Present Day

Ariana.

My eyes snap open as the sensual and deep voice in my head summons my name. I squint, trying to adjust to the blinding light of the desk lamp. I'm sure I fell asleep with the light off. My body moves on its own volition. I pull the thin blanket away from me and kneel on my bed——hands on my lap and gaze on the handsome man standing only inches away from me with heart on overdrive.

I stare at his beautiful yet hard facial features illuminated by the dimmed light. Stray strands of black hair fall on his forehead. His sensual lips turn up slightly as he watches me blinking repeatedly. His black eyes caress my face with lusting, invisible fingers. Only his presence makes my body hum with the anticipation of pleasure. And yet, his piercing gaze is hawkish, screaming danger.

He's in my house but why? More importantly, why am I not running out of my bedroom?

The man leans in and whispers in my ear, "Mine."

The heat of his breath caresses my cheek, hot blood rushing to my face. My body fights with my brain over the meaning of the word. After a moment, my body wins and orders my brain to shut up.

Mine.

He repeats the word but this time in my head, and finally, my brain registers the stranger's ability to invade the privacy of my mind. This can't be normal, but neither is his presence in my room.

His humming voice sends blissful chills down my spine, and when I tremble, the stranger smiles, enjoying the reactions he can draw from me. He bends down to brush his soft lips against mine, and heat travels from my mouth down to my stomach, warming my insides. I catch his sweet scent of maple syrup, and lick my lips, as if savoring its sweetness. My eyes widen at the bodily sensations this man can make me feel.

I like it. Him. I want more. Of him.

I avert my eyes from his sinful lips. For a twenty—one—year—old woman, I'm way too sex hungry. I can't even control my body responses.

As if he can read my mind, he reaches to my hair and runs his fingers through it. "So soft." His gaze sweeps over my figure. "All of you, Ariana."

I like how my name escapes his lips as a sweet purr. His hand slides down to my neck, and he pushes away the strap of my loose pajama tank top.

"I want to feel your softness against my hard body." His voice is caring yet demanding.

The flimsy strap falls on my shoulder, pulling some of the material with it, and my breast is revealed for him. His hungry gaze lowers, and his eyes flash something predatory and primal but also magnetic and tempting. Unmoving, I stare at him but also want to experience everything he can give me.

My breath catches in my throat while my core muscles spasm with anticipation. A warm wetness spreads on my sex as my body is aroused to new unknown levels. I bite my lip to muffle the sounds that want to escape from my mouth. The man seems just as excited as me, judging by the hard ridge straining against his black leather pants.

Thick, black eyebrows lower to his appraising, darkened eyes. Without disconnecting his gaze from mine, he pulls down my other strap, exposing my entire chest. Then, he looks at me as if he can read the secrets in my mind, as if he can touch my soul, as if he can get under my skin.

I am terrified at the raw power he holds over me, yet I want him to use it on me, to destroy me, to devour me. It feels so right. But it's so wrong.

Somewhere in the web—covered depths of my dusty mind, I recognize that I'm vulnerable and at his mercy. I don't care. I snooze my internal stranger—danger alarm too eagerly. My natural reaction would have been to cover my breasts with my arms, but instead, I arch my back and push my chest to him, my head falling back.

And he gives me what I want. His fingers travel down from my neck to my nipples, and he gently pinches them.

"Your body reacts as it's supposed to. You're attracted to me as much as I am to you," he says in a low, sultry voice.

This is no normal attraction. It is beyond…out of this world…supernatural. The layer of sweat drops coating the back of my neck has nothing to do with the humid summer nights in Northern California and everything to do with the dangerous man before me.

I've finally regained my ability to speak and ask him, "But what pulls me to you so much? I don't know you, and you don't know me."

I blink repeatedly as the rational part of my brain kicks in to remind me of the situation. I'm half—naked in front of a stranger. And my body wants him.

"You'll find out very soon," his sexy voice sounds like a mystic song playing in my bedroom.

Before I can muster a coherent sentence, the man wraps his arms around me and gently urges me on my back. Any place where his skin touches mine is set on fire. Any logical thoughts fly out the window. Every cell of my exposed body is asking for his attention.

Tugging on the stretchy waistband, he pulls down my pajama shorts along with the tank top that is bunched up around my waist, and I'm completely naked.

"I can't believe you are fated with me. I can't believe I am blessed with such a gift," he says while his lustful gaze cruises my body. He tosses my clothes somewhere behind him. "I want to bury my head between your thighs and lick your sweetness. Slide my fingers inside and then suck every single drop of your sweet juices. I want to do so many things with you. I can't hold back any longer. I never thought you'd show up. I never thought I'd meet you."

His voice is so heavy with sexual heat that I press my lips together to stifle my throaty moans. No other guy has talked to me like that. But this man is not just anybody. He's so much more. Mysterious. Dangerous. Captivating.

The man inhales deeply, and a humming sound comes out of his throat. He straightens up and grabs his black t—shirt by the collar, pulling it up. Next, his pants come off, and he stands naked in front of me. My breathing goes into frantic pants. His body is sculpted with lean muscles and hard edges. My eyebrows raise as my gaze travels down to his erection. My admiration of his body parts is interrupted when two strong hands grab my hips and pull me to the edge of the bed.

"Do you want me to make you feel good?" He asks.

I'm pretty sure any woman would answer with a "duh," but I take a moment to respond.

This man looks into my eyes with such intent that I know my answer will have some kind of important consequence in my life. Friends my age wouldn't even think about their reply, but something about this man allures me and repels me at the same time. He's giving me a choice, and something tells me if I say yes, I'll be tied to him forever. But if I say no, would he walk away?

Do I want him to disappear?

"Yes." My response is a whisper in the quiet bedroom.

Consequences be damned.

I open my legs for him. My raw attraction to this man is disturbing and enticing. With a wicked grin on his face, he trails a hand down to my arm. He grasps my hand gently and intertwines our fingers. A bright light sparks at the skin—to—skin connection, and my eyes grow wide in awe. An orange, luminous short rope appears and starts twisting and turning between our arms, leaving tingles in its tracks. A tiny breath escapes my parted lips as I watch the fiery magic.

"Mine." The man says in a demanding voice as a dark emotion comes over his face.