Darkness was all that greeted me when I woke.
Not the usual kind that fades with the coming of dawn—this was thick, heavy, permanent. Shadows clung to the ceiling above me like they were breathing.
I bolted upright.
Silk sheets slid down my malnourished body. My wrists—free. No chains. No runes burning into my skin.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I wasn't in the cathedral anymore, then I realized where I was as I recalled all that happened the day before.
The room was large, carved from black stone veined with hell's lava. Tall windows revealed a sky jailed in eternal darkness, the moon hanged low, without appeal, as though it were watching over me.
Candles floated in the air, igniting and dimming as if responding to my pulse.
A prison disguised as a palace.
"You're awake."
The voice came from the shadows.
I froze.
Kael Draven stepped into the dim-light looking awkward like he didn't belong to the light—because he didn't.
Dressed in a dark armor etched with ancient symbols, his crown rested loosely on his head as if power were an insignificant chore
rather than a burden.
His gaze swept over me.
Slow. Assessing. Possessive.
"You brought me here," I said, forcing strength into my voice. "Against my consent."
"You would have died of I did otherwise," he replied calmly.
"Don't make it look like you're being merciful."
A corner of his mouth lifted. "well, I am being merciful."
I swung my legs off the bed and stood. My bare feet touched the cold floor, grounding me.
"release me Kael," I demanded. "End this farce."
He moved closer.
Every instinct in me screamed danger, but my body betrayed me—rooted, breath caught. Power radiated from him, dark and controlled, like a blade held just shy of skin.
"Say my name once more"
"Over my dead body," I swore."release me."
"I can't," he said.
I laughed, sharp and bitter. "Of course you can. You're the Dark King."
His eyes darkened. "The curse doesn't answer to me."
He raised his hand.
Heat flared along my collarbone. I gasped as glowing marks surfaced beneath my skin—thin lines of light twisting into the same runes from the cathedral.
A bond.
A shackle carved into flesh.
"You're bound to me," Kael said quietly."Body. Soul. Fate."
I swallowed hard. "Then break it."
"I've tried." His jaw tightened. "the women before you all died."
Silence reigned between us.
I took a step back. "So that's it?" I whispered. "I'm just another corpse waiting to be buried?"
"No." He was suddenly in front of me, fingers closing around my wrist—not painfully, but firmly enough to remind me he could crush bone if he wished and there would be nothing I could do about it.
"You are different," he said. "The curse reacts to you. It recognizes you."
"then I guess I must be truly fortunate."
His grip tightened.
"You will not mock this," he growled. "This bond gives you protection no one else has."
"Protection?" I snapped. "From you?"
His eyes flicked to my lips before returning to my gaze. Dangerous. Filled with warning.
"From everyone else," he corrected. "If anyone does so much as touch a hair on your head without my permission, they die."
A chill ran down my spine.
"You're a tyrant."
"Yes."
"And you expect me to just accept this?" I challenged.
Kael leaned in, his breath brushing my ear. "No," he murmured. "I expect you to fight this."
My pulse altered.
"Because the moment you stop fighting," he continued softly, "that's when the curse truly wins."
He stepped back, shadows gathering around him like he was born with them.
"Rest," he ordered. "Tomorrow, the court will see their new queen."
I stared at him in disbelief. "I.am.
not.their.queen."
He paused at the doorway, looking over his shoulder.
"You're wearing my mark," he said. "Sleeping in my palace."
His gaze lingered, dark and possessive.
"Believe it or not, it's your choice ."
The doors slammed shut.
Alone, trembling, I pressed my fingers to the glowing bond on my skin.
The devil hadn't just claimed me.
He had locked me inside his world.
And somehow, terrifyingly…
I wasn't sure if I even wanted to escape.