Trapped In Sin: Ava’s Story

Marked In Moonlight

Ava POV

Silence hung heavy between us for the remainder of the ride. I tuned Ronaldo out completely, as if he were nothing more than background noise…He was totally patronising me. Why can’t he just be straight with me? Even if it hurts, I want to know. Without him assuming I can’t take it.

I can handle the truth, I’m seriously dying to know what went down in Midnight Lounge. I really don’t like being kept out of the loop, call me nosey, I honestly don’t care.

As someone who was present in midnight lounge at the time, I believe I’m entitled to an explanation if something bad occurred.

As we pulled up outside the estate, two guards approached the towering gates. The moment they saw us, they swung the gates open without hesitation.

“Are you angry with me.” Ronaldo cut through the silence, I didn’t bother to look at him. And I had no desire to talk to him either. He blew out a sharp breath, and drove into the Estate.

The drive from the gate to the house took about ten minutes. As we made our way along the winding path, I couldn’t take my eyes off the lush greenery surrounding us. The landscape was immaculately maintained, but what truly captured my heart was the lake nestled behind the house - it was the only place I felt safe…

As a child, I’d go there all the time. There’s something about those waters that still calls to me. The place wraps around me like a warm memory, soothing me, even now.

The path from the gate to the house was lined with lamps on both sides, casting a bright glow that made everything easy to see. Parked just outside the house were the luxurious cars of Esmeralda’s guests.

All I wanted was to slip past unnoticed, and head straight to bed - I was desperate for some rest.

The car hadn’t even fully settled before I snatched my bag, and jumped out. I left the car door wide open, and made a beeline to the house.

“Look, Ava, I’m sorry. Can we not let this turn into a grudge?” Ronaldo yelled out from behind me, I rolled my eyes, and entered the house without saying anything to him.

I headed straight to my room, and locked the door behind me. Fatigue washed over me like a wave, and I collapsed onto my bed. But just as I began to sink into the mattress, a strange sensation crept up my neck, forcing me upright.

I grazed my neck with my fingertips, tracing the dull pain. A soft sigh escaped my lips. I peeled off my heels quickly, and the rush of comfort as my feet touched the floor made me curl my toes in gratitude. Slowly, I made my way into the bathroom, still half-lost in the feeling.

I gazed at my reflection, tired eyes framed by perfectly intact makeup. It was eerie how everything looked normal - except my eyes. And the ache in my neck. I brushed my fingers over the spot again.

What is that? I stepped closer to the mirror, tilting my head. That’s when I saw them - two tiny punctures, red and unmistakable. Not bleeding, but fresh enough to raise every hair on my body. My eyes widened. My pulse quickened. This wasn’t just in my head.

I figured it must’ve happened while I was crammed in with everyone at the club entrance. Maybe someone accidentally scratched me or pushed past me too hard.

I told myself it was nothing, just a random injury in the chaos. But as I shook my head, trying to dismiss it, a heavy drowsiness began to settle in, it felt like my body was shutting down without my permission.

My feet barely held me as I shuffled back to bed. I collapsed without grace, and sleep took me instantly.

My eyes blinked open, and my brows instantly furrowed. The sky? Why am I staring at a red sky? I was just in my room.

My heart lurched. I shot to my feet, spinning around in confusion. Nothing but empty land stretched out around me - dry, lifeless, and unfamiliar.

Amidst the dead land, a single acacia tree shimmered under the strands of fairy lights - soft and glowing like magic lived in the tree.

My eyes lowered to my body. A short white dress clung to my skin, ghostlike, and too delicate. I titled my head toward the sky and gasped. The sky burned crimson, the blood moon was hanging heavy above me like a curse. My heart kicked into overdrive.

“Do you like it?” The silence cracked under the weight of a voice that was deep, commanding, and almost ancient. I turned sharply, my heart caught mid-beat. He stood beneath the tree that was wrapped in fairy lights, a figure carved from darkness.

His face was cloaked in the shadows, but the lights flickered across his bare chest, he was sculpted like marble in moonlight. He wore nothing but dark pants, and an unreadable stillness.

Under the blood - red moon, he looked like a creature from a forgotten myth - beautiful, terrifying, and not quite human.

The red moonlight wrapped around him like magic, turning him into something that didn’t belong in the real world.

“What is this place.” I asked with disbelief, it felt like I stepped into another world. A cruel laugh spilled from his lips, echoing in the empty air like a spell. My body went still. That laugh - I’ve heard it before. I turned toward him, trembling. My breath caught in my throat.

“I… I don’t understand. Why are you here?.” I gasped-then shrieked. That face, that build. It was him. The man from the club. He shouldn’t be here. He couldn’t be here. And yet, he was.

“Curiosity doesn’t suit you.” His voice was a murmur, cold and detached, he spoke as he moved away from the tree.

The red moon bathed him in its deadly light, casting him in a glow that made him look like he stepped out of a dark fairytale. He was so handsome. He had the kind of beauty that made your heart race, but warned you to keep your distance.

The aura of danger around him was palpable-intoxicating, and too dangerous to ignore. Like a storm I couldn’t look away from, I was rooted to the spot - unable to break free from the pull of his gaze.

Without a word, he reached me. His hand locked around my waist, pulling me effortlessly into the same hold he had me in at the club. The same magnetic pull, and the same dark energy.

My breath caught in my chest, frozen by the isolation around us. It was just the two of us in this desolate place - this dark and unknown world.

But the moment his arms wrapped around me, a strange sense of safety washed over me. “You lied to me.” He growled, his voice thick with anger, and something far more dangerous. The sound made me jump, my heart was racing in terror.

“What… what do you mean?” I gasped, my words barely escaping. He didn’t respond, his large, veiny hand slowly tightened around my neck. With slow, and deliberate motion.

He pushed my head to the side, revealing my exposed collarbone to him. His laugh was cold, and cruel, sending chills down my spine.

Does he know I lied about my name? Is that what he’s referring to? A sharp gasp escaped me as his searing hot tongue slid over the two holes in my neck. I clutched his forearm, and moaned blissfully.

The second his tongue touched the wounds, the faint sting vanished, replaced with something dizzying. I saw stars every time he sucked that spot, my body betrayed me. His strong arms tightened around me, pressing me firmly to his chest as his lips gently brushed against my ear.

“You can’t lie to me, Rose. The mark you wear is mine - it whispers every truth you try to hide. And in time, I’ll show you mine. You were forged for me.”

“What are you trying to say?” My voice cracked, None of it made sense - his words, his presence, and this place. His hold on me became more fierce. It felt like he was being protective or possessive, I couldn’t tell.

His hand slid up my shoulder, and his fingers drifted through my hair, brushing it aside to reveal my neck. My whole body responded to him, whether I wanted it to or not.

“You are Mine.” He bellowed, the emptiness around us trembled with the force of his claim. Pain bloomed in my neck as his fangs met my skin, and my blood - warm and unrelenting - bled through the white lace of my dress, dyeing it the colour of love and ruin.

I let out a strangled scream and my eyes flew open, I jerked upright. My heart was pounding like a war drum. My hand flew to my neck, terrified of what I might feel - but there was no blood. Nothing, Just the ghost of pain.

I stared at my trembling hands, my heart racing. Sweat drenched my skin, and my body shook like I was still there… with him.

It was nothing - just my overactive imagination weaving horror movie nonsense into my sleep. Vampires? Come on.

I laughed out loud, almost hysterical, and covered my face. God, I can’t believe I actually checked for bite marks..

I finally managed to steady my breathing, and sink back into bed. The room was quiet again, but my thoughts weren’t. That dream… why had it felt so real? And why did I dream of him, of all people?

I groaned, and threw my arm over my eyes. A new day had begun, but there was nothing about it that felt fresh or promising.