Chapter 3

The mildness of the rain hitting against tombstones provided Ariana grim comfort. It was curious to see a beautiful, young woman alone in a graveyard in a light downpour walking in the soaked grass and reading of the names of the deceased victims tucked away forever in the frigid earth.

There was a foreboding sense creeping through her bones, a harrowing coldness that rose deep within her as she rubbed a glove on a stone cross with delicate touch. She felt the calling down of familiar evil lurks in the darknesses of the metropolis.

All the citizens became targeted, making her feel on the edge as death brushed over the untouched ground beneath her heeled boots.

Anticipation rose in her veins with uncertainty gleaming in her gloomy eyes, she stretched out her neck and faced over her tensed shoulder. There's a vague sense that something was hiding in the duskiness of the obscurity behind the markers-a hellish atmosphere.

Arianna listened to the nearing heart beats as traffic sped across the gated entrance, her lips stiffened as unsteady exhalations of breath caught fire from her lungs, her eyes moved around into a shade of unfriendly blue as she cast an intimating glare to the graves behind her. She whirled on her heel, adrenaline surging in her veins and body preparing for lethal attacks on her attacker.

She allowed her intense orbs to drift, darkness was gripping her moral strength, she swayed her curves slowly to oval-shaped headstone, hand clutching into a fist. Rain dripped over her scowling lips, making her taste the murky water trickle down her throat.

Heart beat was becoming harder as she advanced with encroaching steps, a growl bubbled up her throat, cheeks became raw as she crouched lower with a piercing glare of darkened blue. Enveloped in a pall of dread and with her lips curled at the edges, she could smell blood pulsing through youthful veins in front of her, an uncontrolled and desiring craving melting against her gums.

Slowly, she felt it happen, and willed herself to become away from temptation, stepping back just a fraction of an inch and lifting her arm to her mouth as her ghostly pale absorbed the drops of water splashing at her expression.

She dared her eyes to glimpse at the prey-an old man in a waterlogged trench coat, laying a bouquet of pink wines on the tomb of his departed wife, she appeared at the inner sorrow etched in the creases on his haggard look. She thought with a trepidation beating in her skull, maybe, he wanted to die. Should I give the of heart of grieving man peace and finally allow him to see his love? But no, she tore face away, with sharp-hawkish features, clenching as tight as ever, tears smoldering in her eyes and pale skin darkened by malice.

Out of condemning herself as a traitor to her promise, Ariana hung her head in silence.

When will I have the freedom? I want to live in the light and not in the darkness, she thought darkly to herself, feeling the coldness pain in her heart. She removed a silver locket from her coat pocket, opening it up, she narrowed a despairing gaze at the picture of her mother-the only memory of her childhood that was kept in this world.

Just as she was about to put her words and passing words of sadness, a quiet voice brought her back to reality.

"Ariana. Sorry I'm late."

Ariana clutched the locket in fist tightly, placing her hand behind her back and she froze. As she blinked her eyes against the splashes of rain hitting her lashes as she felt loose, drenched strands of auburn stick to her cheeks. She tightened her lips into a friendly smirk and in vain brushed the hair off her face. She focused her gaze at a tombstone, trying to regain her fierce semblance, she concentrated on the grim outcome of this meeting.

Weakness, she thought fiercely, eyes stared cold and calculating. A dangerous choice to gamble.

She had to grasp the control of the arising situation, not allow him to have dominion of her. "Good afternoon, Mr. Wayne," she answered with a velvety purr of temperance seduction in her voice as she twisted her body fully and met his hooded gaze undertone sloppy tendrils cascading over his brow.

She slipped the locket back into her pocket.

Bruce casualty strolled in front of her, empty-handed without an umbrella which was surprising and struck her with curiosity. Ariana took a momentarily sweep of her eyes over his body. Overcoat hung on his broad shoulders, dark denim fitted snug over his slender waist, and his drenched chestnut hair had a natural wave as strands hovered over his dark hazel green eyes. His lips pursed with a faint line at the edge as he merely gazed at her with changeless shimmer in his penetrating stare.

"My butler told me it wasn't raining this afternoon," he said with an uncharacteristic hollow chuckle, ghosting over his beautiful shaped lips. "Never trust Gotham news."

I don't mind the rain," she muttered under her breath, narrowing her eyes to a tombstone. "It's applies a certain comfort to me."

"After living in Gotham," he released a deep exhale as he drawled, "You get used to the weather patterns around here."

She stared at him, her eyes searching deeper and he instinctively stepped closer to her with a warm smile, "Do you want to get out the rain?"

"Don't tell me the billionaire playboy is afraid that a little rain to wash out his good looks," she smirked with a teasing gleam, placing her gloved hand on his shoulder. "We can't have that."

He nodded, feeling the urge to laugh, nonchalantly "No, we can't because my looks are priceless to lose."

She rolled her eyes at him, " I think they call you Bruce Vain instead of Bruce Wayne."

His smug grin widened at her retort, "That's a good name for me."

She crossed her arms over her chest, "If we were to get out the rain where would we go to dry off?"

He paused for a moment, "That's a good question," he said, pursing his lips. "You're probably not into the whole romantic scenery at some of the restaurants that I own. I own a lot." He ran his hand through his soaked locks, Ariana smirked gently, and then placed a finger on his soft lips.

"You don't have to waste all your money on me, Mr. Wayne," she replied, looking into his steady eyes. "I like simple cup of tea."

"Tea?" he arched one brow, pondering deeply. "You mean like at a coffee shop?"

She nodded, asking with a creamy voice, that made his heart gallop in his chest. "Your city has a few?"

"I think so." he answered with a hazy voice, briefly swiping his piercing gaze at the street. " I don't really get that much as I'm entitled to."

You're not the only one, playboy." She smirked defiantly, and supplied him with a touch of wistfulness.

"I guess we're both in need of..." He paused in mid-sentence, his hand caressed over her cheek as he brushed off a strand of hair, tucking it gently behind her ear as he invaded her space. A blast of thunder made her jump out of her dogs as her soft breasts collided with his and arms wrapped over his neck as she slung herself over his shoulders with a tight hug.

His hand involuntarily stroked tentatively over her tangled mess of hair, feeling the coldness of her body against his touch, "Don't tell me you're afraid of storms?

"Why does that matter to you?" she spat, body urging to pull her away from him. She glared up into his eyes with infuriated steel-blue orbs, pinning him with unguarded rage in her gaze. "Storms frightened me." she growled out a ragged breath, crossing her arms protectively over her slender torso."They were my childhood dread." She chewed on her bottom lip, inwardly cursing to herself for revealing too much. "A lot of people fear the random things like spiders and bats."

Bruce's own hazel eyes darkened at her words. "You're afraid of bats?" he questioned.

Ariana withdrew a step back, and rubbed her finger over the smooth stone of a grave. "I don't fear those ordinary things that our eyes see every day or night." she murmured. "I fear what our eyes don't see." She watched his semblance change into something familiar and unknown. "There are monsters out there, Mr. Wayne. Some of them walk on the very streets at this moment. You have to become aware of your surroundings and see beyond the veil because underneath the deception there is great threat which harbors the truth out of us if we don't masked it."

Bruce suddenly became tight-lipped about this, as he dropped his gaze to his the puddles forming underneath his soaked feet. Ariana leaned in closer, allowing him to breathe in her scent of vanilla and cherry, as he lifted his eyes with a soulful gaze and felt a fever gush in his veins in the momentary silence when he stared into the depth of shadowed blue mixed with swirls of dishearten gray.

He never experienced that in a woman before, almost like she slowly unveiled her soul to him as he searched beyond the hidden despair.

Everything around him blurred in that instantly he felt her hand rest heat in the center of his chest. He ran his fingers through the bunches of wet curls of her hair and listened to the thunder rumble into low hums in his ears. "Ariana," he said, hot breath ghosting over her pale skin.

"You are..." He felt the air in his lung hitch as looked, deeply and sincerely into her eyes. "What I meant to say, is that you are a remarkable and intensely beautiful woman who I have ever met." He became flourished with his words, expecting to react to his opened feelings. Expecting her to walk away and leave his bleeding, scattered heart to wash away in the rain.

Instead, she did something unexpected, she placed her fingers lightly over his chiseled jaw, and whispered out words of relief to his tortured soul. "Don't tell me that you're afraid to kiss me, Mr. Wayne?"

Bruce closed his eyes, feeling the beads of rain on his lids, as he leaned in closer to her and slowly covered her mouth with the warmth of his lips. She tasted like silk, chocolate and mint in his mouth when he felt her lips move underneath his own as he locked them into a hard and long kiss. His hands gripped her shoulders with firmness as the smoldering water of her lips melted against his tongue. She was a gorgeous creature to grasp in his strength, to hold close to his heart as he felt the pain and ache in his bones dissolve within her. He inhaled sharply against her skin, listening to sincere breaths as he drowned her silent hums of acceptance with a throaty growl as he deepened into the unexplained passion coursing through their bodies.

They parted, meeting the others' gaze and panting for fresh air.

Bruce smiled tenderly and dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek as he whispered with a savory rasp against the shell of her ear, "Do you want to get some coffee now?"

"Tea." she replied half hesitantly, her ruby lips glossed with the mist drops of rain as she smirked. He mirrored it.

"How about we go out for dinner?" he said with an infectious smile, his upper canines gleamed and hazel eyes became a soften hue of green. She nodded in agreement and smiled.

"Alright, Mr. Wayne." she twisted around on her heels. "Impress me with a famous cuisine of Gotham."

"I own a place with an exceptional menu, " he replied with a smug grin, interlacing his fingers with hers.

Ariana stared down at their entwining hands, feeling the empty void in her heart filled with warmth.

Weakness.

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and supporting this story. Things will heat up in the coming chapters with more romance and a nasty group of villains. I have one question to leave with you guys to answer for the next update:

What do you guys think Ariana is cursed as?