BOUNDED BY BLOOD BUT DIVIDED BY DESIRE

The night smelled of rain and desperation.

Valerie sat in the back of the car, wrists bound together, her breath uneven as the vehicle rumbled over the uneven road.

The leather seats were cold against her bare arms.

The thin silk dress her father had forced her into did nothing to stop the shiver that ran down her spine. She was scared.

Tonight, she was being sold.

Like an object. A debt to be repaid.

Her father hadn't even looked at her when he signed her away. She hated him for it.

And now, she was being delivered to a man she had never met.

A man they called the Devil. A man named Mason Kingston.

She clenched her fists, nails biting into her palms.

She wouldn't cry.

Not in front of them. Not in front of the men who treated her like a transaction.

But inside, she was screaming.

The car slowed.

Through the tinted window, she saw it-a mansion draped in shadows.

The iron gates opened without hesitation, as if the world itself feared to keep him waiting.

A lump formed in her throat as the car rolled forward, stopping in front of the grand entrance.

The door opened, and a strong hand gripped her arm.

"Out," a deep voice ordered.

She refused to move. Maybe if she stayed put he would go away.

"Now," the man warned.

Gritting her teeth, she stepped out, the cold air biting at her skin.

A dozen armed men stood at attention, watching her with unreadable expressions.

And then-she felt him.

Before she even saw him.

The air around her shifted, heavy, suffocating. She couldn't find it.

And when she finally looked up-

Her heart stopped.

Mason Kingston stood at the top of the stone steps, watching her.

Dark suit. Hands in his pockets. A presence so commanding that the world seemed to bend around him. He was intimidating.

His eyes-black as the abyss-locked onto hers.

Like a predator assessing his prey.Her pulse pounded, but she lifted her chin.

She refused to be afraid. She tried, so she thought.

But then-he smirked.

As if he could see right through her.

As if he knew she was already his, watching her every move.

"You're late," Mason said coldly, with a bored expression on his face

Her father stepped forward, hands clasped together, his voice shaking.

"Mr. Kingston, I-I brought her, as we agreed."

Mason's gaze didn't leave Valerie. It made her uncomfortable.

"As we agreed," he echoed.

Then, slowly, he descended the steps, his eyes still very much on Valerie.

Each movement deliberate. Controlled.

Valerie's muscles tensed as he stopped just inches from her.

He was tall-towering over her.

His presence alone was suffocating. She couldn't stand it.

A gloved hand lifted. His fingers brushed against her jaw.

Soft and slow,deceptively gentle.

She flinched. She hated how she reacted to his touch.

His smirk deepened. "Nervous?"

Her nails dug into her palms. "I don't belong to you."

He chuckled. A dark, dangerous sound.

"That's where you're wrong, darling"

His voice was velvet and steel.

Then, he turned to her father.

"Your debt is paid," Mason said, snapping his fingers.

A man stepped forward.

Holding a contract.

Valerie's stomach dropped. She wished she could be anywhere but here.

"This is the agreement," Mason continued. "Your daughter is mine. And in exchange..."