The mansion was silent, but the stillness carried weight, as though even the shadows obeyed Asher's command. Mia stirred beneath the silk sheets, the faint pulse of the crimson mark on her wrist a constant reminder that nothing in her life would ever be the same. She felt… him. Not just his presence in the room, but a sharp, almost electric awareness of his emotions. Fear, possessiveness, restrained fury — all coursing through her like invisible tendrils.
She gasped, clutching the sheets, trying to pull her thoughts together. The bond had begun to work immediately, tethering her mind to his, making her body respond in ways she didn't understand. She shivered, the strange pull making her feel simultaneously safe and exposed.
And then a voice, deep, commanding, carried not from the hall but from within her own chest.
Mia…
She froze. He's here… but I can feel him…
Her pulse spiked. The bond pulsed like fire beneath her skin, thrumming in time with her heart. Something inside her was stirring — fear mixed with a strange longing she couldn't name. She felt his anger, simmering beneath control, like a storm waiting to break.
Meanwhile, far below, in the underground dungeon, the source of that anger made itself clear. A vampire crouched against the stone wall, eyes wide in terror. His arrogance from earlier — daring to question Asher's claim over a human bride — had evaporated in the presence of the prince. Asher's steps echoed through the cavern, measured, inevitable, the shadows stretching like claws toward the trembling figure.
"You," Asher's voice cut through the damp air, low and smooth as obsidian, "Dared question her. Dared forget that I see all, and I remember more than anyone should."
The vampire trembled, muttering apologies that slipped into the stone-cold air. "I… I meant no disrespect, my lord… I—"
But Asher didn't respond. He simply circled the room, every movement precise, elegant, and threatening. The torches along the walls flickered as though they sensed the malevolence in his presence. Every shadow bent toward him, every whisper of wind carrying his dominance.
Through the bond, Mia felt it all. The cold fury that radiated from him. The quiet, terrifying control. She felt her stomach twist, her body quivering as if it mirrored his rage. A strange heat coursed through her, unbidden and impossible to ignore.
"You will understand the price of defiance," Asher murmured. His hand rose, almost lazily, but the aura around him tightened, oppressive and inescapable. The vampire gasped, chest rising and falling rapidly. "Pain is not always physical. Some of the most exquisite torment comes from knowing how small, how fragile you are… and how inevitable your defeat is."
Mia's breath hitched, her cheeks flushed, and yet she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sensation coursing through her. She wanted to flee, to shove it away, but the bond tethered her attention to him, her body alert, her senses stretched.
The vampire in the dungeon whimpered as Asher's gaze bore into him, each step measured to evoke terror before any touch was made. "Do you know what it means to question and disrespect what is mine?" Asher asked, his voice a soft whisper that cut deeper than any blade. "To doubt it, to mock it, to imagine you could challenge it?"
The vampire shook violently. "I… I… I know, my lord. Please…"
Asher's lips curved into a thin, predatory smile. "Please, what?"
"Please… forgive me…"
The prince's laugh was quiet but deadly, echoing through the stone corridors. "Forgive you?" He leaned closer, and Mia, despite herself, felt the pull in her chest as the bond amplified every vibration of his rage. "You are nothing. Nothing. And yet, I take care to make even nothing understand."
The vampire's back arched instinctively as Asher's presence seemed to push the air itself against him. Mia could feel it — the cold weight of dominance, the subtle vibration of fury coursing through the prince, linking her to it. Her pulse raced, her stomach twisted, and a wave of heat rolled through her, unnerving and undeniable.
Minutes passed. The silence was punctuated only by the restrained whispers of Asher's voice, a lesson delivered with invisible force. Then the prince finally straightened, towering over the trembling vampire. "You will never question her worth again," he said, every word sharp, final. "And if you do… you will wish you were dead before I arrive to claim you."
The shadows seemed to shiver around him, and the vampire collapsed, trembling and speechless. Asher's gaze flicked upward — and Mia, still in her chambers, felt the echo of it in her very soul. The bond flared warmly, pulling her thoughts toward him even as terror and fascination warred within her.
She staggered to a chair, pressing her hands to her wrists, feeling the faint warmth where the mark glimmered. I can feel him… every pulse, every thought… every moment of that anger. She swallowed hard, heart hammering. The power of it both terrified and thrilled her.
Asher returned to her chambers moments later, silent, a predator returning to its claim. His dark eyes found hers immediately, and she couldn't look away. "Did you feel it?" he asked softly, voice low and intimate.
Mia nodded, voice barely audible. "Yes… I felt… everything."
He stepped closer, and she felt the bond thrum stronger, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with his measured, steady heartbeat. "Good," he murmured. "That's the bond. It connects us. You'll feel my emotions, my rage, my pleasure, my… desires. And I'll feel yours."
Her breath caught. "Why… why would you do that?"
"Because it is survival," he said, voice firm, commanding. "Because it is protection. And because it is inevitable. You are mine now, Mia. And this world will try to test that. You will learn what it means to be Valerius's bride."
He moved closer, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from him, a mixture of restraint and dominance. His hand brushed hers lightly, almost tender, but enough to make her pulse spike. "Do not fear me completely," he whispered, "fear what the world would do without me."
Mia's thoughts spun. Fear, fascination, and an unnameable pull collided within her. She wanted to retreat, to resist, but the bond tied her to him — her body, her mind, her emotions — and she felt an involuntary shiver of longing.
Asher studied her, reading her confusion, her reaction to the dungeon scene, the bond, and the unspoken attraction. "You will understand," he murmured, "why I must protect you so fiercely. And why anyone who dares touch what is mine…" He let the threat linger in the air, as heavy as the shadows themselves.
Mia swallowed, trembling. "I… I don't know if I can handle all of this."
He smiled faintly, a dangerous, predatory curl of his lips. "You already are, kitten. You survived last night. You survived today. And soon… you will realize that being mine is the only way to survive at all."
The bond pulsed again, faintly warm, alive beneath her skin. And in that moment, she understood — her life, her body, and her very soul were now irrevocably tied to the vampire prince who both terrified and captivated her beyond reason.
The mansion's shadows stretched longer, the dungeon's echoes faded, and Mia knew one immutable truth: in Asher's world, there was no escape. Only the bond. Only him. Only the dangerous, intoxicating pull she could neither fight nor ignore.