Sera's POV
Lady Elara's fingers closed around my wrist.
They were cold—colder than I expected, like river stones in winter, like the deepest part of the forest where sunlight never reached. Her grip was gentle but absolute, and I felt the strength in those slender fingers, the power of a thousand years coiled beneath pale skin. She could break my bones without effort. She could drain me dry before I could scream.
She didn't.
"Last chance to change your mind," she murmured, her bloody eyes meeting mine. They weren't cruel, those eyes. Just... ancient. Tired. Hopeful in a way that made my heart ache. "Once I taste, there's no going back. A small bond will form—nothing like your mate bond, but enough. You'll always feel me, somewhere in the back of your mind. A presence. A whisper. And I'
