The zip ties had left my wrists stinging.
They shoved me into the back of a sleek, dark SUV. The windows were tinted, and the floor showed the wear of heavy boots. One of the guards got in behind me, the other went to the front. Mateo didn't say anything, or even glance my way.
The silence was suffocating.
"Thirty seconds," I said, my voice strained. "Where's my sister?"
Mateo didn't react. His pale eyes remained fixed on the city outside. "She's fine. For the time being."
"That's not a real answer."
He finally turned to face me. Calm. Cold. "You're not in a position to be demanding anything."
I leaned forward, rage building inside me. "You think dragging me out of the Pit and mentioning my sister will break me?"
"No," he said. "But this might."
The SUV stopped. The back doors opened.
The estate was nothing like I'd pictured. Black iron gates, ivy-covered walls, a mansion that predated the city itself. Everything felt like it was steeped in money, death, and control. The kind of place where secrets went to die.
They led me past silent guards and deeper into the house. No one spoke.
Inside, it was colder. High ceilings. Dark tile floors. Gold decorations that gleamed like warnings. At the end of a long hallway was a door carved with a serpent swallowing its own tail.
Mateo pushed it open.
Candles flickered around a stone altar.
Nobody had mentioned anything about a cult.
"Is this some kind of joke?" I asked, my heart pounding.
Mateo stepped aside. "Come forward."
"I'm not swearing to anything until I see Lena."
"You will. After the ritual."
I backed away. "Ritual?"
He studied me. "You want to keep your sister safe? Then you'll bind yourself to me. A blood oath. No lies. No way out."
I laughed, but it sounded forced. "And what if I refuse?"
He moved closer. "Then I'll tear the truth from your throat and let your sister die in her sleep."
A beat of silence. Two.
I sighed. "Fine. What do you need—blood? Some magic words?"
He pulled a thin blade from inside his coat and handed it to me. "Just your choice."
I took the blade.
And I cut myself.
First across my palm—a quick, shallow slice. Blood welled up quickly.
He did the same.
We clasped hands, our blood mixing together.
For a moment—nothing happened.
Then the magic slammed into me.
My knees gave way. The room spun. I caught myself on one hand, gasping for air. It felt like someone had punched a hole in my chest and taken my heart with them.
I could feel him.
Mateo.
His pulse ran through mine—steady, controlled, completely wrong. I tasted smoke. I heard his breath. I felt his anger as if it were my own.
I jerked away, tearing my hand back.
"What did you do?"
He wiped the blood from his hand. "I've linked you to me. You run, I'll feel it. You lie, I'll know it. You betray me… and it'll kill you."
I scrambled to my feet, clutching my aching chest. "You're insane."
He tilted his head. "You'll get used to it."
A side door opened slightly. Valentina walked in—black suit, long braid, expressionless face. She nodded to Mateo. "The pendant's ready."
He took something from her—a small iron locket, engraved with ancient symbols. He put it around my neck before I could stop him.
It clicked shut. Magic pulsed outward.
I screamed.
Not from physical pain—but from violation.
The connection strengthened.
And for a moment, I couldn't tell where I ended and he began.
His thoughts brushed against the edge of my mind. My fingers twitched as if they weren't mine. I saw Lena—briefly—sleeping, strapped to a hospital bed, her breathing shallow.
He was showing me.
Then it was gone.
I grabbed his shirt. "Where is she?"
He peeled my hand away as if I were made of paper. "She's safe. As long as you belong to me."
His words stirred something deep inside me.
Not fear. Not anger.
Something worse.
Powerlessness.
Valentina handed me some clean clothes. "You'll need to clean yourself up. You meet the council in two hours."
Mateo nodded. "You'll be introduced as my second. They'll believe it."
"Why?" I asked. "Why me?"
He walked to the door, pausing before he left.
"Because I needed someone strong enough to survive the bond… and reckless enough to use it."
The door clicked shut behind him.
And I was left alone in a room filled with burning candles, wearing his magic like a chain around my neck.