The Abyss pulsed like a living thing, every shadow and tremor responding to the tether threading Seris and Mason together. She could feel his obsession in her veins, in the heat of the mark, in every heartbeat that thundered through her chest.
"You are mine," Mason whispered, silver eyes molten and storm-dark. "Every spark of defiance… every act of power… threads you closer. You cannot fight it. And one day… you will crave me."
A new threat emerged: a rival god, ancient and more powerful than any she had faced. Seris twisted shadows into whips and blades, each strike flaring with her goddess-blood power, amplified by Mason's obsessive presence. Fear, exhilaration, and desire collided violently within her.
The Abyss itself reacted, walls twisting, shadows coiling, striking at the rival god while protecting her. Every heartbeat threaded with Mason's obsession, every movement amplified. When the immortal fell, Seris collapsed, exhausted, trembling. Mason knelt beside her, brushing shadows along her neck and shoulders. "You are mine," he whispered, again and again, possessive and intimate. "And eventually… you will crave it."