
One afternoon, Lucien received a message.
His expression immediately changed.
Seraphina noticed.
“What happened?”
“Someone made a wish.”
“A wish?”
Lucien nodded.
“This is what I do.”
He stood from his chair.
“I have to leave.”
Seraphina looked at him carefully.
“You’re going to grant it?”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
Lucien’s expression became colder.
“I collect what was promised.”
Seraphina understood.
A soul.
Her curiosity grew.
“Can I come?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because this has nothing to do with you.”
“You are my guardian.”
Lucien frowned.
“That does not mean you follow me everywhere.”
“Then don’t leave me behind.”
He stared at her.
She stared back.
Finally, Lucien sighed.
“Fine.”
They walked outside the building.
Seraphina expected them to get into the car, but Lucien stopped beside her.
“Give me your hand.”
She looked at him suspiciously.
“Why?”
“Your left hand.”
Seraphina raised an eyebrow.
“What are you planning?”
“I need to test something.”
“You always say that before doing something dangerous.”
Lucien ignored her and reached for her left hand.
The moment his fingers touched the palm where the black cross rested, a strange warmth spread through both of them.
Seraphina’s eyes widened.
“What was—”
She never finished the sentence.
A dark glow surrounded their bodies.
The world around them seemed to bend.
Then, in the blink of an eye…
they disappeared.
Seraphina opened her eyes and found herself standing somewhere completely unfamiliar.
She immediately grabbed Lucien’s arm.
“What the hell just happened?”
Lucien calmly released her hand.
“We teleported.”
Seraphina stared at him.
“You could have warned me!”
“You would have refused.”
“Exactly!”
Lucien almost smiled.
Almost.
Seraphina looked around.
They were standing in front of an old house far from the city.
The place looked abandoned, but a dim light shone through one of the windows.
“Is this where the person made the wish?”
“Yes.”
Seraphina looked at him.
“And you brought me because…”
Lucien glanced at her left hand.
“Because I can no longer do certain things without you.”
She became quiet.
The words sounded strangely important.
Before she could ask another question, the front door slowly opened.
A frightened man stood behind it.
His eyes immediately fell on Lucien.
“You’re here.”
Lucien nodded.
“You called.”
The man stepped aside.
“Please… come in.”
Seraphina looked at Lucien.
Something about the man’s voice made her uneasy.
She followed him inside.
The moment the door closed behind them, the atmosphere changed.
The man looked at Lucien with desperate eyes.
“I’ll give you anything.”
Lucien’s expression became cold.
“You already know the price.”
The man’s face went pale.
Seraphina looked between them.
“What price?”
Lucien said nothing.
The man lowered his head.
“My soul.”
Seraphina’s eyes widened.
She slowly turned toward Lucien.
For the first time, she realized that the mysterious man standing beside her was not simply someone with strange powers.
He was something far more dangerous.
And tonight, she was about to witness exactly what the Devil did when someone came to him with a wish.