Chapter Seven - Claimed By Darkness
957 Words
I woke to the sound of dripping water.
For a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was.
Then I felt the arm around my waist.
Alexander.
My eyes widened.
We were lying on cold stone beneath the mansion, surrounded by darkness. His back was against the wall, and somehow, during the night, I’d ended up curled against his chest.
I tried to move.
His arm tightened.
“Don’t.”
His voice was rough with sleep.
“I wasn’t going anywhere.”
“You were.”
I looked up at him.
His silver eyes were already open.
“You were going to run.”
“Would you blame me?”
A faint, dangerous smile touched his lips.
“No.”
His fingers brushed over the red mark on my wrist.
“But the oath would.”
The mark pulsed beneath his touch.
I immediately pulled my hand away.
“I don’t want this.”
His expression hardened.
“Neither do I.”
“Then break it.”
Silence.
Alexander looked away.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because the last person who tried…”
He stopped.
“What happened?”
His jaw clenched.
“The oath killed her.”
A chill ran through me.
“Who was she?”
“My mother.”
I stared at him.
For the first time, the arrogance and confidence disappeared from his face.
There was only pain.
“She tried to escape the bloodline,” he continued. “The house wouldn’t let her.”
“And you’re afraid it’ll do the same to me.”
His eyes met mine.
“I’m terrified.”
The honesty in his voice unsettled me more than anything else.
I slowly reached for his hand.
His fingers closed around mine.
The moment our skin touched, the mark on my wrist glowed.
Alexander inhaled sharply.
“What?”
He looked at our hands.
A thin red line had appeared between our palms. It moved beneath our skin like living fire.
“The bond is getting stronger.”
My heart pounded.
“What happens when it’s complete?”
His gaze lifted to mine.
“You won’t be able to stay away from me.”
I swallowed.
“And you?”
His expression darkened.
“I won’t be able to let you.”
The words should have frightened me.
Instead, something inside me twisted with a feeling I didn’t want to name.
I pulled my hand away.
“I need to get out.”
I stood.
Alexander immediately followed.
“Don’t.”
“I’m not staying here.”
“You don’t understand what is waiting upstairs.”
“I don’t care.”
He caught my wrist.
Not hard enough to hurt.
Just enough to stop me.
His voice dropped.
“Listen to me.”
I looked at him.
“If you leave this room alone, the house will use your blood to find you.”
“Then come with me.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You want me beside you?”
“I want someone who can protect me.”
A slow smile appeared.
“That’s not what I heard.”
I glared at him.
“Don’t make this worse.”
He stepped closer.
“I’m trying not to.”
We were inches apart.
His hand rose to my cheek.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then the mansion screamed.
A terrible sound echoed through the tunnels.
The walls began bleeding black.
Alexander immediately pulled me behind him.
“They found us.”
“Who?”
He stared into the darkness.
“The ones who made the oath.”
Figures began emerging from the shadows.
Tall.
Pale.
Their eyes completely black.
My breath caught.
Alexander stepped forward.
“Stay behind me.”
One of the figures smiled.
“The heir has finally brought her home.”
Alexander’s entire body went rigid.
“She doesn’t belong to you.”
The figure laughed.
“No.”
Its gaze shifted toward me.
“She belongs to the blood.”
The mark on my wrist exploded with light.
I screamed.
Alexander grabbed me.
The red symbol on his hand answered mine.
For one terrifying second, our hearts seemed to beat together.
Then I heard a voice inside my head.
Not Alexander’s.
Something ancient.
Something hungry.
Choose him.
I looked at Alexander.
He was staring at me like he already knew what I was about to do.
“What happens if I don’t?”
His face went pale.
“The bond will choose for you.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
The figures moved closer.
Alexander reached for my hand.
“Then choose me willingly.”
I stared at him.
“You said you didn’t want this.”
“I don’t want to control you.”
His fingers intertwined with mine.
“But I want you.”
My heart slammed against my ribs.
“And if I choose you?”
His voice became a whisper.
“Then I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure you never regret it.”
The darkness around us grew.
The figures began chanting.
The mark burned.
I knew there was no going back.
I tightened my fingers around Alexander’s.
“I choose you.”
The entire mansion went silent.
Then every candle in the tunnels burst into black flame.
Alexander pulled me against him.
And somewhere deep beneath the earth…
the ancient blood oath awakened completely.
But it wasn’t the only thing that had awakened.
Something inside me opened its eyes.
Something powerful.
Something that had been waiting for me all along.
And when I looked into Alexander’s silver eyes, I realized the truth.
I hadn’t just been chosen by the blood oath.
I was part of the darkness it had been protecting.
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