Selene's POV
The first thing I remember is the scream.
It wasn't mine, not at first. It came from somewhere deep in the castle walls, a voice made of fire and shadow, tearing through my skull like a blade made of lightning. Then I realized it wasn't echoing from outside. It was inside me.
Lucien.
His rage cracked through my veins like molten glass, and the bond between us the cursed tether he carved into my blood flared alive, hotter than the sun. I fell to my knees, clutching my chest as though I could tear him out of me. But the harder I tried, the deeper he sank.
Every heartbeat was his. Every breath was stolen from him.
I could feel him, his fury, his triumph, his mother's blood on his hands.
"Stop…" I choked, pressing my palms against the cold stone. The room spun in wild spirals, shadows twisting into faces that laughed at me. "Please, stop…"
But he didn't stop.
He couldn't.
