Captured by Darkness, Claimed by Desire

Chapter Six

Sophie's POV

Life is Good, or at Least, It Should be, it's been two years.

That’s how long it’s been since my life flipped upside down. Since I found a stranger bleeding in an alley. Since I let him into my home, stitched him up, and unknowingly invited trouble into my world.

Two years since he disappeared, leaving nothing behind except the memory of his sharp blue eyes, the ghost of his touch, and a single, haunting promise:

"You belong to me now."

But that was a long ago,and I’ve moved on.

For all i know he could be dead in a ditch somewhere.

I have a new life now. A better one.

A new apartment in a part of town where people actually smile at each other. A job where I don’t have to deal with bullet wounds or knife fights every other shift. And Ethan. He’s sweet, normal, and, most importantly—safe.

We’re still figuring things out, but for once, it feels like I’m on the right track. Like I’m building something real. Something stable.

But late at night, when the city quiets and the streets empty, I get this feeling. A prickle at the back of my neck, a whisper of unease curling around my spine.

Like I’m being watched.

It’s probably nothing. Just my past playing tricks on me.

Because Dante Volkov is gone.

And there’s no way he’s coming back.

It has to be paranoia.

Until the roses started appearing.

For weeks now, every time I come home from my shift, there’s a single rose waiting for me. Always fresh. Always perfect. Always without a note or explanation.

Tonight is no different.

I stop mid-step, my breath catching in my throat.

A single white rose sits at my doorstep.

My keys slip from my fingers, clattering against the tile, but I barely hear it over the rush of blood in my ears. My pulse pounds, hard and fast, as I stare at the delicate petals. The stem has been cut clean. Someone left this here for me.

My stomach tightens. My head snaps up, scanning the dimly lit hallway. Searching. Waiting.

But there’s no one.

Silence presses in, thick and suffocating.

I curl my fingers into my palms, nails digging into skin, trying to ground myself.

Then my phone buzzes.

The sound is so sharp, so sudden, that I nearly drop it.

My heart lodges in my throat as I fumble for the device, pressing it to my ear without checking the caller ID.

My voice comes out shaky.

"Hello?"

"Jesus, finally. I was starting to think you died in that shoebox apartment of yours."

I let out a breath in relief, it was just Mia, my best friend. We met the day i moved in and we've been buddies ever since.

"Sorry, I just—" I say entering my apartment just before glancing back at the rose. My throat feels tight.

"You forgot we had plans, didn’t you?" Mia sighs dramatically.

Shit. I did.

I force myself to blink, to focus. "No, I didn’t forget. I just—"

"Just what?"

My tongue feels heavy. I don’t even know how to explain it.

"Something weird has been happening."

"Weird how?"

I glance at the rose again, its white petals almost glowing under the dim hallway lights.

"I… found something outside my apartment."

"Okay?" Mia sounds unimpressed. "You live in the city, babe. There’s always weird s**t outside your apartment."

I exhale sharply. "Not like this."

Her voice shifts slightly—less teasing now. "What do you mean?"

I hesitate. My fingers tighten around the phone. "A rose. A white one. It was just… sitting at my door."

Then, "Woah, is it Ethan? I know you guys have been going steady."

“It's not him, I'm sure he'll tell me if he does something like that.” I bellowed out.

"Soph, are you okay? This is kind of serious." Mia’s voice is quieter now, cautious.

I force out a breath. "Yeah but maybe it’s probably nothing. Just a mistake."

"A mistake?" She replied not sounding convinced.

"Yeah. Maybe someone in the building got a flower delivery, and it was left at the wrong door."

Mia pauses. Then, slowly—"Does your building even do that?"

My stomach sinks in realization, If someone had a flower delivery, it would have been left with the front desk and not at my door.

This wasn’t a mistake, but I tried to change the subject. Maybe I was being paranoid.

My hand tightens around my phone. "It’s just a flower, Mia."

"And I’m just saying you should be careful. It’s creepy as hell."

I don’t argue, because she’s right.

Taking a seat on the couch i let out a sigh. my weight shiting beneath.

"Come over," Mia says suddenly.

I blink. "What?"

"Come over," she repeats. "Stay at my place tonight. You sound weird, and honestly? I don’t like you being there alone."

I almost say no, almost tell her I’m fine.

But my fingers are still trembling around the phone. And i was scared something way more than a rose will find its way to my doorstep.

"Yeah," I say finally. "Okay."

"Good. I’ll have wine waiting."

I let out a weak laugh. "Make it strong."

"Wouldn’t dream of anything less."

I hang up and shove my phone into my pocket.I don’t take the rose. I don’t even open the door.

Instead, I turn away, step into my bedroom, and start packing.

The feeling doesn’t go away.

Not when I zip up my bag. Not when I turn off the lights. Not even as I step into the hallway, my pulse loud in my ears.

Someone’s watching, I can feel it.

And when I reach the elevator, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Because somewhere in the shadows, I feel Dante's here.