Chapter 7: The Shape Of What Lies Beneath

Eva backed away, but the air had changed—thick, charged, suffocating.

Lucien's body was shifting in slow, unnatural movements, like a shadow twisting against the walls. His fingers had lengthened into something not quite human, his posture a fraction too fluid, too effortless.

"You're afraid," he murmured, tilting his head. His voice was too calm.

Eva's throat was dry. "Shouldn't I be?"

Lucien exhaled, and for a moment, something flickered in his expression—not quite pain, not quite regret.

"You weren't before."

And then the memories crashed into her.

---

A past life. A different time.

Eva stood in a candlelit chamber, the scent of burning herbs thick in the air. She wasn't herself—but she was. Another version. Another existence.

Lucien stood before her, but he looked different. His hair was longer, his clothing was from another era. But the eyes were the same.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered.

Lucien stepped forward, pressing his hand to her chest, right over her heart.

"You are mine, Eva. You have always been mine."

Something dark curled around her vision. Something wrong.

And then—blood.

So much blood.

---

Eva came back gasping.

Her knees buckled, but Lucien caught her. His grip was firm, grounding, too familiar.

"What was that?" she rasped.

Lucien's golden-black eyes searched hers. "You're starting to see."

Eva's pulse pounded. "See what?"

Lucien exhaled, his voice quiet. "That this isn't the first time I've loved you."

And it won't be the last.

Because this wasn't just a curse.

This was a cycle.

She had died before.

She would die again.

And this time… Lucien would make sure she didn't leave him.