Bound to the cursed Billionaire

Soul Bind

“Damian,” I called, my voice trembling,"what is happening to you?" I asked, and I took a few steps away from him.

The faint embers of Damian’s burning orange eyes illuminated the space, casting a strange, flickering shadow across his sharp features. The dark fog swirling behind him felt alive, pulsing with energy, its presence terrifying.

“You shouldn’t be near me,” he growled, his voice raw, laced with a strange duality—a deep, otherworldly echo beneath his usual tone. “Move away from me.”

Every instinct in me screamed to listen to him, to flee before the darkness consumed me. But I didn’t. Instead, I took a step closer, my heart pounding loudly in my chest.

“Tell me what’s going on with you,” I demanded, summoning up the courage I didn’t fully feel. “Let me help you.”

“You can’t help me!” Damian snarled, turning away as his fists clenched at his sides. “This—this thing inside me... It’s stronger than me. I can’t control it.”

“Then at least let me try,” I said softly, my voice barely a whisper.

He whipped his head around, those blazing orange eyes locking onto mine. The intensity of his gaze lit up his face, but I didn’t flinch.

He turned to face me “Why are you not scared of me?” he asked, his voice much calmer now, almost... vulnerable.

“I don’t know,” I admitted, my voice barely a whisper. “Maybe because... I see you. Someone who doesn’t want to lose himself to whatever this is.”

Damian let out a hollow laugh, running a hand through his hair. “You do not understand Aeris.”

“Then explain it to me,” I challenged, stepping closer again.

Before he could respond, the dark fog surged higher, wrapping itself around us like a suffocating blanket. I gasped as a wave of heat shot through my chest, my whole body igniting in a mix of pain and something... exhilarating.

“What’s—what’s happening?” I cried out, clutching at my chest as my knees buckled.

Damian caught me before I could fall, his arms wrapping around me protectively. “It’s the bond,” he murmured, his voice strained. “It’s real.”

“The bond? What does this mean?” I whispered, confused and terrified all at once.

“It means we’re connected now,” Damian said, his voice hoarse and laced with regret. “In ways that can’t be undone.”

I felt it deep in my soul—a connection so raw, so visceral, it left me gasping for air as the bond flared to life. A bust of energy steered through us, sending both of us reeling. Images flashed through my mind. Moments I didn’t recognize.

They were his. His pain, his isolation and his fear.

“Connected,” I repeated, my voice trembling. “Is that why I can feel... everything?” I whispered, searching his eyes for answers.

The vulnerability in his eyes was highlighted by the firelight that danced across his features. I remember the way he held me, protected her, even when he claimed to be dangerous.

Like a moth drawn to a flame, my fingers reached for his face, tracing the sharp line of his jaw.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice low, strained.

“Something reckless,” I admitted, feeling reckless indeed.

And then my lips crashed against his, and the world seemed to stop.

Damian froze, his hands hovering like he wasn’t sure whether to touch me. But then the bond surged again, and every hesitation shattered.

He pulled me closer, his grip firm yet gentle, as if I might break if he held me too tightly. The kiss deepened, fiery and desperate, leaving us both breathless. It wasn’t just passion; it was the bond, pulling us together in a way I couldn’t fight. I didn’t want to fight it.

Heat rushed to my face and when we finally pulled away

“This is insane,” Damian murmured, his forehead resting against mine.

“Maybe,” I whispered back. “But it doesn’t feel wrong.”

His glowing eyes searched mine, looking for answers I couldn’t deliver, and with a low growl of surrender, he kissed me again, lifting me onto the bed as if I weighed nothing.

His breath was hot against mine as he ravished the insides of my mouth. My back pressed to the bed, the fabric soft against my bare skin. As he ripped off my dress.

His hands were everywhere. Exploring every inch of me with a hunger that makes my pulse race. I could feel the urgency in the way his lips moved from my mouth, to my neck and down to my collar bone.

I let out a soft gasp as his lips found my n****e. He spent a significant amount of time on each one. Making sure to not leave either of them craving his tongue.

My heart pounded loudly as his hand slid down my thigh. The anticipation builds to a high pitch. And I knew what was coming next. I was ready, more than ready, for him to finally take me. I raised my waist as a way of inviting him in as he hovered above me.

Every touch, every kiss, was intensified by the bond, amplifying our emotions until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began.

It felt so new—so raw, so consuming. I wasn’t just with Damian, I was a part of him.

Morning came faster than I had wanted. I stirred in my sleep as the soft rays of the morning sun seeped through the curtains. The cold emptiness I felt beside me where warmth would have been, knocked every ounce of sleep right out of me.

He was gone. Again.

DAMIAN

It had been three days since our wedding. Three days of avoiding each other like we were rivals in the Cold War. If it weren’t for the exhaustion from constantly shielding myself from my mother’s seething disapproval and the coldness I’d been projecting toward Aeris, I might have had the energy to scream.

Since that wedding night, my demeanor had changed towards her. I avoided her like the plague. I didn’t see her anymore, and each time Malik asked me why I was avoiding my bride, I end up giving him vague excuses.

Who abandons his newly wedded bride for a tennis game? Malik had asked two days ago. It had bothered me, but I hadn’t acknowledged it.

This morning was different. Aeris and I were finally forced to sit down for a conversation. Forced might be too strong a word. Let’s say Malik “encouraged” us to do it.

"So," Aeris began, sitting stiffly across from me, "we should talk about the… logistics of this arrangement."

I raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "By all means, Mrs. Ravenson, let’s discuss the logistics."

She gave me a stern look, ignoring my sarcasm. "First, I think we need boundaries. You’re the one who wanted a bride; I’m just fulfilling the contract."

I narrowed my eyes. "And yet you’re wearing my ring and sleeping under my roof. What boundaries do you think you need, Aeris?"

"I’ll stay out of your way," she said, keeping her tone neutral. "But I need my independence. I want to keep running my task service."

I froze, my fork halfway to my mouth. "Absolutely not." I said flatly.

Aeris blinked, surprised. "Excuse me?"

"You’re married to me now," I said, as though that explained everything. "You don’t need to work anymore. My name alone affords you every privilege you could possibly want."

Heat surged in my chest at the thought of her rejecting me so easily.

"Privilege?" she spat. "Hold on, what do you think I am? A trophy for you to display? I worked really hard to get my business to where it is, and I’m not giving it up just because I have your last name."

My jaw tightened, my glowing eyes flickering with emotion. "Listen, Aeris, you don’t understand the dangers you’d face if you keep that service running. Do you have any idea who might come after you now that you’re tied to me?"

Aeris stood up abruptly, leaning over the table.

"What I understand is that you want to control me. Newsflash, big boy, I refuse to take orders from anyone, not even you. So don’t even think you can dictate what I can or cannot do."

She walked out of the dining hall angrily. I tried to calm the fire that had sparked in my chest. Then I motioned for Malik.

“Did she just walk out on me?”