She deserves silk and cashmere, gold and diamonds—everything I can give her. Everything I will give her.
When I pull away the fabric of her shirt, stuck to her skin with dried blood, I finally see the wound in her side.
It's already healing—the edges sealed, new pink skin forming beneath the blood as my power works to repair what that terrible human tried to destroy.
I clean away the remaining blood with gentle strokes, fighting my desire with every breath.
Each brush of my fingers against her skin feeds my darkest fantasies—her legs spread wide beneath me, her back arching as I claim her. Her soft cries as I sink my fangs into the curve of her neck while thrusting deep inside her.
I have to step away before I do something we'll both regret. I force myself to move, to leave her side just long enough to fetch something for her to wear.
In my closet, I select my finest shirt—black silk, never worn, purchased with the hope that someday I might have a reason to care about my appearance. The material is cool and smooth against my fingers, worthy of touching her skin. Nothing but the best for my precious dawn.
I return and dress her in the silk shirt as gently as I can, doing my best to ignore the temptation of her soft skin. The fabric swallows her, falling past her thighs. Only then do I notice the blood and dirt staining the ivory sheets beneath her.
I lift her carefully, cradling her against my chest, before setting her in a nearby chair while I strip the bed and replace the linens with fresh ones.
Once the bed is ready, I place her between the sheets, tucking her in and arranging the pillows and blankets to keep her comfortable.
I don't want to leave her side again, but I have so many questions about her—who she is, what she likes, what makes her happy. Her life, her struggles, her joys. I need to understand what shaped her into the radiant being who called to me.
Moving to the nightstand, I open her purse and gently remove her wallet, extract her ID, memorizing every detail of her face in the photo, committing her full name to memory.
Sienna Nicole Gallagher.
I trace the photo on her ID then return it exactly as I found it, and with one last glance at my precious dawn, I force myself to leave the room.
Once I enter my office and sit down at my desk, I run a background check. It reveals that she moved here alone, works at an occult shop called Sage & Stone in the Village, and that even though she lives in a tiny studio in the Bronx in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods, her rent consumes nearly half her monthly income.
The thought of her struggling in that cramped space, worrying about her next meal, living paycheck to paycheck while I lived in luxury makes me clench my fists.
She'll never want for anything again.
When I check her social media profiles, they appear inactive. She hasn't posted anything in a year. And then I get to a post from two years ago.
In it, my precious dawn looks incredulous. Her fiery hair whips around her face from a wild breeze and her brilliant green eyes shine from fresh tears. She looks so happy I almost miss it, the small diamond engagement ring on her left hand.
The caption reads: "He asked! I said yes! Can't wait to marry my best friend. #engaged #love #future"
She was taken.
My fangs extend past my lips as a deep, dark growl escapes my throat. My claws bite into the desk, leaving deep gouges in the wood, as my whole body trembles. Someone else had her heart. Someone else made her smile like that. Someone else?—
Wait...
I look at the date once more. It was before I awakened, before she ever made the trip to New York.
What happened between then and now?
I scroll through the comments, looking for clues. Friends congratulating her, heart emojis, nothing useful, until one comment stands out: "Love you, babe. Can't wait to call you my wife."
I clench my fists, it's the only way to keep myself from snapping the computer screen in two.
Instead, I navigate to James Reuben’s profile.
I'm confused by the recent photos. They're of a wedding, his wedding, and the woman by his side shares the same color of Sienna's green eyes. But when I follow the tag on the photo and see that it’s her sister all the pieces start to come together.
He married her sister. Not only that, but they have a baby together.
