It had been a week.

A week of tense silence.
A week of avoiding Valen’s eyes, his voice, his presence.

Not that it was easy.

How do you avoid your captor when he owns the mansion you live in? When every corridor seems to remember him? Every doorway whispers his name?

Still, I managed. Barely.
I skipped meals when I sensed him nearby. Slipped into shadows when I heard his voice. Took the long way around every hallway.

And he let me.

That was the most frustrating part—he didn’t chase me, didn’t force me to speak. He was just... there. Watching from a distance. Letting me run like a wild animal trying to forget it had once touched fire.

But avoiding him had one benefit: it gave me time to investigate.

And that I clung to like a lifeline.

I wasn’t just some girl he’d kidnapped. I wasn’t just the daughter of a woman he once loved.
I was me. And I needed answers.

Who had betrayed the vampire court? Who had put my life in danger?

And more importantly—why did everything about this keep pointing back to my family?

I started in the east wing—empty, cold, and rarely used. Most of the rooms were locked, but one door hadn’t been sealed completely. I pushed it open and stepped inside.

The scent of old paper hit me first. Dust floated through the sunbeams that filtered in through high windows.

An old study.

I stepped quietly, fingers brushing over the edge of a worn desk, the backs of dusty chairs.

Then I found it—an envelope tucked beneath the drawer lining.

It had no seal. Just a name written in faded ink:
Thorne.

My father’s last name.

My throat went dry. I unfolded the letter with trembling hands.

“You owe them more than your pride, Thorne. You made promises. Don’t pretend you don’t remember the cost.”

“Deliver the girl when the time comes. If not, we’ll take her ourselves.”

My blood turned to ice.

The ink was old—but not that old. This hadn’t been sent during some war or political drama decades ago. This was recent. The girl... That was me.

I sank into the desk chair, the weight of the paper pressing against my chest.

My father had known. He’d known something was coming. And someone—whoever wrote this—was blackmailing him, threatening to take me if he didn’t hand me over.

He hadn’t warned me. Hadn’t protected me.

Had he given me to Valen? Or was Valen protecting me from them?

The questions burned.

I stood and shoved the letter into my pocket just as I heard a step outside the study.

My heart jumped.

I turned sharply—expecting Valen.

But it was Lucien.

He stood in the hallway, casual, hands behind his back. His smile was pleasant, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Funny,” he said smoothly, “I thought this wing was closed off.”

I straightened, trying not to look guilty. “Must’ve gotten lost.”

Lucien stepped closer. “Be careful where you go, little flame. Some doors hold more than just secrets.”

I didn’t respond. I brushed past him and walked quickly down the corridor, trying not to let him see my hands shake.

The moment I was alone, I pressed a hand to my chest.

That letter—it changed everything.

This wasn’t just about vampire politics.
This was personal.
They’d wanted me long before Valen ever touched me.

And if Lucien was involved...

Then maybe Valen wasn’t the only monster in this mansion.

Back in my room, I sat heavily on the bed, fingers still brushing the crumpled edge of the letter in my pocket.

My eyes wandered to the window. It was cracked open—just slightly.

Strange.

Valen always made sure they were locked. This one shouldn’t have budged.

I stood and walked over, curiosity prickling unease in my spine. I peered out. The second floor. No ledges. No trees. Too high to jump.

Just as I reached to shut it—

A hand clamped around my arm.

Too fast. Too strong.

Before I could scream, I was yanked forward—through the window, into open air.

The wind howled in my ears. My body twisted.

Then—

Impact.
I slammed into the earth hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs.

I gasped, but before I could move, the figure who’d pulled me leapt down beside me, landing without a sound.

Tall. Pale. Eyes like coals. Fangs gleaming in the moonlight.

A vampire—but not one I recognized. His scent was wild. Wrong.

He crouched, head tilted, smiling like a wolf about to tear into its prey.

“Human girl,” he hissed, stepping closer. “Time to see how much blood’s in that little body of yours.”

I tried to scramble back, but pain shot up my spine. My leg twisted the wrong way. Broken?

The rogue grinned, fingers flexing. “Don’t bother screaming. I already drained the guard up the hill. You’re all mine now.”

He lunged.

Fangs slashed my shoulder, ripping skin. I screamed, weakly, hands pushing against his chest, but he was so strong. My vision swam. My body throbbed with fire.

He drank—then stopped suddenly, growling as if sensing something.

And vanished.

A blur into the shadows.

A heartbeat passed. Another.

Then the night was quiet again. Too quiet.

Blood soaked my nightdress. I tried to move. Couldn't. My arm fell limp. My breathing slowed.

The world began to go dark.

Two minutes later.

Valen burst through the garden hedge, eyes glowing with rage and fear.

He froze when he saw me—broken, bloodied, slumped like a ragdoll on the grass.

“Lilith—” The word tore from him like a curse.

He ran to me and dropped to his knees, hands trembling as they hovered over my body.

“No, no, no—” His voice cracked. “Who did this?”

My head lolled weakly toward him. My lips moved. No sound came out.

He gathered me gently in his arms. His hands pressed against the worst wounds, but they wouldn’t stop bleeding.

“Stay with me,” he whispered, over and over. “I’m here. You’re okay. I’m here.”

But even his warmth was fading.

“Don’t you die on me,” he growled, voice suddenly sharp, desperate. “You don’t get to leave. Not like this.”

He bit his wrist—sharp, savage—and pressed the bleeding wound to my lips. “Drink.”

My lips were cold. My body unresponsive.

He clenched his jaw. “Lilith, please—”

The world flickered.

Hot and cold at once. Pain had become distant, like thunder in the mountains. I floated somewhere between breath and nothingness.

Then—his voice. A command. A plea.

“Drink, damn it.”

Something warm touched my lips. Bitter. Metallic.

Blood.

His blood.

Valen’s hand cradled the back of my head, lifting me with agonizing care as he pressed his bleeding wrist to my mouth again.

“You stubborn girl,” he growled, but his voice trembled. “You don’t get to leave me like this. Not when I—”

He stopped himself. Swallowed hard.

I tried to turn away, but I couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Just exist in this pain.

His blood slid past my lips.

And everything changed.

Fire raced through my veins, searing the poison left behind by the rogue’s bite. My shattered bones burned, then knit. Torn flesh tingled, stitching itself back together. My heart slammed against my chest—once, twice, then fell into a steady rhythm again.

I gasped sharply, eyes flying open.

The first thing I saw… was him.

Valen. His face inches from mine. Blood smeared across his wrist, down his mouth. His eyes were wide, glowing faintly red with panic.

He didn’t look like the cold, collected monster who ruled the vampire court.

He looked like a man who had just watched the world almost break.

“Lilith,” he whispered, his voice ragged. “You’re okay. You’re safe.”

I blinked up at him, throat raw. “You… gave me your blood.”

He nodded, but couldn’t seem to speak.

“Why?” My voice cracked.

“You were dying.” A pause. “I would’ve given you everything.”

Something inside me twisted.

I looked down. My wounds were closed. Smooth, clean skin where claws and fangs had ripped me open. My body trembled from the aftershocks, but I was alive.

And the cost was now in my veins.

Vampire blood.

His blood.

“I’m not like you,” I murmured.

“No,” he said, brushing hair from my face, his hand trembling. “You’re not. You’re better.”

I looked away.

“I didn’t ask for this.”

“You would’ve died.” His voice dropped to something softer, darker. “I didn’t ask to care either. But here we are.”

We sat in the yard like that, the night air cold, the world silent again.

His blood still burned inside me. Changing me, somehow. Making me feel… more than just human.

And for the first time—I wasn’t sure if that terrified me… or thrilled me.

He carried me back inside.

No shadow teleportation. No coldness. No fury.

Just quiet, shaking arms and the way he kept whispering my name like it was a spell keeping me tethered to this world.

By the time I was back in my room, laid gently on the bed, his hand still cradling mine, I realized something terrifying.

He wasn’t just protective anymore.

He was possessive.

His eyes lingered on every bruise like he wanted to kill the air itself for daring to touch me. When a servant knocked, bringing clean towels and bandages, Valen didn’t even look at them. He bared his fangs with a low snarl, so quietly vicious the servant stumbled back, dropping the tray and fleeing without a word.

“I’ll kill them all,” he said under his breath. “Every last one of them who thinks they can hurt you. Take you.”

“Valen,” I croaked. My voice was weak. “You can’t—”

“I can. I will. You’re mine now. They saw the kiss. And now... now you carry my blood.”

He stood, pacing like a panther trapped in a cage.

“In front of the court,” he muttered. “First the kiss... then the blood. It’s more than a claim—it’s binding. They’ll see it as official. As permanent.”

“What is it?” I asked, heart pounding. “What does it mean to them?”

He stopped.

Looked at me like I was a wildfire he couldn’t contain.

“In our world,” he said quietly, “a vampire who kisses another in court isn’t just showing affection. It’s a declaration. A territorial one. It says, ‘This person belongs to me. Touch them, and die.’”
He paused. “And giving you my blood... it’s sacred. Binding. It’s what we do to lovers. To mates.”

I froze. “But I’m not—”

“I know,” he said, voice bitter. “But they won’t care. All they’ll see is what I did. You drank from me. You let me kiss you. To them, it’s done.”

My mind spun. “So what happens now?”

Valen didn’t answer. He just stared at the wall like it had personally insulted him.

But I didn’t have to wait long for answers.

Later That Night – The Court

The throne room felt like walking into a shark tank in a wedding dress.

Eyes.

Hundreds of them. All on me.

Valen walked ahead, tall and powerful, each step echoing authority. But I could feel the tension in him. The rage coiled just under his skin.

Whispers slithered through the shadows like venom.

“The human girl...”

“She bears his mark now…”

“He kissed her in front of the elders.”

“She drank his blood. Did you see her aura? It’s shifted.”

I clenched my fists, refusing to flinch. I had survived worse. I'd been attacked. Nearly killed. I would not cower now.

An elder stepped forward—Regis, I remembered. Cold, severe, white-eyed. “Valen. There are rules. Boundaries. Your affection for the girl is... compromising.”

“She was dying,” Valen snapped, voice sharp and dark. “What would you have me do? Let her bleed out in our own gardens like a dog?”

“She is human,” Regis snarled. “She is not meant to carry the blood of a high-blood vampire. And now, your claim—”

“I stand by it,” Valen said. “Every mark. Every drop.”

The chamber gasped.

Regis stepped closer to me, eyes narrowing. “Then she is subject to our laws.”

Valen’s shadow flared behind him—huge, monstrous, rising like a storm.

“You lay a hand on her,” Valen hissed, “and I’ll show you what true power looks like.”

I didn’t move. Couldn’t speak. My heart pounded so loudly I could hear it in my ears.

Another elder spoke—softer, but no less dangerous. “If she carries your blood... she is bound to you. If she betrays you, it will destroy you both.”

Valen said nothing.

I looked up at him. His eyes were unreadable.

But I saw it now. Not just care. Not just protection.

Obsession.

I was becoming his tether. His weakness.

And in this court of monsters... being someone’s weakness was the most dangerous thing of all.