From the deepest corridors, new rivals emerged. Immortals who had been waiting centuries had tracked the pulse of her awakening power. Their eyes glowed red-gold, molten with fury. Seris stood firm, shadows coiling from the walls like serpents ready to strike.
Mason's presence flared behind her, protective and obsessive. He did not command her actions but amplified them, threading the tether of obsession deeper with every strike, every spark of her defiance. Together, they fought, a storm of darkness and power.
When the last rival fell, Seris collapsed, chest heaving, trembling from exertion and the pull of the tether. Mason knelt beside her, silver eyes intense. "You are mine," he whispered. "Every heartbeat, every defiance, every spark… belongs to me. And you… will want it."