The Abyss reacted to every pulse of Seris's heartbeat. Shadows writhed, walls pulsed, floors shifted as if alive with awareness. Mason's presence pressed against her mind like molten steel, obsessive, possessive, unyielding. The silver mark burned hotter than ever, tethering her utterly to him.
"You are mine," he whispered, voice threading into her mind, suffocating yet intoxicating. "Every spark of defiance… every heartbeat… belongs to me. You will crave it, Seris. You cannot fight it."
From the depths, a rival god emerged, more powerful than any before. Its molten-gold eyes radiated ancient hatred, and its energy twisted the shadows violently. Seris lunged forward, summoning blades of shadow that flared with her goddess-blood energy, amplified by Mason's obsessive tether. Every strike, every movement was deadly, perfect, threaded with the suffocating pull of his desire.
The Abyss itself twisted, walls bending, shadows coiling, responding to the tether threading them together. Fear, exhilaration, and desire collided in her chest. She hated him. She feared him. And yet… she wanted him.
When the immortal finally fell, Seris collapsed, chest heaving, trembling. Mason knelt beside her, brushing shadows along her neck, silver eyes storm-dark and molten. "You are mine," he whispered. "And eventually… you will crave me. You cannot resist. Not now. Not ever."