Chapter 5

"You're not supposed to leave" Vivienne said.

"Why?"

"Because you belong here and it is only normal that you stay where you belong" she replied.

Emilia went to the windowside and looked out, trying to find any signs of threat.

After what she had done with the chandelier, it was obvious that eveyone present in the room including annoying Cyrus knew her better than she knew herself.

Maybe it would actually help if she stayed behind and learnt the ropes from them directly and maybe...she let out a faint smile. The thought of being on top of Luca, in his dim lit bedroom and riding him every night didn't seem like a bad idea to her.

Everytime she was in the same space as him, she grew more curious as to what making love to him would feel like.

Even though she had lost her memory, she had not lost her need for pleasure and she was grateful that Luca was available to meet that need.

"I'll stay..."

"Oh, that's wonderful, Em" Aunt Viv said excited.

"...on one condition- Luca and I will share a room. I feel safer when he's around me". I stared at Cyrus as if trying to make him get the message that he was a danger to me.

He rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Of course. That is a given" Luca said, holding my waist and kissing my neck softly.

Was it okay for him to do that in front of Cyrus and Aunt Viv?

"Yes. It's okay for me to do this in front of them." He whispered into her ear and kissed it too.

Emilia followed Luca down the long hallway, her fingers trailing along the cool stone walls. The house was grand, almost too grand, with its high ceilings, flickering candle sconces, and thick, heavy drapes that seemed to swallow the light. When they reached his bedroom, she hesitated before stepping inside.

Her breath caught. It was beautiful.

The room was vast, with dark wooden furniture, a massive bed covered in deep red sheets, and soft golden light from the chandelier above. But what stunned her most was the sight of her things—her clothes folded neatly in the wardrobe, her books stacked on a wooden shelf, even her favorite silver hairbrush sitting on the vanity.

“How—” She turned to Luca, bewildered. “How did all this get here?”

Luca smiled, leaning against the doorframe. “You’ve always belonged here, Emilia. We just had to remind you.”

That word—belonged. She liked the way it made her feel and she liked how he said it. He looked so sexy in his half-unbuttoned shirt. His masculine chest called out to her.

Luca stepped toward her, his hands resting on her waist. “You’re safe here."

Emilia nodded slowly. She ran her finger through the open space that left his chest bare and they kissed passionately.

Soon enough, they found themselves on the bed. Emilia unbuttoned his shirt completely while he handled her jeans pants. She was excited that he wasn't so naïve about sex afterall. She moaned as he grabbed her breasts gently and let his tongue lick her vagina. She wanted him so badly.

Later that night, after Luca had left to attend to something downstairs, Emilia decided to explore the mansion on her own. The house was quiet, almost eerily so, as she walked through the halls. Everything about this place was old, steeped in history and secrets.

She soon found a massive mahogany door at the very end of the hallway, far grander than the others. It called to her in a way she couldn’t explain. Her fingers reached for the handle but before she could touch it, a cold voice stopped her.

“Don’t.”

She whirled around to see Cyrus standing a few feet away, arms crossed, his gaze sharp and unreadable. She was holding a goblet in his and sipping on something. He moved closer to her and his height made her feel like an ant.

“That room isn’t for you,” he said flatly.

Emilia frowned. “What is inside the room?”

Cyrus took a step closer, his presence almost suffocating. “Our sanctuary. The one place in this house where you don’t belong.”

She almost felt intimidated but she still insisted “Why can't I go in there? I thought I was part of this family.”

“You are,” he replied, “but even family has boundaries. Boundaries that you're too young and fragile to understand. Stay away from that door, Emilia.”

She didn't like the way he commanded her and she definitely felt insulted by his comment but she still nodded in obedience. His warning did nothing to ease her curiosity infact, it made it worse. She decided to ask Luca and if he was being mysterious like Cyrus, she would ask Aunt Viv.

That night, as she lay beside Luca, his warmth enveloping her, she finally asked.

“What’s behind that door?”

Luca, who had been tracing circles on her bare shoulder, stilled for a moment. “The Valois sanctuary,” he said softly. “It’s private to us… to those of us who were built differently from you.”

She looked up at him. “Built differently?”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his expression gentle. “Yes. You already know that we're an influential line of vampires and our heritage must be preserved. We have things in there that have been existing long before you were born and if they are triggered, they could be dangerous for you, my love. It's not about keeping you out, Emilia. It’s about protecting you. What’s in that room… it’s not something you’re ready for.”

His words should have reassured her, but they didn’t. Luca and his ambiguous explanation only deepened the mystery.

Luca leaned in, kissing her slowly, his lips warm and inviting. “You don’t have to worry about that,” he murmured against her skin. “Not tonight.”

And for a while, she let herself forget, let herself sink into his touch, the weight of his body against hers, the way he made her feel like she wasn’t lost. Like she belonged.

But long after Luca had fallen asleep, Emilia lay awake, staring at the ceiling, her mind drifting back to the mahogany door at the end of the hall.

What was so important that she had to be kept away?

And why did she have the strangest feeling that whatever was behind that door could be a threat to her.