I roar inside my mental prison, murderous rage boiling through every cell. I've slaughtered armies, conquered realms, survived a millennium of bloodshed—now rendered helpless while they lobotomize me.
The final memory—where I knew beyond doubt that I loved Dani—begins to dissolve. That night in her apartment, when she accepted me completely. Her body yielding to mine as we sealed our bond, her whispered acceptance as I claimed her. The memory unravels like a tapestry violently torn apart as I desperately cling to fragments.
"He's fighting me!" Morgan snarls, her nails drawing blood as she digs deeper.
"Well, darling, push harder." Lilith's voice drips with impatient entitlement. "We don't have all night for your incompetence."
My consciousness fractures as I battle the invasion, clinging to Dani's face with everything I have. This is worse than death. They're erasing what matters, leaving a hollow shell that looks like me but isn't.
Every neuron fires in desperate resistance as Morgan's magic tears through my mind, leaving scorched earth where Dani once lived.
"There we go," Morgan pants, sweat beading on her forehead. "Just a little more."
I'm verging on blackout, blood vessels repeatedly rupturing and healing. When Morgan finally releases me, I slump forward like a marionette with cut strings. Fucking drained.
"Wonderful. Let's see now. Let him speak." Lilith snaps her fingers impatiently.
I blink, disoriented, as the fog clears. My vampire healing frantically repairs damage I don't remember receiving. One moment we were... wait—where? The details slip away like smoke.
My gaze lands on Lilith, and an unexpected wave of affection surges through me. My body reacts before my mind processes it—reaching for her hand, lips curving into a devoted smile.
"My Queen," I hear myself say.
"Much better," Lilith purrs. "So much better." She sips champagne, snapping for another flute.
She shoves the crystal glass at me, blood-red nails clicking against the stem. "A toast to victory, darling. I've finally reclaimed what'salwaysbeen mine."
My fingers close around the glass. Of course they do. This is where I belong—at Lilith's side. That's how it's always been... hasn't it?
"Where are we headed, my Queen?"
The words leave my mouth, automatic and reverent, but something deep twists—an ancient instinct contradicting the memories crowding my skull. My head says I love her, but my body recoils from her touch.
"Somewhere far away, my love. Where no one will ever find us."
No one will find us.
The phrase echoes like a warning bell. Something dark and powerful stirs in my chest—a beast recognizing a cage. There's an emptiness inside me, raw and bleeding, like a phantom limb reaching for something beyond memory.
I nod, raising my glass.
The jet cuts through clouds, and I can't shake the feeling that something essential is missing. Something vital. Somethingmine.
But that's ridiculous.
Isn't it?
