Chapter 1
The bass was so loud it made the whiskey in the glasses tremble.
Low lights. Sweat. Perfume. Desperation.
Friday night at Nocturne and I was counting down the minutes until my shift ended.
Ten more minutes.
Then I could go home, shower off the cigarette smoke and cheap cologne, and pretend for a few hours that my life wasn’t this.
“Zara!”
Imran’s voice cut through the noise. My manager. 40, bald, and perpetually stressed.
“VIP corner. New guy. Don’t let anyone else near him.”
I wiped my hands on my apron. “Who is he?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care. Just don’t piss him off.” He leaned in. “His tab is already more than we make in a week. Be nice.”
Great. Another rich asshole who thought money meant he could touch.
I grabbed the tray. One glass of whiskey. Neat. No ice.
The request was weird. No one orders neat at 1:45 AM.
The VIP corner was in the back. Darker. Quieter.
And the moment I stepped into that shadow, the air changed.
It got colder.
The music dulled, like someone turned the volume down just for me.
He was there.
Slouched on the black leather sofa like he owned the place. And maybe he did.
Tall. Black coat that probably cost more than my rent. Hair black and messy, falling over his forehead.
He looked exhausted. Drunk, maybe. One arm thrown over his eyes.
But it wasn’t his face that stopped me.
It was his scent.
Sandalwood first. Deep and warm.
Then wet earth after rain.
And under it all… something sharp. Metallic. Like copper. Like blood.
My stomach flipped.
My heart started beating too fast.
I set the glass down on the table. “Your whiskey, sir.”
No response.
His breathing was slow. Even. Like he was asleep.
I should’ve left.
But I didn’t.
Because then he inhaled.
Deep. Through his nose.
And his head tilted toward me.
Even with his eyes covered, I knew he was smelling me.
“Are you okay?” The words came out before I could stop them. Stupid.
The corner of his mouth twitched. Not quite a smile.
“Come closer,” he said.
His voice was rough. Low. Like gravel and smoke. Like he hadn’t used it in years.
I took a step back instead. “I have other tables.”
Lie. The bar was empty except for two drunk guys by the door.
“Come. Closer.”
This time it wasn’t a request.
My feet moved before my brain could argue. One step. Two.
Now I was standing right in front of him. Close enough to see the faint scar on his jaw. Close enough that his scent wrapped around me and made me dizzy.
He still hadn’t moved his arm from his eyes.
“Look at me,” he whispered.
“I really should—”
“Look. At. Me.”
I did.
His arm dropped.
His eyes opened.
They weren’t human.
They were black. Not brown. Not dark. Black. Like there was no iris, no white. Just endless night. And in the center, two thin red lines, like cracks in glass.
I gasped.
He sat up slowly. Too fast for someone who looked half-asleep a second ago.
“Your scent,” he murmured. His gaze dropped to my neck. “It’s… wrong.”
“Wrong how?” My voice came out barely above a whisper.
“Too sweet.” His tongue ran over his teeth. “Too clean. Like you don’t belong in a place like this.”
I laughed, nervous. “Everyone says that.”
He didn’t laugh back.
He just kept staring. At my throat. At the pulse jumping there.
The last call bell rang. 2:00 AM.
The two drunk guys stumbled out. Imran flipped the sign to CLOSED.
It was just us now.
“Bar’s closing,” I said, taking a step back. My hands were shaking. “You need to leave, sir.”
He stood.
He was taller than I thought. Close to 6’3. And he moved like nothing I’d ever seen. No wasted motion. Like a predator.
“Zara,” he said. My name.
I never told him my name.
“How do you—”
“I heard Imran.” The lie was smooth. Too smooth. “You’re closing up?”
“Yeah. Alone.”
His eyes flickered. Something dangerous passed over his face and was gone.
“I’ll wait.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to.”
There was no arguing with that tone.
So I did what I always did at the end of the night. Wiped down the bar. Collected glasses. Turned off the neon signs. All while I could feel him watching me from the sofa.
Every time I moved, his nostrils flared.
Every time I bent over, his jaw tightened.
It was making me crazy.
“It’s rude to stare,” I muttered, more to myself than him.
“Is it?” His voice came from right behind me.
I jumped. Spun around.
He was standing inches from me. I hadn’t heard him move.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that,” I snapped. Fear making me brave. Or stupid.
“Sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry. “You smell even better up close.”
The air left my lungs.
“What?”
“Nothing.” He smiled then. And God, it was beautiful and terrible. Sharp canines flashed. “You’re done?”
I nodded, grabbing my bag. “Yeah. I’m gonna lock up.”
I walked to the front door. Key in hand.
Behind me, I heard him follow. Quiet. Silent footsteps.
I turned the key. Click.
The deadbolt slid shut.
When I turned around, he was blocking the hallway.
Between me and the back exit.
My blood went cold.
“Excuse me,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I need to get out.”
He tilted his head. Studying me. Like I was a puzzle.
“You really don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“What you are to me.”
A chill ran down my spine. “I don’t know you.”
“No.” He took a step closer. “But I know you. I’ve been waiting for you.”
This was bad. This was really bad.
I gripped my keys between my fingers. The only weapon I had.
“Look, if this is some kind of—”
He moved.
One second he was 3 feet away. The next his hand was on my wrist. Not hurting. Just… holding. His skin was cold. Too cold.
“Let go,” I whispered.
“I can’t.” His eyes were fully red now. No black left. “The moment you walked in, I smelled it. My blood recognized yours.”
“What are you talking about?”
He leaned in. His breath was cold against my ear.
And I felt it. Two sharp points pressing against the skin of my neck.
“One taste,” he breathed. “That’s all. Then I’ll let you go. I promise.”
My heart was going to explode.
I tried to pull away. His grip tightened.
“Please—”
And then his teeth sank in.
Pain. Sharp and bright.
Then heat. Spreading from the wound down my neck, into my chest.
I tried to scream. No sound came out.
The last thing I saw before my vision went dark was his eyes.
No longer red.
No longer hungry.
Just… relieved.
Like he’d finally found what he’d been looking for.
The world tilted.
And everything went black.
