Chapter 32 – His First Queen
Lux tilted his head slightly, lips still curled in that knowing smile. "Come with me," he whispered.
Naomi said nothing. Just nodded.
He led her to the far side of the rooftop terrace—past the archways, around the marble planter blooming with enchanted moon roses. It was still outside, still beneath the stars, but tucked into the far right corner where shadows pooled and the flickering light didn't quite reach.
Behind them stood a glass wall, warm with subtle enchantments. It separated them from the lounge, muffling sound and sight just enough to make it private.
Lux stopped. Turned.
Now he was the one with his back to the wall, the city below stretching endlessly behind Naomi.
He pulled her gently in by the waist. Hands light but firm. Possessive in that unspoken way that made her breath catch.
She placed her palms on his chest.
His eyes—those glimmering crimson things—searched hers for a second.
"Just relax," Lux whispered. His voice was low, like velvet soaked in sin. "It won't hurt."
Naomi swallowed hard. "I'm trying…"
Then he kissed her.
Not soft.
Not sweet.
This wasn't romantic.
This was powerful.
His mouth claimed hers with no hesitation, his tongue pressing past her lips as his fingers dug into her waist, grounding her. His kiss wasn't to taste—
It was to transfer.
Naomi gasped softly against him as she felt it.
A warmth.
No—a force—climbing her from the ground up.
It started at her feet. A surge of heat and weight. Like something ancient had been poured through the cracks of her skin. It moved up her thighs, pulsing higher through her hips, then her chest, her spine, her neck.
Her fingers clutched his coat reflexively.
Her knees buckled just slightly.
"Hnn…" Naomi moaned against his mouth. Her heart pounded so fast she thought it might explode.
Lux didn't stop.
He only pulled her tighter, deepening the kiss for one last moment before breaking it—his breath brushing across her lips.
Then his mouth moved.
Down her jaw.
To her throat.
He kissed her neck once—slow, sensual.
Then again.
Then lower.
One of his hands moved up her side and tugged the fabric of her dress down slightly. Smooth. Skilled. Like he'd done this a hundred times—but it still felt personal. Her right shoulder came free, the silk pooling slightly at the curve of her upper arm.
Naomi blushed, instinctively covering her chest with one hand.
But Lux didn't go there.
His mouth hovered over the exposed skin of her shoulder blade.
His breath was hot.
And then—
He kissed it. Soft at first. Then firm.
Then, his lips parted—
And he bit.
Naomi gasped.
Not from pain.
But from the strange mix of sensation that flooded her like lightning wrapped in ecstasy.
A sharp sting. A searing pulse. Then a warmth that exploded through her ribs like a star being born in her bones.
Lux's fangs pierced just deep enough to mark.
And as blood touched tongue, he whispered directly against her skin:
"Devil's Blessing."
A shockwave of mana burst from where his mouth met her shoulder. Silent. Invisible. But the entire terrace shivered with it.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
[Permanent Pact Established: Naomi Delacour]
[Title Earned: Hell's Marked Heiress]
[You are now under Devil's Blessing Protection]
[Analyzing Bloodline…]
[Legacy Signature Detected: Sealed Noble-Bloodline – Variant: Demon–Void Hybrid]
[Enhancing compatibility… Success.]
[Unlocked Skill: Greedborn Rapier]
[Bound Weapon: Manifest a gold-forged rapier infused with sin-energy, capable of piercing divine wards and corrupting demonic cores. Critical damage increases against Celestial and Infernal entities.]
[New Offensive Enhancements Applied:]
[Power Surge: +60% Damage Boost on first strike after weapon summon]
[Predator's Agility: +45% Movement Speed & Attack Speed while targeting a supernatural entity]
[Soul Rend: +35% Critical Chance against shielded enemies]
[New Active Skill: Chain Severance]
[A rapid three-hit combo that weakens divine contracts, buffs, or bindings on contact. Can dispel angelic blessings and infernal bindings within a 5-meter radius.]
[Passive Skill: Aura Veil]
[Masks pact signature and demonic resonance from all non-tiered perception.]
[Passive Skill: Pact Echo]
[While within 25 meters of Lux Vaelthorn, Naomi's attack power scales with his aura (+25% bonus scaling). If Lux is harmed, Naomi's next strike deals true damage.]
Naomi staggered slightly.
The blade appeared in her mind's eye—gold and slim, shimmering with engravings she didn't recognize but felt were hers. A rapier unlike anything crafted on Earth. It whispered her name in a foreign tongue. Ancient. Powerful.
Her hands trembled.
"…Lux…" she breathed, eyes wide.
He gently pulled his lips away from her skin. The bite was clean—perfect—like a carved crest etched into her shoulder blade.
When she looked up—
His smirk was still there.
But now it was deeper.
Richer.
Satisfied.
And his eyes?
They weren't just red.
They burned.
On the other side of the glass— They saw it.
They'd been watching from the moment he took her hand.
Mira leaned half-hidden behind a rose-covered column. Fiera crouched behind her, eyes wide. Rava's hands were gripping the edge of the glass. Elyndra stood perfectly still—but her pupils were dilated, her breathing quiet and very focused.
They'd all watched the kiss.
At first, they thought it was just a heated kiss—intense, sure, but nothing surprising for a man like Lux.
Then they saw her shoulder.
Then—his bite.
The faint glow.
"Is he…?" Fiera whispered, breathless.
"Oh my gods," Mira murmured, her voice catching.
When Lux pulled back, the mark shimmered—deep crimson, like burning ink pressed into silk.
Then he turned.
Right to the glass.
To them.
And smirked.
His glowing eyes locked with theirs like he'd known—the entire time.
Fiera's face flushed instantly. She bit her lower lip, heart pounding. "He knew we were watching…"
"He's challenging us," Mira said softly, almost blushing herself.
Rava's nails dug into the frame. Her tentacles flicked beneath her sleeves, breath caught in her throat.
Even Elyndra—always poised—bit down gently on her lip, her cool mask faltering.
None of them moved.
None of them spoke.
They could still feel the heat of his eyes.
And none of them could look away.
Because the devil?
Just claimed his first queen.
And made sure the others saw it.