Seraphina’s POV

My brain refuses to cooperate for the rest of the lecture.

Words blur across the whiteboard while Professor Langley drones on about economic theory, but all I can think about is the devil who appeared in the middle of campus like something torn straight from a nightmare.

Even thinking his name sends a strange chill down my spine.

I stare down at my notebook and realize I’ve written the same word three times in the margins.

Lucas... Lucas... Lucas.

I slam the notebook shut.

"This is ridiculous." I moan to myself.

Devils don’t just appear in the middle of college campuses. They don’t step out of shadows and make strange promises of protection like characters out of dark fairytales.

And yet, he did. I was there.

I felt the power in the air when he appeared, like the world itself had taken a sharp breath.

The bell rings, snapping me out of my thoughts like someone breaking a spell.

Students begin packing up around me. Chairs scrape against the floor. Conversations erupt instantly—weekend plans, parties, complaints about homework.

A normal life. Meanwhile, I’m apparently harboring a devil.

Fantastic.

I shove my notebook into my bag and sling it over my shoulder, eager to escape the suffocating classroom.

I need to talk to someone.

Someone who will either confirm that I’ve completely lost my mind or help me figure out what the hell is happening. And there’s only one person I trust with something this insane.

The moment I step outside Cerberus Hall, warm afternoon sunlight floods my vision.

The sky is painfully blue. Birds chirp in the distance while Students laugh as they cross the quad.

Everything looks so ordinary that for a moment I wonder if the entire encounter with Lucas some elaborate hallucination was brought on by stress and too little sleep.

But a prickle crawls across the back of my neck sensing a subtle presence.

I slow my steps. My heart begins to pound as I glance over my shoulder and find nothing. Just students crossing campus and a couple sitting on the grass sharing earbuds.

No devils or glowing eyes.

Still… the feeling lingers.

Lucas promised he would follow.

My pulse quickens.

Is he here right now? Watching me?

The thought makes my stomach flip in a way I’m not entirely comfortable examining.

I shake my head and start toward the parking lot. Paige said she’d be waiting near the back.

My sneakers crunch over gravel as I round the corner—and there it is.

Her red convertible; bright, flashy, impossible to miss. It practically screams Paige.

She’s leaning against the hood wearing oversized sunglasses and scrolling through her phone like she stepped out of a music video.

Relief floods through me.

“Paige!” I run over.

She looks up instantly.

“There you are,” she says, pushing her sunglasses up onto her head. “I thought your professor kidnapped you.”

“You won’t believe what happened today,” I say breathlessly.

Her eyes light up immediately. “Oh, this already sounds good.”

We climb into the convertible. The leather seats are hot from the sun, but Paige doesn’t even flinch. She tosses her phone into the cup holder and starts the engine. The car roars to life.

Moments later we’re peeling out of the parking lot, wind whipping through my hair as the campus fades behind us.

Paige glances sideways at me.

“Well?” she demands. “Spill.”

So, I do. Everything.

The strange door hidden beneath the building. The dark energy humming in the air. Lucas appearing out of nowhere like some supernatural guardian. The way he spoke like he belonged to another world entirely. And the promise he made. To protect me.

Paige’s mouth slowly falls open as the story unfolds.

When I finally finish, she lets out a long whistle. “Whoa.”

I sink back into the seat. “That’s it? Just ‘whoa’?”

She glances at me again, eyes wide. “Girl… you just told me you accidentally freed an actual devil.”

I groan and bury my face in my hands. “When you say it like that, it sounds even worse.”

Paige bursts out laughing.

“Hold on.” She grips the steering wheel dramatically. “Let me get this straight. One minute you’re snooping around some creepy underground place, and the next minute a devil pops out and offers to protect you?”

“Pretty much,” I shrug.

She shakes her head. “How do you get yourself into these situations?”

“I didn’t mean to!”

Paige punches my arm lightly. “You sure know how to find trouble.”

Despite everything, I laugh.

Because that’s Paige.

She has this uncanny ability to make even the strangest situations feel a little less terrifying.

The road stretches ahead of us as we drive past rows of trees glowing gold in the afternoon sun.

For a moment—just a moment—I let myself relax.

Maybe things aren’t as crazy as they seem. Maybe Lucas will disappear and everything will go back to normal. But my thoughts drift back to him again.

Lucas.

I glance over my shoulder, half expecting to see him sitting casually in the backseat like a shadow brought to life. And the seat is empty.

The road behind us stretches endlessly. Yet… I swear I feel him somewhere nearby.

Too soon, Paige pulls into the driveway in front of my house. The familiar sight of home sends a wave of calm through me.

As I unbuckle my seatbelt, Paige turns toward me with a mischievous grin.

“So.”

Uh oh. I recognize that tone.

“So what?” I ask cautiously.

Her grin widens. “Is the devil hot?”

“Paige,” I groan.

“What? It’s an important question!”

“He’s a literal devil.”

“Yeah,” she says casually. “But is he a hot devil?”

I hesitate. The memory of Lucas flashes through my mind; His blonde hair, sharp features, and eyes that seemed to hold centuries of secrets.

My cheeks warm. “That’s not the point.”

Paige gasps dramatically. “That means yes!”

I shove her shoulder. “You’re impossible.”

She wiggles her eyebrows. “You totally have a devil kink.”

“I do not!” I protest, heat rushing to my cheeks.

Paige laughs.

Sliding out of the car, I lean down toward the window.“All I know is I want to figure out how to send him back to wherever he came from.”

“Your loss but if you change your mind.” She wiggles her eyebrows again.

I laugh despite myself and shake my head before turning toward my house.

As I walk up the steps, Paige’s convertible roars down the street.

The sudden quiet feels heavy. I unlock the front door and step inside.

Immediately, something feels wrong. A strange, electric sensation crawls across my skin and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Someone is here.

I freeze in the entry way. The living room looks completely normal. Nothing unusual. But the feeling lingers. That same presence from earlier.

My heart begins to pound.

“Lucas?” I call softly.

Silence answers me.

I step further into the room.

“I know you’re here,” I say, trying to sound calmer than I feel.

The air stirs behind me.

A soft breath brushes the back of my neck. “As you wish.” The voice is velvet, low, and dangerously smooth.

I whirl around.

Lucas sits casually on the couch like he’s been there the entire time.

My heart nearly stops. “You followed.”

“I vowed to protect you.” His gaze drifts around the room, studying everything like a predator mapping unfamiliar territory. “This world is… strange.”

“You mean normal?” I mutter.

His eyes return to mine. “For you, perhaps.” He leans back the couch. “But my strength wanes here.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Centuries of imprisonment drain even devils.”

Something flickers across his face, a mixture of exhaustion and frustration.

“Is there a way for you to regain your strength?” I ask carefully.

He hesitates. “There is.”

“And?”

His gaze meets mine. “But it may require more from you than I intended to ask.”

Curiosity sparks inside me. “Tell me.”

Lucas exhales. “Our kind draws power from human vice.”

I blink. “Vice?”

“Wrath. Greed. Lust.” His voice lowers. “When humans indulge these impulses, the energy they create nourishes us.”

“That sounds… concerning.”

“Only if you fear your own nature.”

Silence settles between us.

Lucas watches me.

I walk toward the couch and sit beside him. “What should I do?”

His voice drops to a whisper. “Place your hand on my chest.”

My pulse jumps but I do it. His heartbeat pounds beneath my palm. Then he places his hand against my chest.

The moment our skin connects—Heat surges through my body. Warmth spreads through my veins like wildfire. A strange, intoxicating sensation coils low in my stomach.

Lucas inhales sharply. His eyes flutter shut. Then suddenly—He pulls away.

“What happened?” I ask.

His gaze shifts away. “I saw fragments of your memories.”

My stomach tightens.

“The ones that hurt you,” he whispers.

I look away. Those aren’t memories I want anyone seeing—not even a devil.

“So, which sin did you feed on?” I ask after a moment.

Lucas smiles. “Lust.”

I blink twice. “Lust?”

“Yeah,” he replies, “there was a lot of it.”

Before I can respond—The front door opens.

“Sera, I’m home!”

My blood turns to ice.

Lucas stands instantly. “I will hide.”

And then he disappears.

Gone.

Moments later my mother enters the room. “You have company?”

“No,” I say quickly. “Just studying.”

She eyes me suspiciously but disappears into the kitchen.

I exhale slowly.

That was too close.

Later that night, as I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling—I feel it again.

His presence.

Lucas.

Still here, watching, and under my roof.

I have no idea what that means for my future.

But one thing is certain.

My life is never going back to normal.