Claimed By A Midnight King

Chapter 7

Vivian's pov

Dominic didn’t look back at me. “She’s a Solari spoiled by gold and silk. Let her tremble. It’ll make the stone cleaner”.

“It’s the medication”, I blurted out, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

Dominic hesitated for a moment, tilting his head slightly, his profile sharp against the torchlight. “What medicine are you talking about?”

I struggled to articulate my thoughts amid the chaos swirling in my mind. “Sofia… the chemist”, I replied. “She used to give me a cup every morning for the illness I’ve had since childhood. I haven’t had it . Now…. Everything feels overwhelming”.

Now fully facing me, Dominic furrowed his brow. He looked at Silas, who was already stepping into the room, his eyes locked on my dilated pupils”.

“A chemist? Silas asked, his tone laced with sudden interest. “What does she refer to as your sickness, Vivian?”

“Void drift”, I whispered. “She said without the tonic, my mind would break. She said I’d start seeing things. Start hearing things”.

Silas reached out, his gloved fingers moving around my head. He didn’t touch me, but I felt the cold air move.

“And are you?”

“I hear you heart “, I said, looking at Silas. “It’s fast. Just like a bird hitting a window. “And his—“ I looked at Dominic, my chest tightening. “His is like a war drum. It hurts… it hurts to hear it”.

The two men exchanged a look that made the hairs on my hands stand upright. Dominic's expression shifted to brewing suspicion.

“Silas”, Dominic said, his voice lowering to a menacing growl. “Get the apothecary. Now!”

“But Dominic, the Sun callers are still at the gate”, Silas reminded him. If she’s going through withdrawal, it could be a tactic or distraction”.

“I don’t care," Dominic snapped. He strode back toward me. He kicked the bucket aside, the soapy water flooding the floor. He reached down and carried me up again, but this time, his hands stayed on my shoulder, steadying my shaky body.

“Look at me”, he commanded.

I lifted my head, my grey eyes clashing with his obsidian ones.

“Did Damain know about the medicine?”

“He.. he was always there when she gave it to me”, I whispered. He’d say it was for my own good. He saved me from the drift”

Dominic’s jaw hardened so hard I thought it might break. He looked at my hands, the faint violet sparks that were beginning to dance across my fingers, invincible to everyone but me.

“Vivian, he didn’t provide you with medicine”, Dominic said, his voice revealing a chilling clarity. “He put you in a cage”.

“I don’t understand”, I said, a sob catching in my throat.” I’m sick. I need her”.

“ You’re not unwell”, Dominic insisted, his hands gripping my shoulders more firmly. “You’re beginning to awaken. And I believe the Sun clan is afraid of what will occur when you’re fully aware”.

He turned to Silas, his eyes burning with a new dangerous purpose.

“Forget the scrubbing. Double the guards. And Silas— if anyone from the Sun Clans tries to get a message to her, kill them. I don’t care if they’re carrying a white flag”.

Dominic looked back at me, his hands brushing the side of my neck, just inches from the mark. “You're going to stay in this room” he whispered. “You’re going to scream, you’re going to sweat, and you’re going to feel like the world is ending . But you’re going to get the poison out of your blood”.

“Why do you care? I asked, my voice trembling. “You despise me”.

Dominic’s expression changes to something dark, the wolf in his eyes swirling in the amber light.

“I do hate you”, he admitted, his tone sharp and very raw.

“I resent that you belong to my wolf. I hate that you’re here. But more than that, I hate that someone put a leash on my mate and called it mercy”.

He let go as if my skin had burned him.

“Silas, move. We have a war to plan, and a weapon to unwrap”.

They left, the iron door slamming shut with a sound, but unlike before, it didn’t hurt my ears quite as much.

I sank to the floor, my heart racing. I looked at my hands. The violet sparks were brighter now, beating with the rhythms of my breath.

I wasn’t a maid, and I wasn’t the sick void Sofia had tried to create.

I was a fuse that had been burning in the dark for ten years.