The silence in Eden's cell was suffocating. The walls closed in around him, each breath more strained than the last. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, but he tried to quiet it. The room was pitch black. His blindness made the shadows feel more oppressive. Every minute felt like an hour as he sat, knees drawn to his chest, back against the cold stone wall.
The door to his cell creaked open, and Eden's pulse quickened, his body immediately tense. Even without sight, he could feel Darian's presence in the air—heavy, consuming, like a storm cloud gathering before a downpour.
The soft click of boots on stone floors echoed, slow and deliberate, each step making Eden's heart race faster. The tension was palpable. Eden could almost smell the Prince's presence—his scent of pine and citrus, blending with the musk of the castle's cold stone.
Eden's hands clenched into fists in his lap, his nails digging into his palms as he tried to control his emotions. He refused to show fear and refused to let Darian see how much the Prince's presence still affected him.
Darian stopped in front of him. Eden could feel the heat radiating from his body and his breath caught in his throat.
"You don't have to be afraid," Darian's voice was low, almost soothing in its calmness. But Eden knew better. There was a darkness behind those words that sent a chill down his spine.
"I'm not afraid of you," Eden replied, his voice more forceful than he felt inside. His pulse still hammered, his body still trembling with the residual panic of being trapped in the same cell, but he wouldn't give Darian the satisfaction of seeing it.
Darian laughed softly, a sound that sent shivers through Eden. "Lying won't get you anywhere, Eden."
The Prince crouched down to his level, his fingers brushing against Eden's arm in a touch so light it could have been a phantom, if not for the heat of it. Eden flinched at the contact, but he refused to move.
Eden didn't respond. He couldn't, not when every part of his body screamed at him to fight against the magnetic pull of Darian's closeness. Darian had used him, humiliated him, and now he was here again, taunting him with his mere presence.
"You think I don't see it?" Darian said, his voice a whisper, low and intimate. "You can't resist me, Eden. Even now, you're still drawn to me."
Eden swallowed hard, his throat dry. His heart was still pounding, each beat louder than the last. His mind screamed at him to push Darian away, to reject him—but his body betrayed him. Despite everything, there was something in Darian's voice that made him shiver, which made him want to lean into the warmth, the power, the promise that the Prince carried with him.
"I don't need you," Eden said, barely above a whisper. "I don't need anyone."
Darian's fingers traced the back of his neck, sending a bolt of heat through Eden's body. His touch was maddening, even though Eden couldn't see it. He could feel every movement, the subtle shift in the air when Darian leaned closer.
"But you want me," Darian's voice was full of certainty, an almost cruel edge to it. "You've wanted me from the start, Eden. You've always been mine."
The words hit Eden like a blow. He couldn't deny it—couldn't deny that part of him, deep inside, was drawn to the Prince. It disgusted him. It terrified him. And yet, there was something magnetic about Darian, something that Eden couldn't turn away from, even if he wanted to.
He clenched his fists tighter, trying to push the feelings down, to bury them beneath the pain, beneath the anger, beneath everything that had been done to him.
"No..." Eden whispered again, this time more to himself than Darian. "I'm not yours."
Darian was silent for a moment. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he leaned in close enough for Eden to feel the warmth of his breath on his skin.
"You will be," Darian murmured, his lips almost brushing Eden's ear. "In time, you will be mine."
Eden's breath caught. He felt the crushing weight of Darian's words, and for a fleeting moment, he wondered if he was right.
But no. He couldn't let himself think that. He couldn't.
"I won't be your prisoner forever," Eden said, his voice full of defiance. "I'll escape again."
Darian chuckled softly, the sound dark and knowing. "You will try," he replied. "But this time, you won't get far. I'll make sure of it."
Eden's pulse spiked again, but he refused to let the fear take hold. He would get away. He had to.
"What do you want from me?" Eden asked, his voice trembling despite himself.
Darian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned in closer, his lips brushing Eden's ear again. "I don't want anything from you... not yet. But you'll come to me. You'll see Eden. You'll understand why you can't leave."
Eden shuddered at the intimacy of the words. He hated that they made his chest ache. He hated how his heart quickened at the sound of Darian's voice at the weight of his presence. But he had no choice but to listen, to endure.
The Prince stood slowly, his hand lingering on Eden's shoulder for just a moment longer before pulling away. Eden didn't react, keeping his face turned away, refusing to acknowledge the ache in his chest.
"Rest now," Darian said softly, almost mockingly. "I'll be back later."
The door to the cell creaked open, and Eden flinched at the sudden light spilling in from the hallway.
The last thing he heard before the door slammed shut was Darian's voice, a quiet command that sent a shiver down his spine.
"You're not alone, Eden. Not anymore."