1. PROLOGUE

He was sweating profusely.

His heart hammered violently against his chest. The air was hot and humid. He had found refuge in an empty barn he believed was the only place he could be alone to face the devil of what was happening to him.

The shadows were threatening to attack and consume him. he could barely make out their figure but he was sure as hell they weren't humans.The rays of light that crept in from the window seemed to be what kept them abay.

He was rested against an abandoned wagon that was filled up with hay. It was eerily silent. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and rolled down his face. When the light from the moon touched those beads, they gave his skin a glistening effect.

The light fell over him , revealing the silk white shirt he had on. It was opened at the chest, exposing the rich contours of his smooth chest and his taut muscles. The view came to an end above his navel. His light brown breeches turned deep brown due to the fact that he was sitting on the bare ground of the dirty barn. His boots were covered in dirt.

Yet none of these things bothered him. He was more concerned with what he was facing. The reason he hid in the barn in the first place.

The night felt quiet. Too quiet. Almost like the night could sense his diilemma.

He was burning up from the inside, a type of heat he had never experienced. He could feel a foreboding sense of evil, an imminent sense of danger . Something was happening to him. His fingers were growing into sharp claws, they were turning into something ugly. He watched the horror unfold.

Instinctively, he squeezed his fist so tight that the claws pierced his palms and gushed out blood.

He didn't understand what was happening to him. He felt like a different person, he stared in terror at the horrific sight. His body began to tremble.

While still in fear, he caught a scent, a very familiar scent. A mixture of amber and roses. There was only one person in the world he knew to have this unique mixture of scent

"Mariana..." He whispered, his voice was hoarse.

He could smell her from afar. She was on her way to him. His heart ached for her. He needed and wanted her badly.

He almost thought he imagined the scent until he saw her silhouette appear by the door. He waited patiently watched her step into the moonlight.

She looked gracious as ever. Her dark blue dress fell over her legs, he could barely see any skin. Her curly mass of hair fell over her shoulders and stopped by her waist. Her fair skin seemed to glowed under the moonlight. Damn! She was beautiful. Her face bore a worried expression.

She looked like a goddess who had descended from the moon. Her hands were placed together before her gown so that she still carried the gracious air of the lady she was.

"Mariana, why are you here?" He whispered trying to hide the turmoil that he was feeling inside.

She smiled before moving towards him .She knelt before him as if examining him. There was sympathy and concern in her eyes.

"Lucius, oh Lucius. Look at you," She breathed. Her voice did things to him . It was so soothing that it brought warmth to Lucius' racing heart.

She slowly brought her hands to his cheek and felt the rough scar from his forehead, across his nose bridge to his jawline. She traced her hand on his lips. She shut her eyes as if mesmerized by the feel his scar. He wanted to kiss her. Wanted to taste the sweet contours of her mouth. He felt an ache in his groin.

He drank in her features. She looked sweet and calming. Her upturned nose and her heart shaped lips made her look more endearing. His heart hammered with excitement

He glanced down back at his fingers, they were no longer claws. He seemed fine again

Mariana did not stop with her fingers. She kept caressing his face before surprising him with her next move.

She covered the distance between them and planted a soft kiss on his left cheek. She kept peppering his skin with kisses that Lucius thought he would go mad with desire. She trailed her kisses down to his neck and all Lucius could say in return was her name; as he felt electric sensations throbbing on every spot which her lips touched. How she did things to him

"Mariana. . ."

Mariana stopped planting kisses on his neck and gazed into his glowing gray eyes. He looked mythical yet enchanting. Everything about him excited her.

"Mariana, you know we shouldn't. . ." Lucius finally got the courage to speak.

"Hush...Do not speak to me about that. It is you I want," She protested.

"You are betrothed to my prince and the heir to the throne. I am nothing but a mere guard to the prince. If word gets out about what we're doing then he will surely have our heads," Lucius pointed out.

Mariana did not stop gazing into Lucius' eyes. For a moment, she looked serious and Lucius was beginning to feel that he had succeeded in getting past her stubbornness. Until she broke her silence.

"Screw him. It is you I desired before. It is you I desire now. And it is you I will always desire. He can have my head, I don't care! All I know is I am not going to marry him!" She said with a tone of finalty

Lucius looked distraught, he started to speak but she shut him up with kisses. She weakened his resistance. All he could think of was her. Her tongue invaded his mouth and pushed past his. She was kissing, licking and drinking his essence in.

Her lips felt soft. He was engulfed in her flame. Her body's warmth seeped into him and he wanted more of it.

She let out a moan. He was going to burn from her fire. For the way she moved her lips on his made him reach places he had never been to. It felt right to have her there with him at that very moment even though he knew it was wrong.

Lucius knew it deep down that Mariana was Heventually going to be the cause of his destruction. He could feel it in his guts yet he held on. He cursed himself as he kept holding on to her warmth. Held on to the feelings of she brought him.

Lucius allowed her imprint herself in his memory. The kiss went on. It was electrifying and sensational, one he never intended forgetting. He had a price to pay for falling in love with Mariana— the Prince's betrothed.