Chapter6- The Devil Makes His
Move
She didn't sleep.
Not really.
Her body lay still on the massive black bed, eyes
closed, breath slow and measured-but her mind
remained painfully awake. Every sound felt
louder in the silence. Every shadow seemed
deeper, heavier, as if it carried weight.
The feather rested on the bedside table now.
She had placed it there deliberately.
Distance, she told herself. Control.
Yet even from across the room, she could feel it-
an awareness that brushed against her thoughts
like fingers tracing glass. It wasn't heat this time.
It was pressure. A reminder.
You are not alone.
Her fingers curled into the sheets.
The room was unchanged, luxurious and perfect,
but something in the air had shifted. The
stillness no longer felt passive. It felt attentive.
Watching.
A soft sound broke the silence.
Not a footstep.
Not a voice.
A click.
Her eyes flew open.
The door-she was sure of it-had been locked.
Slowly, impossibly, it creaked inward.
Her heart slammed against her ribs as shadows
stretched across the floor, bending unnaturally
as they spilled into the room The temperature dropped, sharp enough to raise goosebumps
along her arms.
Then he stepped inside.
He looked... human.
That was the most unsettling part.
Tal, impeccably dressed, his dark suit tailored to
perfection as if this were a business meeting and
not a cage shed woken up in. His presence filled
the room without effort, commanding space,
commanding her attention.
His eyes met hers.
And everything else faded.
"Still awake," he said calmly, his voice smooth,
rich, and utterly unbothered. "Good!"
She sat up, backing against the headboard, pulse
racing."You-"Her voice caught. She swallowed.
"You said I wouldn't see you again so Soon."
One corner of his mouth lifted-not quite a smile.
"| said not to test me."
He glanced briefly toward the bedside table.
The feather trembled.
Her breath hitched.
"So" he continued, unhurried, as if inspecting a
purchase, "you've discovered the game."
Her jaw tightened. "You trapped me."
"No," he corrected softly. "You agreed."
The words landed harder than a shout.
He walked closer, each step measured,
deliberate. The shadows moved with him,
clinging like loyal servants. She felt the pull of
him now-an invisible force pressing against her
thoughts, her instincts screaming both danger
and something far more confusing.
Interest.
"You have questions," he said. "Fear. Defiance"
His gaze sharpened. "Potential."
She laughed weaky "This is a game to you?"
"To me?" He stopped just out of reach. "This is
business."
He leaned down, close enough that she could
feel his breath against her skin-cool, controlled.
"To you." he whispered, "it's survival."
Her nails dug into her palms. "What happens if |
lose?"
That faint smile returned.
"You'll find out."
The feather lifted off the table on its own,
hovering between them.
Her heart pounded.
"This," he said, eyes flicking to it, "is your first
piece."
The feather drifted toward her, settling gently
against her chest.
"Use it wisely."
The lights dimmed.
The shadows surged.
And just as suddenly as he had appeared-
He was gone.
The door shut with a quiet click.
She gasped, breath shaking, hands clutching the
feather as warmth spread th rough her skin.
Something inside her shifted, subtle but
undeniable.
A rule had been set.
A move had been made.
And for the first time since signing the contract,
she understood one terrifying truth
The devil wasn't waiting to see if she would play.
He was waiting to see how well.