The fire had burned down to a low amber glow, casting a soft, flickering light over the forest clearing. Jayden lay on her side, eyes wide open, staring into the shadows that danced along the trees.
They were watching her again.
The ghosts.
Dozens of them. Some blurred and mournful, others monstrous in shape — snarling silently from behind the trees. She could see them clearly now. Clearer than she ever had before.
Azrael sat beneath a tree, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dark. His presence was calm, unmoving — like the night itself listened to him.
She sat up quietly. "Azrael?"
He didn't move. "You should sleep."
"I can't."
A moment passed. Then he stood and walked to her side. He didn't lie beside her, but sat just close enough that his presence warmed the air.
"They're louder," she whispered. "The ghosts. Ever since you touched me... they've gotten worse."
"You see through the veil," Azrael murmured. "Because of me. The mark in your left eye—the silver. It's the residue of death. My death."
Jayden hesitated. "So... I can see them because of you?"
"Yes. But that ability has roots in you already. You were born close to death, cursed from the moment you existed. The moment you breathed."
Her fingers brushed the side of her face. "Am I cursed forever?"
Azrael said nothing at first. Then: "No curse is eternal. Not even yours."
She looked up at him, shadows flickering across his jawline. "Mammoth... said he knows the truth about me. About my birth. That you won't tell me, but he will."
His body stiffened.
"He's in your dreams now?" he asked, voice hard.
Jayden nodded. "Tonight. He whispered to me. Said you're hiding things."
Azrael's expression grew darker. "You listen to that demon, and you'll never know what's real. He twists everything. If you see him again—don't answer. Don't look at him."
"You... are hiding things, though," she said softly.
A pause.
"Yes," he admitted. "But not because I want to. The truth is heavy, and it isn't time yet. But you'll know one day. I promise you that."
Jayden nodded slowly, then gave a weak smile. "I guess I'm really not going to sleep now."
A silence passed, then she straightened. "Let's do something. Anything. I need to get my mind off... everything."
Azrael tilted his head. "Like what?"
She grinned. "Play a game with me."
His brow raised. "I am Death. I don't play games."
"Tonight, you do," she said stubbornly. "It's called truth or dare."
He sighed. "Explain."
Jayden clapped her hands softly, excited. "Simple. I ask you: truth or dare? You pick one. If it's truth, you answer a question honestly. If it's dare, you do what I tell you."
Azrael gave her a look like she'd just invented madness. "Humans are strange."
"Thank you," she replied sweetly. "Now pick."
He rolled his eyes slightly. "Fine. Dare."
Her eyes sparkled. "Take off your hood."
He didn't hesitate. With one graceful motion, the hood slipped back.
Jayden's breath caught.
Underneath the shroud, Azrael was breathtaking. Sharp, otherworldly beauty. Hair dark like shadows, ears pointed like some forgotten fae god, and eyes—molten gold, glowing with something not quite human. He was dangerous, and divine.
"You don't look like death," she whispered.
He smirked faintly. "What did you expect?"
"I don't know. Not this."
He said nothing, and the fire crackled softly between them.
"Your turn," she said quickly. "Truth or dare?"
"Truth."
Jayden's grin faltered as she bit her lip. "Okay... um... have you ever wanted to kiss someone?"
"Yes."
She blinked. "Wait, really?"
Azrael's eyes didn't waver. "I do not lie."
The heat rushed to her cheeks. "O-okay. Next round. Truth or dare?"
"Dare."
Jayden hesitated. Her heart thudded.
"I dare you to... let me kiss you."
The silence dropped like a blade.
Her mouth opened. "Wait—! I didn't mean—I was joking!"
Azrael leaned closer, just enough to cast her in shadow.
"You're the one who wanted it," he murmured, voice low, dark, and deliberate. "And now you're backing down... little doll?"
Her breath hitched. "I—I wasn't backing down—!"
He smirked, and something about the way he looked at her made her entire body flush. He rose slowly to his feet, standing over her.
"Thought so."
Jayden stared at the fire as if it could ground her, but it did nothing to stop her racing pulse.
He turned his back and walked a few steps away, but his voice drifted again, softer this time—like a thread pulling her in.
"I enjoy watching you squirm. You're mine, little doll. Whether you realize it or not."
Jayden didn't sleep for a long time after that. Not because of ghosts. Not because of fear.
But because of him.
And the way his words played over and over in her head.
You're mine.