her hollow heart

chapter 12: the sun to the moon

Lucy's POV:

It had been days since Kasper's death, but the weight of it clung to me like a shadow. Every step I took felt heavier than the last, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching me, lurking just beyond the corners of my vision.The corridor ahead was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the damp scent of mildew. The silence was oppressive, but I welcomed it. I needed the quiet to think, to process everything that had happened. My thoughts were a jumbled mess of blood, Kasper, and Dylan's worried eyes

 What had I done? What had I become?

Then, a scream shattered the stillness.

My heart leapt into my throat, and before I could think, my legs were carrying me toward the sound. The scream was desperate, raw with pain—and familiar. Kelly. I rounded the corner, breathless, and froze at the sight before me. Kelly was crumpled on the floor, her arms weakly raised in a futile attempt to protect herself as a man stood over her, his fists raining down. His movements were vicious but controlled, his tall, lean frame casting a menacing shadow over her. He was at least 6'1", maybe 6'3 at best, with long arms that suggested both strength and speed. "Oi! Prick!" I yelled, charging toward them, but something about him made me falter.He turned, and our eyes locked. 

My breath caught in my chest.

Damn.

He was hot—way too hot for this kind of brutality. His blond hair was messy, falling into his intense blue eyes, and his sharp jawline clenched as he looked at me. His body was thin, but I could see the tightness of his muscles under his shockingly neat and clean shirt. He was the kind of guy you didn't want to mess with—dangerous, sure, but also... irresistible. A chill ran down my spine as I felt my pulse quicken, not from fear, but from something else. Something stupid."Kai!" Kelly choked out, her voice hoarse as she recognised him. "Please..."

So, that was his name. Kai.

But his attention wasn't on her anymore. It was on me.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked, his voice low, almost intrigued. There was a wicked glint in his eyes, like he found this whole situation amusing. "I said stop," I repeated, more firmly this time, but my voice faltered as I felt the weight of his gaze on me. He took a step toward me, and I suddenly felt much smaller. He towered over me, his presence overwhelming. There was something... magnetic about him. Something that made me want to take another step closer even though I knew I should run. The way his eyes dragged down my body, lingering on my hips, my chest—I could feel the heat of his gaze like a physical touch. "Or what?" Kai asked, his lips curling into a smirk. He raised an eyebrow, almost daring me to stop him. "You gonna take me down, sweetheart?"

God, that voice. Dark and rough, like gravel underfoot, and it sent a shiver through me. I hated myself for feeling it, but I couldn't deny it. He's hot. So God damn hot.

I tried to stay focused on Kelly, on the fact that this guy had just been beating her senseless, but something about the way he looked at me, like he was undressing me with his eyes, made my knees weak. I should have hated him. But all I felt was a pull. A dangerous, electric pull.

Kai's POV:

The girl was tough. I liked that. 

Pretty girl, too. I wouldn't mind having her all to myself.

She came running down the hall like she was ready to throw hands, but the second she saw me, she hesitated. They always do. I could see it in her eyes—fear at first, but then... something else. Flustered.. maybe even lust. Either way it was something. Something deeper. She was checking me out, plain and simple. And honestly, I didn't blame her. It wasn't the first time. She was tiny, pocket sized even, dark hair tied into pigtails, big brown eyes glaring at me. She was different. 

I stood up straighter, letting her get a good look. I wasn't built like a tank, but I worked for what I had. Long, lean muscle. I liked how her eyes flickered over me, lingering just a little too long on my chest, my arms. She was trying to hide it, but I could tell. Hell, I could feel it. "You gonna take me down, sweetheart?" I couldn't help but smirk as I said it. Her cheeks flushed just a little, but she didn't back down. I liked that too.

Her voice was tough, but I could see the way her chest rose and fell faster than it should have. She was nervous. But not because of the violence. No, this was something else. She was into it, into me. It was in the way she couldn't pull her eyes away, even though she wanted to. "I'm warning you," she said, but her voice wavered just a bit, enough for me to notice.

I stepped closer, and she stood her ground, but I could see the crack in her armour. "You're not scared of me, are you?" I asked, my voice dropping lower, more intimate. I leaned in slightly, watching her pupils dilate. Her lips parted, just a bit. "I'm not scared of you," she said, but I knew it was a lie. Not a lie she told me—no, this was a lie she told herself. "Good," I said, grinning. I let my eyes trail down her body, slow enough that she'd feel it. She was hot—way hotter than the usual kind of girls I dealt with around here. And she had fire in her, even if she didn't know it yet.I wasn't done with Kelly yet, but this one? This one was something different.

Lucy's POV:

I should have been disgusted. I should have hated him. But as he closed the space between us, as his eyes dragged over me like I was something he could just take if he wanted... I couldn't deny the heat that surged through me. It was wrong, all of it, but damn, it felt so right.Kelly groaned behind me, and I snapped back to reality. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to focus. "Get away from her," I said through gritted teeth. This time, I didn't care if my voice trembled. It was now or never.

Kai's smirk widened, but he stepped back. "Fine. I've had my fun for now," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance. "But I'm not done with you." His eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I felt a rush of something dangerous. Something thrilling. He walked away, leaving Kelly bruised and broken at my feet. But as he left, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if I hadn't stopped him. What would happen the next time we crossed paths?