Elara POV
The raven came at dawn.
I heard it before I saw it. Wings cutting through the cold morning air. Sharp. Precise. Then a harsh caw that made me jump.
I was still in bed. Still buried under furs. Still burning with fever every time Kaelen left the room.
Mira had brought me water. Soup. Tried to get me to eat. I couldn't. My stomach was twisted in knots. Everything hurts.
The raven landed on the windowsill.
Black feathers. Red eyes. It cocked its head and looked at me. Really looked. Like it could see inside me.
Then it opened its beak. Dropped something.
I heard it hit the stone floor. A wet thud.
Mira screamed.
I forced myself up. Ignoring the pain. Ignoring the fever. I had to see.
A head.
Cut cleanly at the neck. Pale skin already turning gray. Mouth frozen in a scream. The eyes were still open. Still red.
A vampire.
I pressed my hand to my mouth. Tried not to be sick.
The head's lips moved.
No. That was impossible. Dead things don't move.
But the jaw creaked open. And a voice poured out. Not the dead vampire's voice. Someone else's.
Smooth. Cold. Beautiful.
Theron's voice.
"Kaelen. How rude of you to take what's mine without asking."
The words echoed in the room. Wrapped around me like silk.
"I'll give you seven days to reconsider. After that, I'm coming in. And I won't be polite about it."
The head's eyes rolled toward me. Still glowing faint red.
"Oh, and tell Elara I'm thinking of her. I'm sure she can feel it."
The magic snapped. The head crumbled. Turned to ash in seconds.
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think.
Mira ran out of the room. Calling for Kaelen.
I was alone.
With the ash. With the lingering echo of Theron's voice. With the certainty that this wasn't over.
That night, I dreamed.
Not normal dreams. These felt real. Too real.
I was standing in a room made of shadows. No walls. No ceiling. Just darkness stretching in every direction.
And he was there.
Theron materialized out of the shadows like he'd been waiting. He wore black. Simple clothes. Elegant. His pale skin glowed against the darkness. His red eyes burned.
"Hello, little flame."
His voice sent shivers down my spine. Not fear. Something else. Something I didn't want to name.
"This isn't real," I said. My voice echoed. "I'm dreaming."
"Are you?" He stepped closer. Slow. Measured. Like a predator circling. "Or am I in your head? Hard to tell the difference, isn't it?"
He moved around me. Not touching. Just close enough that I could feel him. Could smell him. He smelled like rain and old books and something dark underneath.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"What I've always wanted." He stopped in front of me. Close. Too close. "You."
"You don't even know me."
"Don't I?" He smiled. It wasn't kind. "I know you were made for this. Made to break the rules. Made to survive what should kill you." He reached out. His fingers hovered near my cheek. Not touching. Just close enough to make me shiver. "I know you're terrified. Lost. Angry. And I know Kaelen is using that bond to control you."
"He's not—"
"Isn't he?" Theron's smile widened. "You feel him. Every second. His emotions bleeding into yours. His will pushing into your mind. That's not love, Elara. That's a leash."
The words hit too close. Because he was right. I could feel Kaelen. All the time. His presence in the back of my mind. His emotions mixing with mine until I couldn't tell the difference.
"And what are you offering?" I asked. "Freedom? Or just a different leash?"
"I'm offering you a choice." He finally touched me. Just his fingertips against my jaw. Cold. Gentle. "Come to me willingly. Let me teach you what you are. What you can become. Or stay with him and watch everyone around you burn because he can't protect you."
"You're lying."
"Am I?" His thumb brushed my lower lip. "Tell me, little flame. Do you really think a wolf king can keep you safe from an army of vampires? Do you think his little mountain fortress can hold against me when I decide to take what's mine?"
I wanted to pull away. Wanted to run. But my body wouldn't move. His touch held me frozen.
"Seven days," he whispered. "That's all the patience I have left. After that, I'm coming for you. With or without Kaelen's permission."
He leaned in. His lips brushed against my ear.
"I'll be dreaming of you, Elara. Try not to enjoy it too much."
I woke with a gasp.
My heart was racing. My skin was flushed. And between my legs—
No.
I shoved the feeling away. Refused to acknowledge it.
But my body betrayed me. The crimson mark on my right wrist burned hot. Pulsing. Like it knew. Like it approved.
The door slammed open.
Kaelen stood in the doorway. His face was dark. Furious.
"You dreamed of him."
It wasn't a question. It was an accusation.
I pulled the furs tighter around me. "How do you—"
"I felt it." He crossed the room. Fast. Angry. "Through the bond. Every second. Every—" He stopped. Jaw clenched. "He's in your head now. Pulling you toward him."
"I didn't ask for that."
"Doesn't matter." He grabbed my shoulders. Not rough. But firm. "You need to fight it. Every time he pulls you into a dream, you fight back. Don't let him seduce you into thinking his cage is freedom."
"And yours is different?" The words came out sharper than I meant.
Kaelen flinched. Like I'd hit him.
"I'm trying to protect you."
"By controlling me?"
"By keeping you alive." His grip tightened. "Do you know what he'll do if he gets you? He'll use you. Break you. Turn you into a weapon against everyone you care about."
"And what will you do?" I stared at him. "Keep me locked in this room? Keep me dependent on your touch? Is that better?"
We stared at each other. The silence stretched. Heavy. Tense.
Then he kissed me.
Not gentle. Not asking. He crushed his mouth to mine. Poured everything into it. Rage. Fear. Possessiveness. Need.
The bond between us exploded.
Silver light burst from my left wrist. Crimson from my right. They collided in the air. Twisted together. Created something new. Something that shouldn't exist.
Power detonated.
The room exploded with light. Kaelen flew backward. Hit the wall hard. Stone cracked. He slid to the floor.
I was still in bed. Staring at my hands. Light poured from my palms. Silver and gold and red all twisted together. Beautiful and terrifying.
The air shimmered around me. I could see them now. The threads. Dozens of invisible threads connecting me to Kaelen. Connecting me to Theron. Pulsing with power and emotion and something I couldn't name.
"What did you do?" My voice shook. "Why did you—"
Kaelen pushed himself up. Slowly. His eyes were wide. Shocked.
"You were dreaming of him. I could feel it. I had to—" He stopped. Stared at his hands. At the silver mark on his wrist. "What are you?"
Before I could answer, something wet dripped onto my lap.
Blood.
My blood. Seeping from the marks on my wrists. Black and gold mixed together. Wrong. So wrong.
It hit the white furs. Started spreading.
No.
Not spreading. Moving. The blood moved on its own. Crawling across the fabric like it was alive. Like it had purpose.
We watched. Frozen. As the blood formed shapes.
Letters.
Words written in my own blood.
"BREAK OR BIND".
The words glowed. Pulsed once. Then sank into the fabric and disappeared.
Kaelen and I stared at the spot where they'd been.
"What does that mean?" I whispered.
He didn't answer. Just looked at me with horror and fascination in equal measure.
Because we both knew. Deep down. We both understood.
I had a choice to make.
Break the bonds and risk death.
Or bind myself to one of them and condemn the other.
Seven days.
That's all the time I had left.