Twice marked,Twice chosen

Episode 8

Poison in Paradise

Lyra POV

Three weeks in the witch kingdom, and I was dying.

Not literally, though some days it felt close. Every morning I woke up sick to my stomach, my head pounding like someone was using it as a drum. The beautiful crystal city that had amazed me on arrival now felt like a prison made of light and magic that my body couldn't handle.

"Focus, Lyra." Jason's voice cut through my thoughts as I doubled over, retching into the grass. "You need to push through the discomfort."

"This isn't discomfort," I gasped, wiping my mouth with a shaking hand. "This feels like I'm being poisoned from the inside out."

We were in the palace training grounds, a circular garden surrounded by floating crystals that hummed with magical energy. The other students, all young witches around my age, watched from a safe distance, whispering among themselves.

"The vampire blood is rejecting our magic," said Elara, Jason's cousin. She was beautiful in that cold, perfect way that made me feel like a dirty peasant. "Maybe she should train somewhere else. Somewhere more... suitable for her kind."

The way she said 'her kind' made my skin crawl.

"Elara," Jason warned, his voice sharp. "Lyra belongs here as much as anyone."

"Does she?" Elara tilted her head, silver hair catching the light. "Because from where I stand, she's disrupting our entire magical ecosystem. The protection spells around the city are flickering. The healing gardens are wilting. Even the crystals are losing their glow."

I looked around and realized she was right. The floating crystals that normally blazed with inner light were dim today. The flowers in the garden beds looked sick, their petals brown at the edges.

"That's not my fault," I said, but my voice came out weak.

"Isn't it?" Another student, a boy named David, stepped forward. "Ever since you arrived, everything's been going wrong. Maybe the old stories about vampires are true. Maybe you really do corrupt everything you touch."

"Enough." Jason's power flared, making the air itself seem to vibrate. "Return to your studies. All of you."

The students scattered, but not before Elara shot me a look of pure hatred. As soon as we were alone, I collapsed onto a stone bench, my legs too shaky to support me.

"They're right," I whispered. "I don't belong here."

Jason sat beside me, his shoulder warm against mine. "They're afraid. Change is never easy, especially for people who've spent centuries believing vampires are monsters."

"What if they are right? What if I am a monster?"

"Look at me." Jason's fingers lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. "You're not a monster, Lyra. You're something new. Something the world has never seen before. That scares people."

The gentleness in his voice made my chest ache. For three weeks, he'd been patient with my training disasters, kind when I broke things by accident, protective when the other students said cruel things. He was everything Donovan should have been but wasn't.

The thought of my mate sent a fresh wave of pain through the bond. Even here, hundreds of miles away, I could feel the emptiness where Donovan should be. It was like having a wound that wouldn't heal.

"Come on," Jason said, standing. "Let's get some food for you. Maybe that will help."

The dining hall was nearly empty when we arrived. Most of the other students ate earlier, before their afternoon classes. Jason led me to a small table near the windows where the light was softer, less likely to trigger another headache.

"Wait here. I'll get our food."

I watched him walk to the serving counter, noting how the kitchen staff smiled at him. Jason was loved here, respected. Everything I would never be.

"Here." A young witch girl appeared at my table, setting down a plate of fruit and bread. "Elara asked me to bring this to you. She said to tell you she's sorry about earlier."

The girl hurried away before I could respond. I stared at the food, my stomach growling despite the constant nausea. When was the last time I'd eaten a full meal? Days, maybe.

The bread was still warm, soft and sweet with honey butter. The fruit looked perfect—red apples, purple grapes, golden pears. After weeks of barely keeping anything down, it looked like a feast.

I took a bite of an apple. Then another. The sweetness exploded on my tongue, the first thing that had tasted good in weeks. I was halfway through the plate when Jason returned with his own food.

"Feeling better?" he asked, settling across from me.

"Actually, yes." I smiled, reaching for a pear. "Maybe I just needed real food instead of—"

The pain hit like lightning, starting in my stomach and spreading through my entire body. I dropped the pear, gasping as fire burned through my veins.

"Lyra? What's wrong?"

I tried to answer, but blood filled my mouth instead of words. The room spun around me as I slid off the chair, my body convulsing on the stone floor.

"Help!" Jason's voice seemed to come from very far away. "Someone help us!"

Through the haze of agony, I heard running footsteps, panicked voices. Someone was screaming, high and sharp. It took me a moment to realize it was me.

"Iron," someone said. "There's iron in her blood. She's been poisoned."

The world went dark.

:::::::::::

I woke up in Jason's private chambers, my body aching like I'd been trampled by horses. Candlelight flickered on the walls, soft and warm compared to the harsh crystal lights of the rest of the palace.

"There you are." Jason's voice was rough with exhaustion. He sat in a chair beside the bed, his face haggard. "I was starting to think..."

"What happened?" My voice came out as a whisper.

"Iron poisoning. Someone mixed iron shavings into your food." His hands clenched into fists. "If I hadn't found you when I did..."

"Who would do that?"

Jason's expression darkened. "Someone who wanted you dead. Iron is one of the few things that can kill a vampire permanently."

I tried to sit up, but the room tilted sideways. "I feel awful."

"You lost a lot of blood. Internal bleeding from the iron tearing through your system." Jason moved closer, his scent washing over me. "You need to feed to fully heal."

The word 'feed' sent a spike of hunger through me. Not for food, for something warm and alive and pulsing with life.

"I don't want to hurt anyone," I said.

"You won't hurt me."

I stared at him. "Jason, no. I almost killed you last time."

"Last time you were in the middle of a magical awakening. You had no control." He rolled up his sleeve, exposing the pale skin of his wrist. "This is different. This is a choice."

The scent of his blood hit me like a drug. Sweet and rich and calling to every vampire instinct I possessed. My fangs extended without permission, sharp points pressing against my lower lip.

"I can't," I whispered, even as my body leaned toward him.

"You have to. It's the only way to flush the iron from your system." Jason's voice was soft. "Trust me, Lyra. Let me help you."

The hunger was getting stronger, clouding my thoughts. The mate bond with Donovan pulsed weakly in my chest, a distant echo of what I'd lost. But Jason was here, offering himself freely, willing to save me even if it meant pain.

"Okay," I breathed.

Jason moved to sit on the edge of the bed, his wrist just inches from my mouth. "Take what you need."

I bit down gently, my fangs sliding through his skin like it was silk. His blood flowed over my tongue, warm and perfect and alive. But this time was different from the violent feeding in the library. This time, I could control it.

Jason's free hand tangled in my hair, holding me close. "That's it," he murmured. "Easy."

The iron poison burned away as his blood filled me, healing and strengthening and making me whole again. But there was something else too, a connection forming between us, deeper than just feeding. I could feel his heartbeat matching mine, his breathing synchronizing with my own.

When I finally pulled away, Jason's eyes were dark with something that wasn't quite painful.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Better. Much better." I looked at his wrist, expecting to see bite marks, but the skin was smooth and unmarked. "Jason, your scars."

He followed my gaze and froze. His arms had always been marked with old wounds, training accidents, battle scars, the normal marks of a long life. Now they were gone, erased completely.

"Your blood," he said in wonder. "It healed me."

We stared at each other in the candlelight, both of us breathing hard. The air between us felt charged, electric with possibility. When Jason leaned closer, I didn't pull away.

"Lyra," he whispered, his lips just inches from mine.

The mate bond with Donovan flared to life, sending a spike of guilt and longing through my chest. I jerked back, pressing my hands against Jason's chest.

"I can't," I said. "I'm sorry, but I can't."

Jason's expression flickered with disappointment before settling into understanding. "The mate bond."

"It's not just that." I looked down at my hands, still pressed against his chest. "I don't know what's real anymore. My feelings, your feelings, how much of this is just the blood sharing? How much trauma is bonding us together?"

"Does it matter?"

The question hung in the air between us. Did it matter if what I felt for Jason was real or manufactured? Did it matter that he'd saved my life twice now, that he'd offered me a home when everyone else cast me out?

Maybe it didn't. Maybe all that mattered was that when I looked at him, I felt safe for the first time in months.

But the mate bond with Donovan was still there, still pulling at my heart like a chain I couldn't break.

"Yes," I said finally. "It matters to me."

Jason nodded slowly, accepting my decision even though I could see the hurt in his eyes. "Then we'll figure it out. Together. No pressure, no expectations. Just... let me help you become who you're meant to be."

"And who is that?"

He smiled, the expression both sad and hopeful. "Someone who changes the world."

A soft knock interrupted us. Jason called for whoever it was to enter, and a young guard appeared in the doorway.

"Your Majesty, forgive the intrusion. But we found something in the kitchen. Evidence of who poisoned Lady Lyra."

Jason stood immediately. "Show me."

The guard held up a small cloth bag. "Iron shavings, hidden in the flour storage. And this was with it."

He handed Jason a piece of paper. As Jason read it, his expression grew darker and darker.

"What does it say?" I asked.

Jason looked at me, his eyes filled with something that looked like fear. "It's a message. From someone claiming to be your sister."

My blood turned to ice. "What does it say?"

"'The first gift is iron. The second will be silver. The third will be your king's heart. Stop playing pretend, sister. Come home where you belong.'"

The room went silent except for the crackling of candles. Somewhere out there, my twin sister was watching. Planning. And she'd just proven she could reach me anywhere, even in the heart of the witch kingdom.

"She's coming," I whispered.

Jason's hand found mine, warm and steady. "Let her come. We'll be ready."

But as I stared at the message, at the promise of worse things to come, I wondered if anyone could be ready for whatever my sister had planned.

The war for my soul was just beginning..