Kara sat on the edge of her bed, her breath still uneven. The room was the same as before, yet it felt different like something had shifted beneath the surface of reality. The Shadow King’s words echoed in her mind, sinking into her bones like an infection.
You are mine.
Her stomach twisted. No. That couldn’t be true. She wasn’t his. She wasn’t—
A knock at the door made her flinch.
“Kara?” Damien’s voice was low, and controlled, but she could hear the edge beneath it.
She hesitated for only a second before pulling herself together. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Damien stepped inside, his crimson eyes sweeping over her. He was still dressed in his usual black, but his expression was unreadable, colder than usual.
“You’re pale,” he noted, closing the door behind him. “What happened?
