Aurora didn't remember how they got to Zayne's flat. All she remembered was his hand on her thigh in the Uber, the taste of his mouth still on hers, and the way he looked at her like he already owned her soul.
The door clicked shut behind them. City lights spilled into the room through the blinds, casting soft stripes across his bare chest as he peeled off his shirt. Tattoos curled across his collarbone like ancient runes.
"Are you sure?" he asked, voice low, dangerous.
She nodded.
He didn't wait. His lips found her neck—slow at first, then hungry. Fingers slid under her dress, tracing the edge of her panties.
"You're burning up," he murmured.
"I feel... different," she whispered, breath shaky. "Like something's inside me."
He paused. His eyes darkened. "Something is," he muttered, and lifted her into his arms.
They crashed onto the bed, all lips, hands, skin. Aurora gasped as his mouth moved lower, teasing, tasting. She arched, tangled in sheets and sensation. But just as she surrendered—
Everything changed.
The room flickered—once, twice. The walls whispered. Candles lit themselves. Her eyes snapped open.
"Zayne—!"
His hands froze on her thighs. "You felt it too," he said, not surprised.
"What the hell was that?"
He sat up slowly, breathing hard. "You're not ordinary, Aurora. You never were."
Before she could speak, her phone buzzed.
ETHAN: "You think I don't know where you are? He's cursed. He'll destroy you. Just like he destroyed her."
Her heart dropped.
Zayne looked at the phone. "You should stay here tonight."
"Why?"
"Because if you leave," he said, "it might follow you."
"What will?"
His eyes met hers—glowing, just for a second.
"The thing that woke up when you kissed me."
To be continued....