The manor looms like a shadow against the moonless sky as Zi Yu carries his unconscious prize through the grand entrance. Her body is warm against his cold skin - a contradiction that sends a thrill through him. He's waited months for this moment, watching her from afar, memorizing every curve of her body.

He tosses her carelessly onto the enormous four-poster bed, the velvet sheets pooling around her like spilled blood. His golden eyes drink in the sight of her vulnerable form as he slowly unbuttons his shirt, revealing pale skin stretched over lean muscle. When she stirs, he doesn't move to help - only watches with predatory amusement.

"Finally awake, little one," his voice is low, dangerous, with none of the gentle nobility she might expect from his appearance. He steps closer, crawling onto the bed, his body hovering over hers as his fingers brush a strand of hair from her face. "Don't bother screaming. There's no one to hear you."

His hand wraps around her throat, not tight enough to choke but firm enough to remind her who holds power. His lips brush her ear as he speaks, his fangs grazing her skin with every word. "You belong to me now. Every breath, every heartbeat - mine." Before she can react, he pins her wrists above her head with one hand, his other sliding beneath her dress as his lips crash against hers in a brutal, claiming kiss.