Chapter 14: The Ultimate Sacrifice

The pain hadn't stopped, Sera's body burned with the mark, black veins twisting over her skin like a curse. The air around her felt thick, suffocating, as if the mansion itself had come alive watching her every move

Elias knelt beside her, his hands gripping her arms, his face carved from fury and desperation,"It's spreading." His voice was rough, laced with something she had never heard before Fear?

She tried to speak, but the pain stole her breath,And then a voice, smooth as sin.

"Hurts, doesn't it?"

Sera froze,The room grew colder as the shadows shifted, And then, he stepped forward. The man who had haunted her dreams,Tall, Dark and Dangerously beautiful.

His crimson eyes gleamed in the dim light, flickering with amusement as he watched her writhe beneath his mark.

Elias rose to his feet in an instant, his entire body tensed like a predator ready to strike,"Get away from her."

The man,the Shadow Prince smirked,"But she's already mine."

Elias lunged, Fury crackled in the air as their powers clashed,light against darkness, silver against red, The entire room trembled under the force of their rage.

Sera tried to move, but the mark sent a sharp pulse of pain through her chest, stealing her strength, And then,the Shadow Prince turned to her.

His power wrapped around her like silk, his voice sliding into her mind like a secret, "Say the word, little star, and I will end your pain."

Sera's breath caught, For a terrifying moment, she wanted to say yes, She wanted to fall into the darkness, into his embrace, let the agony melt away under his touch.

Elias must have sensed it,because his power flared, "Don't listen to him, Sera!" His voice was raw and desperate.

But the Shadow Prince only smiled.

"You're fighting a losing battle, Elias." He stepped closer, gaze locked onto Sera's, his voice like a whispered promise. "Sooner or later, she will come to me."

Elias snarled, lunging again, This time, the Shadow Prince didn't fight.

He vanished, Leaving behind only a whisper.

"She's already changing."

The room fell silent, Elias turned to Sera, his breathing ragged, his eyes filled with something close to panic.

"Sera…" His voice cracked, "I won't lose you." She wanted to believe him, But as she looked down at her arms, at the black veins still curling beneath her skin, she knew the truth.

She was already becoming his, And the worst part? Some part of her didn't want to stop it.