The black expanse of the Abyss seemed to pulse with life, responding to every heartbeat, every breath, every thread of Mason's obsession coiling through Seris. Shadows writhing along the walls felt almost sentient, curling around pillars, and slithering across the jagged floor. Every step Seris took sent ripples through the environment, twisting and bending the darkness like a living thing, as if acknowledging the molten tether threading her to Mason.
"You are mine," Mason whispered, voice low, threading into her mind. His silver eyes glimmered molten and storm-dark. "Every flicker of defiance, every heartbeat… belongs to me. You already crave it."
Her chest tightened. She hated him. She feared him. Yet shadows flared violently from her hands, twisting into whips and blades that moved with lethal precision. Every strike pulsed with her goddess-blood power, amplified by Mason's obsessive tether threading her very movements.
From the black depths of the Abyss, a new threat emerged: an immortal god older than memory, molten-gold eyes blazing centuries-old hatred. Its body coiled with dark energy, twisting and striking like a storm.
Seris lunged forward, every strike a deadly dance of defiance and tethered desire, amplified by Mason's obsession. Fear, exhilaration, and desire collided violently inside her chest. She hated him. She feared him. And yet… she wanted him. She wanted the suffocating tether, the chains of obsession threading her to him.
"You are unstoppable with me," Mason murmured, leaning close. Shadows brushed her arm like a caress and a shackle. "Every act of rebellion… every heartbeat… belongs to me. You are mine, Seris. Already. And soon… you will crave it completely."
The immortal roared, energy flaring like molten-gold fire, attempting to obliterate the Abyss itself. Shadows reacted violently, striking the god while protecting Seris. Every movement she made, every strike, every breath, became amplified by Mason's obsessive tether, a deadly, intoxicating rhythm.
When the god finally fell, she collapsed, chest heaving, trembling from exertion and the heat of the mark. Mason knelt beside her, shadows brushing along her neck and shoulders in intimate strokes.
"You are mine," he whispered, silver eyes molten and storm-dark. "Even your defiance strengthens the bond. One day… you will crave me. You cannot resist."
The Abyss pulsed violently around them, alive and aware. Desire had taken root where fear had once lived. The chains of obsession tightened, coiling around her mind, heart, and soul, suffocating and intoxicating, binding her utterly to Mason.