Pain.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not the sharp pain of a blade.
Not the burning pain of magic.
Something colder.
Something that felt like icy fingers crawling through my veins.
I tried to scream.
Nothing came out.
The darkness entered my body like smoke, twisting around my heart.
Then I heard it.
Mine.
The voice wasn't inside the room.
It was inside me.
Your blood belongs to me.
I fought against it.
No.
My body shook violently.
Derek's voice reached me from somewhere far away.
"ARIA!"
I could feel his hands around mine.
Warm.
Desperate.
Real.
"Fight it!"
I wanted to.
But the darkness was already spreading.
My vision blurred.
Then I saw a memory.
A little girl.
Three years old.
Standing among burning ruins.
Blood covered her tiny hands.
A woman stood ov
