Rain drummed hard against the pavement, loud enough to swallow her breath, her heartbeat, her fear — until all she could hear was the storm and the echo of her own trembling.
Riah stared at the hand extended toward her, Lucian's hand.
His fingers were steady despite the cold rain, his warm palm open, waiting… almost gently. But behind him, the memory of what she had just witnessed lingered in the air — the way he lifted a grown man by the throat with a single hand, the way his eyes had shifted, darkened, slit like a creature she had no name for, yet when he looked at her, none of that violence remained, only concern.
Only that deep, steady pull she always felt when he was near,
"Riah," he said, voice low enough to barely rise above the storm, "give me your hand."
She swallowed hard. Her body was still shaking from the chase, the fall, the terror she had almost fallen victim to, but her mind… her mind was focused on one thing:
He came.
He came for her, it couldn't be mare coincidence, her fingers lifted slowly, hesitantly — and the moment their skin touched, warmth spread through her. His touch wasn't cold like the rain. It wasn't harsh like the men who chased her,
It was warm and grounding.
Like he was anchoring her back into herself.
Lucian pulled her gently to her feet, his hand sliding to steady her waist when she stumbled. The closeness made her breath catch — his scent, his heat, the way his soaked coat clung to his tall frame.
She'd never seen him like this.
Wild. Dangerous. Beautiful in a way that made her chest tighten.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, eyes scanning her like he was afraid to find something broken. His midnight blue gaze was intense, the slitted pupils slowly softening back to human shape.
She shook her head. "Just… scared."
At that, something flickered across his face — guilt, sharp and deep. He let out a breath, shoulders tensing beneath his coat.
"I should have been here sooner," he said quietly.
Riah blinked. "How did you… even know I was here?"
Lucian didn't answer immediately. His jaw clenched as if he were fighting something he couldn't explain.
"I felt it," he finally said. "Your fear. It reached me."
Riah's heart skipped.
She didn't know what that meant — or how it was even possible — but the sincerity in his voice made her chest tighten.
Lucian stepped closer, lifting her chin with the lightest touch of his fingers, scanning her face for bruises. Rain trickled down his cheekbones, catching on the sharp edges of his features.
"You shouldn't have been alone tonight," he murmured.
"And you shouldn't have been fighting strangers in the rain," Riah whispered back, her her head bowed down and her voice trembling between fear and relief.
His lips curved as he lifted her chin up — not into a smile, but something soft, something hidden.
"Let's get you out of here."
Riah tried to move but she felt a sharp pain shot through her ankle joint "A-ah—!" a small cry escaped her before she could stop it. Her leg buckled.
Lucian moved instantly, he caught her before she could fall, his arm wrapping firmly around her waist. His eyes snapped down to her ankle, then up to her face — his expression shifting into something dark with worry.
"Where does it hurt?" he asked, voice low, tense.
"My… my ankle," she whispered, wincing as the throbbing pulsed again. "I think I twisted it when I ran."
Lucian exhaled slowly — a controlled breath, like he was wrestling back a storm of emotions. For a heartbeat, he simply stared at her, rain dripping from his lashes, his jaw clenching, he leaned down and slid an arm behind her knees, the other supporting her back — lifting her effortlessly into his arms.
Riah gasped softly, her hands gripping the front of his soaked coat.
"Lucian— you don't have to—"
"I do," he interrupted gently, his voice steady against her ear. "You're hurt."
The way he held her was steady, protective — as if her weight meant nothing, as if carrying her was the most natural thing he could do. Her cheek brushed against the warm fabric of his chest, and she felt the deep, controlled rhythm of his breathing, the storm raged around them, but in his arms, she felt a stillness — a quiet center in all the chaos, his gaze never left her face as he walked toward the SUV, each step calm and measured, despite the anger still simmering beneath his skin from earlier.
"Lean on me," he murmured, tightening his hold just slightly. "I've got you."
Riah swallowed hard, heat blooming across her cheeks despite the cold rain. She had never been carried like this before — with so much certainty, so much care. She could feel the strength in his arms, the faint tremor of leftover adrenaline, the undeniable protectiveness wrapped around her.
"Lucian…" her voice was small, almost lost in the rainfall.
"You don't have to worry about me so much."
He glanced down, and for the first time tonight, something like emotion flickered across his face — raw, unguarded.
The SUV's interior light flicked on as he reached it, illuminating her in his arms. Lucian shifted her gently, shielding her head so she wouldn't hit the door, and placed her inside with a care that melted something deep inside her chest, his hands lingered for just a moment — warm against her waist.
Then he stepped back, his midnight-blue eyes never leaving her. He turned to enter the car from the other side of the door, he entered the car turning the on the heat for her as she might be cold, Riah slid into the passenger seat, he handed her a dry, warm blanket. "You look like you could use one."
He looked at her, the warmth in his eyes melted away the chill of the rain, she smiled, feeling the tension melt away,
Riah exhaled shakily, still feeling the ghost of his hands on her waist. Her ankle throbbed sharply, pulsing in time with her heartbeat.
His eyes scanned her face first, then drifted down to her ankle — the way it had already begun to swell beneath her damp scrubs.
"Let me see," he said quietly.
Riah hesitated, but shifted her leg slowly toward him. The moment she moved it, pain shot up again and she hissed softly.
Lucian's jaw tightened.
He reached into a small black compartment beside his seat — not a typical first aid kit. The box was old, carved with strange symbols that looked worn by time. He opened it and took out a small round container made of dark stone, sealed with a silver clasp.
Riah blinked.
"That doesn't look… normal."
"It isn't," he said gently.
He unlatched the container, and a soft warmth drifted into the air — not heat exactly, but something comforting, like the faint glow of embers. Inside was a thick, shimmering balm the color of molten gold, it didn't look like anything she had seen before,Lucian dipped two fingers into it. The balm warmed instantly against his skin, he turned back to her, his voice softer.
"This may sting at first… but it will help."
Riah nodded, breath catching when his hands slid beneath her calf, lifting her leg with a tenderness that made her chest tighten. His touch was warm — impossibly warm for someone who had been standing in the rain, he applied the balm slowly, spreading it across the swollen area with careful, precise strokes, the balm tingled, then burned lightly, before slowly melting into a soothing wave that eased the pain, Riah let out a shaky breath.
"It feels… different."
"It's meant to," Lucian murmured. "It's old. Older than you can imagine.
She watched his hands — steady, patient, almost reverent as he worked the golden balm over her skin.
"Here, take this," he said quietly.
He closed the stone container and pressed it gently into her palm.
Her brows knitted. "Lucian, I…..I can't take this, I…i mean thank you, but you've done a lot for me today thank you but…. I can't."
His gaze met hers — deep, glowing, unbearably sincere.