The Abyss pulsed violently beneath Seris's feet, shadows writhing like living snakes. Every heartbeat of hers resonated through the black corridors, amplifying the molten tether threading her to Mason. The silver mark burned like liquid fire, coiling up her arm, spreading through her chest, connecting to her very soul. Mason's presence pressed against her mind like iron wrapped in silk—storm-dark, molten, obsessive.
"You feel it, don't you?" Mason whispered, silver eyes molten, threading into her consciousness. "Every heartbeat, every flicker of defiance… belongs to me. You cannot escape it. You already crave it."
Her chest constricted. She hated him. She feared him. And yet, shadows flared violently from her hands, twisting into living whips and blades that obeyed both her will and Mason's tether. Every strike pulsed with her goddess-blood power, amplified by the obsessive chain threading her movements.
From the deepest depths of the Abyss emerged a god older than memory itself. Its molten-gold eyes glowed with hatred, black energy coiling around its body, pulsing like living fire. The air vibrated with its rage.
Seris lunged forward, shadows erupting violently, striking with lethal precision. Mason appeared beside her silently, shadows intertwining with hers, threading obsessive energy into each blow. Fear, exhilaration, and desire collided violently in her chest. She hated him. She feared him. And yet… she wanted him, the tether, the suffocating chains threading her soul.
"You see?" Mason whispered, brushing a shadow tendril across her arm. The sensation was intimate and constraining, a caress and a shackle. "Every act of defiance, every heartbeat… threads you closer to me. You are mine, Seris. One day, you will crave it completely."
The god roared, hurling molten-gold energy that warped the Abyss violently. Shadows reacted, striking at the god while protecting Seris and Mason. Every heartbeat threaded with Mason's obsession, coiling tighter, threading her power, fear, and desire into a storm she could not resist.
Finally, the immortal fell, disintegrating into molten-gold fire and shadow shards. Seris sank to her knees, trembling, chest heaving from exertion and the overwhelming heat of the mark. Mason knelt beside her, shadows brushing along her hairline and neck in possessive, intimate strokes.
"You are mine," he whispered, voice threading into her mind like molten silk. "Even your defiance strengthens the bond. Every spark of independence… every act of rebellion… belongs to me. One day… you will crave it. You cannot resist, Seris."
The Abyss pulsed violently around them, alive and aware. Desire had rooted itself where fear had once lived. The chains tightened, coiling around her mind, heart, and soul. Mason leaned closer, eyes storm-dark and molten, daring her to resist, daring her to surrender completely.