Chapter 1
1287 Words
Rain crawled down the penthouse windows in silver streaks while the city glittered below like something drowning beautifully.
The man asleep behind her snored softly against expensive black sheets, one arm hanging lazily over the edge of the bed.
Selene sat near the balcony wearing nothing except his white dress shirt and a bored expression.
Smoke curled from the cigarette between her fingers.
The room smelled like whiskey, s*x, and money.
Mostly money.
She stared at the storm outside while the older politician behind her continued sleeping like a man without guilt.
Lucky him.
A vibration buzzed across the glass table nearby.
Her phone.
Three messages.
Mina:
U alive?
Jade:
I sure did.
Mina again:
Did the old man die?
If he dies steal his watch.
Selene laughed softly under her breath.
Finally. A genuine emotion tonight.
She typed back quickly.
He talks too much to die early.
The reply came instantly.
So u slept with him for free?
A knock sounded suddenly at the penthouse door.
Selene sighed dramatically.
"Saved by capitalism."
The politician groaned awake behind her.
"You're leaving already?"
She glanced over her shoulder.
"You started talking about cryptocurrency after sex."
"And?"
"That was emotionally violent."
He laughed sleepily while reaching toward the bedside drawer.
Money.
Always predictable.
Selene watched him count bills lazily before tossing them onto the mattress.
"You're funny," he murmured.
"No," she corrected calmly. "I'm expensive."
She stood afterward, collecting her heels from the floor before slipping them on slowly.
The politician watched her openly.
Men always did.
Some with desire. Some with curiosity. Some like they wanted to save her.
Those ones were the worst.
"You ever think about doing something else?" he asked suddenly.
Selene paused beside the mirror.
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Something meaningful."
Her reflection stared back at her.
Dark eyes. Perfect mouth. A woman who looked far more alive than she actually felt.
Then she smiled faintly.
"People pay me to pretend I care about them," she said. "That's basically politics too."
The politician burst into startled laughter.
She left before he could answer.
The elevator ride downstairs felt endless.
Soft music played overhead while city lights flashed beyond the glass walls.
Selene leaned against the mirrored surface behind her and closed her eyes briefly.
She was tired.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
A kind of exhaustion sleep never fixed.
Every night felt the same lately.
Drink. Smoke. Laugh. Touch strangers. Forget herself.
Repeat.
The elevator doors opened into the underground parking garage.
Cold air greeted her instantly.
Rain hammered violently outside while luxury cars gleamed beneath pale lights.
A black Bentley waited near the entrance.
Mina leaned against it smoking.
Tiny black dress. Red lipstick. Chaotic energy.
Beside her stood Jade scrolling through her phone with the expression of someone permanently disappointed in humanity.
"There's our national emergency," Mina announced dramatically as Selene approached.
"How much this time?" Jade asked.
Selene shrugged.
"Enough to continue making terrible decisions."
"Good," Mina said. "Drinks are on you."
Selene smirked faintly before stealing the cigarette from Mina's fingers.
"Was he ugly?"
"Emotionally."
"Did he cry afterward?"
"He discussed investments."
Jade winced. "That's worse."
The three women burst into laughter together while rain thundered outside the garage.
For a moment- just a moment- Selene almost felt normal.
Then her phone buzzed again.
Unknown Number.
Elysium. VIP level. Tonight.
No greeting. No signature.
Just an order.
Mina peeked over her shoulder.
"Ooooh."
Selene rolled her eyes instantly.
"I'm not interested."
"You don't even know who sent it."
"Rich men all text the same."
Jade frowned slightly though.
"VIP level?" she repeated quietly.
That made Selene pause.
Elysium's highest floor was invitation-only.
Most employees never even saw it.
Mina immediately looked excited.
"You're going."
"No."
"You absolutely are."
"I value survival."
Mina grinned wickedly. "Barely."
Rain poured harder as the city swallowed midnight whole.
Above them, Aurelia glowed beneath neon lights and storm clouds like a kingdom built entirely from sin.
And at the center of it-
stood Elysium.
The most dangerous nightclub in the city.
Owned by the most dangerous man in the city.
Everyone knew his name.
Noctis.
People whispered stories about him constantly.
A billionaire. A criminal. A ghost.
Some claimed he had men killed for betrayal.
Others claimed he never slept.
The craziest rumors said he wasn't entirely human.
Selene thought people were dramatic.
Until she entered Elysium later that night.
The nightclub pulsed with music and bodies beneath crimson lights while dancers moved through smoke and gold like beautiful hallucinations.
People drank too much here.
Desired too much here.
Confessed too much here.
Selene fit perfectly.
She moved through the crowd effortlessly while strangers stared openly.
The black dress tonight was shorter. Sharper. Dangerous.
Exactly how she liked them.
By midnight she stood near the private bar upstairs sipping expensive champagne she had no intention of paying for.
That was when the room changed.
Not loudly.
Quietly.
Security straightened instantly.
Managers lowered their voices.
Even the music suddenly felt softer.
Selene noticed immediately.
Someone important had arrived.
She turned lazily toward the entrance-
and froze slightly.
A man dressed entirely in black walked through the VIP lounge with terrifying calm.
Tall. Beautiful. Unreadable.
Power clung to him like darkness itself.
People moved out of his way instinctively.
Not out of respect.
Fear.
Selene watched him carefully over the rim of her glass.
Interesting.
His gaze swept briefly across the room before stopping on her.
Something strange passed through his expression.
Not desire.
Something heavier.
Like recognition buried beneath violence.
Then it vanished instantly.
The man continued walking toward the private rooms without a word.
One of the bartenders leaned closer nervously.
"That's him."
Selene raised an eyebrow. "The dramatic billionaire?"
"Don't joke about him."
"Why?"
The bartender looked pale.
"Because people disappear."
That should have unsettled her.
Instead- she smiled slightly.
Danger had always fascinated her.
Hours later rain battered violently against penthouse windows overlooking the sleeping city.
Selene stood barefoot near the balcony holding a glass of whiskey while the man behind her buttoned his black shirt slowly in silence.
The s*x had been intense.
Not romantic.
Not tender.
Something stranger.
Like touching someone who had forgotten how to be human.
She turned slightly toward him.
"You always this quiet after?"
His mouth curved faintly.
"You always talk this much?"
"Occupational hazard."
A low chuckle escaped him unexpectedly.
Interesting.
Selene studied him carefully now beneath dim gold lighting.
Up close he looked even more dangerous.
Not because of muscles or money.
His eyes.
They looked ancient.
Lonely too.
Though she doubted he would appreciate that observation.
"You own half the city," she said eventually.
"Only the useful half."
"And what exactly do you do?"
His gaze settled on her calmly.
"I punish bad behavior."
Selene laughed softly.
"Very mysterious."
"You expected honesty?"
"No. I expected trauma."
That earned another small laugh.
God. He almost looked human when he did that.
Almost.
Later, after she finally fell asleep against black silk sheets, the room became silent except for rain and distant thunder.
The man stood alone near the balcony staring out across Aurelia.
Expression unreadable.
Then slowly-
darkness spread across the walls.
The lights flickered once.
Twice.
And massive black wings unfurled behind him.
Beautiful.
Monstrous.
Feathers dark as ruined heavens stretched through the shadows while golden eyes glowed faintly against the storm.
Not human.
Never human.
The creature looked back toward the sleeping girl in his bed.
Something twisted strangely inside his chest.
Annoying.
Dangerous.
Unfamiliar.
For the first time in centuries-
something about a mortal woman unsettled him.
Then his gaze drifted upward thoward the eclipse hidden behind storm clouds.
And somewhere deep beneath ruined immortality-
an ancient soul began remembering the moon.
- Writer
