Chapter 30 - Claiming What’s Mine
Lucian POV
The moment I walked out of Seraphina’s apartment, I knew I had left her teetering on the edge of chaos. Her eyes had betrayed her, even as her lips had spoken lies. She could deny it all she wanted—deny me—but the truth was there, written across her trembling body, etched into her every hurried breath. She was mine.
I wasn’t a fool. Seraphina thought she was fighting me, thought she could resist the pull between us. But what she didn’t realize was that this wasn’t a game she could win. I had been patient, but my patience was not limitless.
The memory of her lips on mine still burned, a fire I had stoked with every calculated move. She wanted me as much as I wanted her; she just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.
But she would.
\---
I waited until nightfall before returning. I didn’t call. I didn’t knock. This wasn’t about seeking permission.
Her apartment was dark, but I knew she was inside. I could feel her presence, a magnetic pull that had become impossible to ignore.
When I stepped into her living room, she was sitting on the couch, her arms wrapped around herself like a shield. Her head snapped up, and the startled look in her eyes sent a surge of satisfaction through me.
“Lucian,” she said, her voice tight. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you,” I said, stepping closer. “This isn’t over.”
She stood, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You can’t just barge into my life whenever you feel like it.”
I smirked. “Can’t I?”
Her glare was fierce, but the way her chest rose and fell told me everything I needed to know. She was fighting a battle she’d already lost.
“You need to leave,” she said, her voice shaking.
I ignored her, closing the distance between us. “Why? So you can sit here and pretend you don’t feel it? Pretend you don’t want me?”
Her breath hitched, and I saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes.
“I don’t want you,” she said, but the words were hollow, a lie she didn’t believe.
I tilted my head, studying her. “You’re lying, Seraphina. You’ve been lying to yourself since the moment we met.”
“Stop,” she whispered, backing away.
I followed her, step by step, until her back hit the wall. She was cornered, trapped, and I could see the conflict raging inside her.
“You can push me away all you want,” I said, my voice low and steady. “But it won’t change anything. You belong to me.”
Her eyes flashed with defiance, but there was something else there too—something raw and vulnerable.
“I don’t belong to anyone,” she said, but her voice lacked the fire she wanted it to have.
I leaned in, my hands on either side of her, caging her in. “You can lie to yourself, Seraphina. But don’t lie to me.”
Her breathing quickened, and I could feel the heat radiating off her. She was trembling, but whether it was from fear, anger, or desire, I couldn’t tell.
“I hate you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I smirked. “No, you don’t.”
Her lips parted, as if she wanted to argue, but no words came out.
“You feel it,” I said, my voice dropping lower. “The way your heart races when I’m close. The way your body reacts, even when your mind tells you to run.”
“Stop,” she said again, but it was weaker this time, almost a plea.
I moved closer, my lips brushing against her ear. “Tell me to leave,” I whispered. “Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll go.”
She didn’t speak. She couldn’t.
Her silence was all the answer I needed.
\---
The moment my lips met hers, the world seemed to tilt on its axis.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was demanding, consuming, a clash of wills that left no room for doubt. Her hands came up, pushing against my chest as if to resist, but then her fingers curled into my shirt, pulling me closer.
She was fire and fury, soft and unyielding all at once. And I wanted to drown in her, to claim every piece of her until there was nothing left but us.
“Lucian,” she whispered against my lips, her voice trembling.
I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. They were wide, filled with fear and longing.
“You’re mine, Seraphina,” I said, my voice rough. “Say it.”
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
“Say it,” I demanded, my hands sliding down to grip her hips, pulling her against me.
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, I thought she was going to fight me. But then she closed her eyes, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
“I’m yours,” she whispered, so softly I almost didn’t hear it.
The words sent a surge of satisfaction through me, a dark, primal triumph that I couldn’t suppress.
I kissed her again, deeper this time, and she melted into me, her resistance crumbling.
\---
The bedroom was bathed in soft, golden light, and the air between us crackled with tension.
I guided her to the bed, my hands never leaving her, as if letting go would break the spell.
She hesitated, her eyes searching mine for something—reassurance, perhaps, or a way out.
“You can still stop this,” I said, my voice low. “But once you’re mine, Seraphina, there’s no turning back.”
She swallowed hard, her gaze flickering to the door before returning to me. “I don’t want to stop,” she said, her voice barely audible.
Her words were all the permission I needed.
I kissed her again, slower this time, savoring the taste of her, the way she shivered under my touch. Every moment felt electric, charged with a hunger that had been building for far too long.
As I laid her down, her hands slid up my back, pulling me closer. Her touch was hesitant, uncertain, but I could feel her surrender in every movement.
“You’re mine,” I whispered against her skin, my lips tracing a path down her neck.
She didn’t respond, but the way she arched into me, the way her fingers tangled in my hair, said more than words ever could.
And as the night stretched on, I knew one thing for certain: I would never let her go.