Chapter 1
The air in Leo’s cramped, stifling apartment was always heavy, but lately, it felt like it was actively suffocating him. His chest heaved as he fought his way out of the depths of a recurring nightmare, his body slick with cold sweat. It was always the same, yet every time it felt more real, more intense. In the chaotic darkness of his subconscious, the oppressive shadows would coalesce into something solid, something terrifyingly warm and dominant. A phantom weight would settle over him, and he would feel a hot, ragged breath brush against his sensitive skin, sending a jolt of both terror and electric anticipation straight down his spine.
Then came the touch. Lips, soft yet firm, would press against the sensitive curve of his neck, right over the faint, crescent-shaped birthmark he’d had as long as he could remember. The sensation was so vivid, so profoundly intimate, that Leo would gasp, his eyes flying wide open as he jolted upright in bed, heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird.
His fingers flew instinctively to his throat, pressing hard against his skin where the phantom kiss still burned, hot and undeniable. Even in the pitch-black room, he didn't need to look to know it was happening. A faint, ethereal silver light was radiating from the mark, pulsing in time with the ragged rhythm of his own terrified breath. A strange, foreign heat bloomed deep in his core, a confusing, dizzying cocktail of fear and an overwhelming, undeniable desire that made his head spin. It wasn’t just a dream; it felt like a calling, a brand, a connection to something wild and ancient that he couldn't comprehend. And worst of all, he found himself craving the darkness, waiting for sleep to take him so he could feel that impossible heat once more.
