OWNED BY THE DEVIL'S HEIR

CHAPTER TWO

Waking up was hard for Elian. It felt like he was being pulled slowly through something thick and heavy.

At first, all he felt was weight. It pushed down on him from everywhere, heavy and strange. It settled into his body, making even breathing feel like something he had to try hard to do. His thoughts came slowly, taking a long time to form and even longer to understand anything. For a while, he was stuck in a space between being asleep and being awake.

Then he saw light. It came through his eyes, which were only half open. The light was soft and pale, just enough to pull him more awake without hurting his eyes. He blinked slowly. The edges of his vision were blurry as shapes started to form above him. A ceiling. It was smooth and plain. It was too clean to be anywhere near the docks.

He breathed a little deeper as a thought slowly came to him.

This wasn't where he had been.

Then the memory came. It didn't build up slowly; it hit him all at once, sharp and painful. The docks. The sound of a gun firing and breaking the quiet. The man on his knees. The silence that followed.

And then—

Those eyes.

Elian's chest felt tight as he became more aware. Fear came quickly now that his mind had caught up with his body. He tried to move, his instincts kicking in before he could even think.

Nothing happened.

He barely felt the attempt. His fingers didn't move. His arms stayed still at his sides. Even his legs felt far away, not connected to him, which made his stomach drop.

He tried again, putting more effort into it this time.

Still nothing.

Panic started to rise quickly, making his chest tight and his breathing uneven. He focused on his hand, trying to make it move, to twitch, to do anything to show he was still in control of his body.

It didn't move.

A quiet sound came from his throat, weak and barely there. He didn't mean to make it, but he was so frustrated it just came out. He tried to speak, to call for help, but his voice wouldn't work at all. The words disappeared before he could make them.

Something was wrong.

That thought sank in, feeling heavier with every second. His body felt like it belonged to someone else, not responding and distant, even though he felt tension building inside him.

He forced himself to stay still.

Panicking wouldn't help him now.

Instead, he focused on what he could control. His breathing. The slow movement of his chest as he breathed in and out. The way the air felt in his lungs. It wasn't steady, but it was something.

His eyes moved slowly around the room as he looked at his new surroundings.

Everything felt… planned.

The place was quiet, the kind of quiet that doesn't happen by chance. The walls were clean, the surfaces were empty except for what was needed. There was a bed under him, firm but not uncomfortable. A small table was nearby. A chair was placed neatly against the wall.

There were no ropes or bars holding him.

No signs that he had been forced to be here.

That made it worse.

Because if he wasn't being held down—

Then something else was keeping him this way.

Footsteps broke the silence. The sound came clearly to him, each step slow and steady, moving through the room without any pause. Elian's heart beat faster right away, and his eyes shot towards the door.

It opened without delay.

Dante walked in.

Seeing him up close again made something inside Elian tighten even more. The memory of the docks mixed with the present. The image of him standing over a body wouldn't leave his mind, not when the same man was now walking into the room as if nothing about this was strange.

The door closed behind him with a soft click.

Dante didn't move right away. He stood near the door for a moment, looking at Elian in a way that made it hard to look away, even if Elian had been able to move.

"You're awake."

His voice was calm and easy, not matching the situation at all.

Elian tried to answer. He pushed the effort into his throat, trying to force the words out despite the feeling that something was blocking them. "I—"

The sound broke before it could become a word, leaving only a weak breath.

Frustration hit him right away, strong enough to cut through his fear.

Dante stepped closer.

The space between them quickly became smaller, giving Elian no time to get ready for what was coming. He felt it before anything else—the change in the air, the heavy feeling of Dante's presence as he got closer and felt more real.

Elian's body reacted, even though it couldn't move. Tension ran through him, sharp and sudden. His heart beat faster as he watched Dante walk towards him without any sign of stopping.

Dante stopped next to the bed.

For a moment, he just looked at Elian.

There was something in his eyes that Elian couldn't understand, something that didn't match the memory he had of him from before. It wasn't soft. It wasn't distant either. It stayed there, searching in a way that made Elian's chest feel tighter.

Dante's hand lifted.

Elian's instinct was immediate. He tried to pull away, to move from the touch he knew was coming, but his body wouldn't listen. All he could do was stay still as Dante's fingers brushed against his jaw.

The touch was light, but it felt important. It tilted his head slightly, just enough to guide his eyes up, holding his gaze without any force.

Elian's breath caught.

Up close, there was no getting away from it. No distance to make it feel less intense, to be this near, to be watched this closely.

"What did they give you?" Dante asked, his voice softer now.

Elian couldn't answer. He wasn't even sure he understood the question completely.

Dante's thumb moved a little against his skin, as if testing or measuring something Elian couldn't see. The touch stayed for another moment before his hand moved away.

Elian barely had time to think about that before Dante leaned in. The movement came without any warning. One second, there was space between them. The next, there wasn't.

The kiss landed before Elian could even think. It wasn't unsure or hesitant. It had a weight that made it impossible to ignore, pulling him into something he had no control over. Elian's mind went blank for a second, the surprise of it cutting through everything else.

His body reacted in the only way it could. His breath stopped. His chest felt tight. His thoughts scattered completely.

He couldn't pull away. He couldn't respond. All he could do was feel it. The warmth of it. The pressure. The way it held him there, not giving him a chance to decide what to do.

It lasted longer than he expected. Long enough for the surprise to change into something else. Something harder to name.

Then it ended.

Dante pulled back, the space between them returning as quickly as it had gone. The room became quiet again, the sound of Elian's shaky breathing filling the silence that followed.

Elian stared at him. His thoughts struggled to catch up, his mind still trying to understand what had just happened. None of it made sense. Not the action. Not the timing. Not the way Dante looked at him afterward, as if he had just confirmed something instead of acting on impulse.

Elian forced his voice to work again. This time, something came out.

"Why..." The word was rough, shaky, but it was there.

Dante didn't answer right away. He just watched him. The silence lasted, feeling heavy and deliberate, as if he were deciding how much to say.

"I finally found you."

The words came slowly. Elian blinked, confusion replacing the fear that had been growing inside him. His mind searched for a reason, for something that could connect that statement to anything he understood.

There was nothing. They had never met before. He was sure of it. Every memory he had, every moment that made up his life, was clear enough for him to know that this man had never been part of it. And yet, Dante spoke with confidence, with a certainty that left no room for doubt.

Elian swallowed, his throat dry. "You're wrong," he managed, his voice still shaky but clearer now.

Dante's expression didn't change. "No," he said quietly. "I'm not."

The certainty in his voice made something in Elian's chest tighten even more. Because it didn't sound like a guess. It sounded like a sure fact. And that made it much more dangerous.

Dante stepped back a little, the space between them widening just enough to change the feeling in the room. His gaze stayed for another moment before he turned towards the door.

Elian watched him, his thoughts still trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.

"Rest," Dante said, his hand pausing for a second on the doorknob. "You'll need it."