The House had grown quiet in a way that was worse than noise. Every creak of the floor, every whisper of the wind, felt amplified, echoing inside Adrian's chest like the shard itself had become a drumbeat. Shadows twisted along the walls, curling like smoke, and the mirrors that lined the hallway now reflected not just him, but Selene—her image glowing in every pane, moving with impossible grace, her crimson gown flowing like liquid flame.
Cassia clung to his arm, her warmth a fragile tether to reality. "Adrian, please… don't let it—don't let it take you." Her voice trembled, urgent, desperate, but there was also that familiar steadfastness that had always kept him grounded.
Selene's gaze locked on his, eyes dark and smoldering. She stepped closer, each movement deliberate, her heat brushing against him. "Do you feel it, Adrian?" she murmured. "The pull? The hunger? I can see it in your veins, the shard's echo—how it trembles at the thought of surrender. Don't fight it too hard… or you'll miss what you could be."
Adrian swallowed hard. The shard pulsed beneath his chest like a living thing, urging him, feeding on the tension between desire and restraint. His breath came faster, shallow, each heartbeat hammering against his ribs. He wanted to resist—he had resisted before—but Selene's presence was different now, more intimate, more dangerous.
"I… I can't," he whispered, shaking his head, though his hands betrayed him, brushing the air as if drawn to her.
Selene's lips curved into a slow, knowing smile. "Can't? Or won't? There's a difference, Adrian. And I know which you really mean." She reached out, and her fingers grazed the side of his jaw, feather-light but scorching. The shard flared in response, white-hot beneath his skin, racing through his veins like liquid fire.
Cassia pressed herself against his side, voice trembling. "Stop… please. Don't let her—don't let it take you."
Adrian's mind spun. The mirrors reflected not just Selene, but himself—himself giving in, surrendering, drinking in the temptation. In one reflection, Selene's eyes were liquid fire, drawing him in. In another, shadows formed shapes around them, tendrils of darkness brushing against his skin, brushing against his resolve.
And then, before he could think, before he could push it away, his body betrayed him. He took a small, trembling step toward Selene. His chest throbbed, breath ragged, and the shard surged, responding to every flicker of desire.
Selene's hand found his, warm and demanding. Her eyes never left his, dark and unyielding, yet something softer lurked in the depths—a promise, a challenge, a seduction. "Yes," she whispered. "Just one touch. Let yourself feel. I won't break you… unless you want me to."
Adrian's fingers brushed hers, and heat shot through him like a lightning strike. The shard pulsed, hunger echoing in his bones, urging him to let go, to follow the pull. He staggered slightly, leaning toward her, chest rising and falling, mind clouded with a heady mixture of fear, longing, and lust.
Cassia cried out, voice sharp, shattering the haze. "Adrian! Stop! Don't give in!" She pressed herself against him, hands clutching his chest, trying to anchor him, trying to pull him back from the brink.
The shard flared in rebellion, thrumming beneath his skin, and the mirrors all shimmered, reflecting not just Selene or himself, but infinite variations of temptation. Every reflection pulled at him differently: Selene's fire, Cassia's purity, the shadowed hunger offering limitless indulgence. His knees weakened, his mind dizzy, body trembling as if the very House had reached into him and tugged.
Adrian's lips parted, as though he might speak, but no words came. Only the white-hot pulse of the shard and Selene's breath against his ear, soft and sultry. "You want this, Adrian. Don't lie to yourself. You crave it… you need it… I can feel it. And I can give it to you."
His hand twitched, hovering near hers. Desire surged like a tide he could no longer hold back, the shard responding like a living thing, urging him into surrender. His chest heaved; sweat dampened his temples, and the weight of his hunger pressed against every nerve.
Cassia's grip tightened, pulling him backward slightly, and he felt a clash inside him—fire and light, shadow and warmth—pulling him in opposite directions. For the first time, he faltered. He reached out again, toward Selene, toward the temptation, letting a small part of himself fall into the shard's intoxicating pull.
Selene's lips curved triumphantly, her hand brushing against his chest, close to the mark. The shard pulsed violently, heat and longing spiraling through him. For a moment, Adrian felt it—pure, burning desire, alive in every nerve ending, almost intoxicating in its intensity. He trembled, caught between indulgence and restraint, mind clouded by lust and fear.
Then came Cassia's voice, soft but insistent, like a lifeline in a storm. "Adrian… remember who you are. Remember me. Don't let it consume you."
The shard pulsed again, furious, almost shouting in its hunger. Adrian's body shook. He was on the edge—wanting, aching, caught in the web of Selene's fire and the House's hunger. But he felt Cassia's warmth, her resolve, her presence anchoring him.
With a violent effort, he tore his hand away from Selene's, staggering back. His chest heaved, sweat pouring down his face. The shard flared one last time, then receded slightly, as though respecting his partial restraint. Selene's eyes narrowed, a mixture of frustration, desire, and admiration shining through.
"You faltered," she said softly, voice low and dangerous, "and yet… you resisted, at least enough to keep your mind."
Cassia wrapped her arms around him, pressing her forehead to his chest. "It's okay. You're still you. You stumbled, but you didn't fall completely." Her voice trembled with emotion, grounding him.
Adrian sank to his knees, trembling, chest pounding, shards of lust still lingering like embers in his veins. He breathed shakily, trying to recover, trying to gather himself. His hands pressed over the mark, feeling the shard's pulse—hungry, watchful, waiting.
Selene knelt in front of him, close enough that he could feel the heat radiating from her. Her gaze softened slightly, almost tender, though the fire in her eyes remained. "Do you see now, Adrian? Desire is not weakness… it is power. But power is dangerous when it tempts without restraint."
Adrian nodded weakly, shivering. "I… I know… I can't let it… I won't…"
Cassia held him tighter. "You're not alone. You don't have to give in completely. We face it together."
Selene's lips curved in a small, dangerous smile. "For now."
The mirrors rippled once more, but the reflections were less insistent, less sharp. The shard's pulse in his chest slowed slightly, though he could still feel it—a living, watching thing, waiting for the next indulgence, the next moment of weakness.
And Adrian knew, with every fiber of his being, that the House was far from finished.