Damon had never been the type to notice anyone, especially not in the crowded chaos of his world. But the moment he saw her, everything else seemed to fall away. It was in a dimly lit bar, where the heavy air was thick with smoke and tension, the type of place where people came to disappear.

She wasn’t trying to stand out. In fact, she seemed almost out of place, tucked into a quiet corner, a book in her hand as if she hadn’t noticed the undercurrent of danger surrounding her. But Damon noticed her. He couldn’t stop.

Her eyes lifted briefly, catching his across the room, and something inside him shifted. For the first time in years, Damon felt a spark of something other than cold detachment. She was different—unaware of the storm brewing in the shadows around her, yet calm, untouched by the violence of his world.

He took a drag from his cigarette, watching her from across the bar, trying to ignore the gnawing pull in his chest. He should look away, should walk out and forget she existed. But he didn’t. Damon wasn’t one to resist what he wanted, and at that moment, he knew one thing with absolute certainty.

She was his. Even if she didn’t know it yet.