Back at the dimly lit apartment, Travis sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes scanning the unfamiliar room. The peeling wallpaper gave off a musty smell, and the faint hum of distant traffic outside seeped through the cracks in the windows, adding an eerie layer to the already oppressive silence.
The mattress beneath him sagged under his weight, the springs creaking mournfully. He stood up, his bare feet brushing against the cold, stained floorboards as he walked to the window and yanked the curtain open.
The sprawling city lights and towering skyscrapers greeted him like silent sentinels, watching over a city he didn't recognize. His chest tightened with a pang of disorientation, and he quickly shut the curtain, blocking it out as though that would somehow ground him.
"What the fuck?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair, his fingertips grazing the thin sheen of sweat gathering at his temples. "How'd I get out of jail?"
He sat back down, his muscles tense, his thoughts a chaotic tangle of confusion and rising dread.
' How did I even get out?' he thought again, racking his brain, clinging to the edges of fading memories.
He replayed the moments before his supposed escape—but it was like trying to grasp smoke. Everything felt scrubbed clean, smoothed over by an unseen hand.
Then, like a jolt of lightning splitting the dark, a fragment returned—a vivid image burned into his mind.
' That woman… ' he thought, his pulse quickening. ' I saw her right before I woke up.'
A sudden weight on the mattress beside him made him freeze. The bed dipped lightly, as though someone unseen had taken a seat.
Slowly, stiffly, Travis turned his head, and his breath caught in his throat.
There she was—the woman from his dream, even more stunning in the dim light, her mere presence warping the air around her.
He shot to his feet, stumbling backward and knocking into the bedside table with a loud thud. His heart thundered against his ribs, every instinct screaming danger, yet something deeper—something primal—rooted him in place.
She smiled softly, almost teasingly, like a cat toying with a cornered mouse.
"I thought you'd be happy to see me," she said, her voice a velvet melody, thick with unspoken promises and warnings.
Her long, silver-white hair cascaded like a river of moonlight down her back, each strand catching the faint light and shimmering as though alive. Her skin was almost translucent, glowing faintly in the gloom, making her look less like a woman and more like a celestial being sculpted from pure starlight.
Her eyes—those piercing, icy blue eyes—shone with a luminous intensity, framed by delicate snowy lashes that fluttered with each blink.
From her head sprouted two majestic, black horns, the polished obsidian surface gleaming ominously. They curved back elegantly, giving her an unmistakable air of both divinity and something darker.
She wore a sleek, midnight-black dress that seemed spun from shadow and silk, clinging lovingly to her flawless figure. The fabric swept along her curves, dipping daringly low at her chest, the neckline scandalous enough to draw the eye, but artful enough to leave the imagination wanting. A long, black glove wrapped her right arm, the satin material ending just above her elbow, hinting at nobility—or danger. Her long, pointed ears peeked through her hair, a mark of her ancient, inhuman origin.
She was beautiful beyond mortal comprehension, yet wrong in a way Travis couldn't describe—like a siren's song meant to lure sailors into the depths.
His body screamed to move, but logic seized his mind.
' How the fuck did she just appear like that? ' he thought, a cold bead of sweat sliding down his spine.
The woman—Mariana—tilted her head, studying him with the bemused patience of a predator watching its prey stumble.
"I told you I was a goddess, didn't I?" she said, waving a hand as if brushing aside the obvious. Her voice thrummed through the room like an invisible current. "I don't know why you're acting so surprised."
Then she grinned—a slow, knowing grin that made the hair on his arms rise.
"Well, no matter," she continued. "My name is Mariana, and from now on..." She paused, savoring the moment. "I'm your wife."
The words slapped him harder than any prison fight ever had.
He squinted at her, struggling to ground himself, to reason through what he was hearing. "What?" he rasped out, his voice hoarse and shaky.
She let out a lilting laugh, light and silvery, but edged with something sharp.
"I'm joking—kind of," she teased, her tongue darting out to wet her lips in a way that made his stomach twist. "I might as well be, considering what I agreed to in order to bring you here. Of course, that's something you'll understand after we complete our contract."
A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth, her amusement clear as she watched him squirm.
"Contract?" Travis asked, barely able to force the word out. His throat was dry as sandpaper, his gut churning with the awful certainty that this was no ordinary 'deal.'
Mariana didn't immediately answer. Instead, she stood in one fluid, mesmerizing motion. The air seemed to ripple around her as she glided back to the bed and perched herself on the edge, crossing one long, shapely leg over the other.
Then she crooked a finger at him—beckoning.
It was the smallest gesture, but it hit him like a command written into his very bones. His body moved before he could think, drawn to her like metal to a magnet, his footsteps heavy and reluctant.
' What's happening? ' he thought wildly as he moved closer, his muscles trembling with the effort of resisting her pull—but failing.
Mariana stood before Kael, a sly smile curling at the corners of her lips.
She was close enough now for him to feel the heat of her body, the intoxicating scent of her perfume mixing with the air between them. She leaned forward slightly, letting her breath brush across his skin, sending shivers down his spine.
Her hands, soft and gentle, moved toward his pants with deliberate slowness, the fabric brushing her fingertips as her eyes stayed locked onto his, watching the way his body reacted.
"Let's see what you've got," she whispered, voice low and filled with mischief.
In one smooth motion, she pulled his pants down, the fabric falling easily to his ankles. Kael's cock sprang free, hard and pulsing, the weight of it catching her attention as it slapped against her face with a solid, unmistakable thud.
Mariana giggled, the sound light and teasing, before licking her lips slowly, savoring the moment.
"So big," she purred, her voice soft but full of promise. "I think this is going to be fun."
She hovered closer, her mouth mere inches from him. The warmth of her breath ghosted over his sensitive skin, making him twitch involuntarily. With a wicked smile, she inhaled deeply, her nose brushing along his cock, savoring the musky scent.
"Mmm," she hummed, her voice thick with pleasure. "It smells so erotic. I've always known that cocks smelled this good, but... I never had the courage to get one. Until now."
Her fingers wrapped around him with just the right amount of pressure, her grip firm yet soft as she started to stroke him slowly, deliberately.
Her nails grazed lightly over his skin, sending waves of sensation through his body. Her eyes never left his face, watching his reactions carefully.
' Why can't I move? ' Kael's thoughts raced, the confusion only adding to the intensity of the moment. ' Did she drug me? ' But he quickly dismissed the thought — he hadn't eaten or inhaled anything strange. His body was simply betraying him, his cock stiffening under her touch, as if it were in her control.
Mariana's smirk deepened as she worked him, her movements teasing and deliberate. "You're a little tense," she whispered, her lips brushing against his ear. "Relax. I promise I won't bite… unless you ask me to."
TO BE CONTINUED