I blur toward the stairs, ready to tear through anything between me and my mate. But before I can cross half the distance, an iron grip crushes my windpipe, slamming me against the wall hard enough to crack the marble. The touch is like arctic ice, familiar in the worst possible way.
Lilith.
The sadistic bitch who made me stares back with eyes like frozen hell, her fingers tightening around my neck with centuries of power behind them. My maker. My fucking nightmare.
"Well, well, well," her voice slithers like a snake, those emerald eyes gleaming like a predator toying with its meal. "If it isn't my favorite little creation. Have you been pining for me, darling? Like I've pined for you?" Her nails slice into my flesh.
"Get your fucking hands off me, you psychotic cunt!" I snarl, thrashing against her hold like a rabid wolf.
My mind latches onto a marble monstrosity behind her—some overpriced piece of shit these assholes probably worship. It launches at her skull like a missile, but the ancient hell-bitch moves with that infuriating speed of hers. She drops low, and the statue screams past us both, exploding through the wall in a shower of plaster and shattered dreams. Debris rains down inches from my head because the universe just loves to fuck with me.
"Oh darling," Lilith purrs, with that sadistic glee I remember all too well. "Still trying to use those cute little powers against me? Have you forgotten?" Her grip tightens painfully. "I'm older, stronger, and so much better at this game than you'll ever be."
The smug satisfaction in her voice makes me want to rip her throat out with my teeth. If I could just reach her...
Dani's screams pierce through me from above, each terrified cry driving me closer to losing my shit. Some undead bastard is up there, touching what's mine, hurting her, and this immortal psycho-whore is standing in my way.
I swing at her face with everything I've got, but she catches my fist like it's nothing, crushing my hand beneath her grip. The crack of breaking bones mingles with my roar of pain as she spins me around, slamming me face-first into the wall hard enough to shower us both in marble dust.
"Oh, sweetheart," she purrs against my ear, with false sympathy. "Does it burn you up inside, hearing your little pet crying out like that? Such a pathetic replacement for what we had together." She presses closer, her designer perfume choking me worse than her grip. "Remember how perfect we were, my dark prince? The blood we spilled together?"
Her words make my skin crawl, but Dani's next scream hits me like a kick to the balls. I'm going to tear this fucking building apart brick by bloody brick if that's what it takes to get to her.
"You still love me, darling. We both know it," she breathes against my ear, words slithering like venomous snakes. "I've forgiven your little tantrum. Locking me away like that? Naughty boy." Her blood-red lips curve into a predatory smile. This twisted bitch wouldn't know love if it staked her through her dead fucking heart.
"Go fuck yourself!" I spit the words through gritted teeth, fighting against her grip like a feral beast.
Dani's next scream tears through the air, weaker this time, and something inside me shatters. My girl, my fucking heart, is being broken piece by piece while I'm pinned here by this monster who made me. The sound of her pain rips me apart, knowing what kind of damage they're inflicting. How the fuck am I supposed to put her back together after this? How do I heal wounds that cut this deep?
"Mmm... that dirty mouth," Lilith purrs, running one nail down my cheek. "Remember how you used to eat my pussy like a starving man? All those nights of you fucking me raw..." She pouts like a spoiled child denied her favorite toy. "My cunt's been aching for your big cock, lover. No one fills me up quite like you do."
My stomach clenches at the memory of those nights—when she'd use her maker's command to force herself on me, compelling me to perform like her personal fuck puppet. I couldn't say no, couldn't fight back, could only hate myself as she took what she wanted. And the sick bitch got off on my disgust, fed on my helpless rage like it was the finest fucking wine.
Another weak cry from Dani ignites my fury anew. I'm going to find a way to end this bitch, Maker's rules or not.
No choice left. If this power consumes me, I know Dani will drag me back from the darkness. She always does.
I reach into my pocket and slide the ring onto my finger. The effect is instant and overwhelming—black magic explodes through my veins like liquid nitrogen, the air around us turning thick with shadows. I reach into the Soul Stone's power with a savage growl, and holy fuck—the darkness responds like a starving beast, eager to be unleashed.
I dissolve into shadow, leaving Lilith grasping at empty air, her perfect features twisting in confusion. Before she can process what's happening, I materialize behind her, commanding the darkness to wrap around her, choking her—like ethereal pythons. The power surges through me, intoxicating and dangerous as hell—each tendril of shadow answering my will sends a heady rush. I squeeze harder, watching her perfectly made-up face turn an interesting shade of purple.
The darkness whispers promises of more power, control, and everything. It would be so easy to lose myself in it, to let it consume me completely. But I hold onto Dani's presence in my mind as it anchors me and keeps me from drowning in the endless black.
Lucian shows up out of nowhere, a blur of lethal intent. Before I register his presence, he's already hefted the massive marble statue and is repeatedly smashing it into Lilith's head. Each impact is a symphony of brutal, bone-crunching satisfaction.
Our maker crumples to the floor like a broken porcelain doll, her exquisite dress pooling around her in a morbid tableau of stillness.
The shadows around me writhe and whisper, hungry for more violence. It takes every shred of my willpower not to unleash them.
"How's that for family therapy, you ugly bitch?" Lucian snarls, his usual smart-ass demeanor stripped away to reveal years of raw hatred. "Go get our girl, bro. I'll make sure this waste of immortality stays down. Maybe rearrange her face a bit more—you know, for old times' sake."
His trademark smirk doesn't quite hide the murderous gleam in his eyes. Some wounds run too deep for even his jokes to cover.
I don't need to be told twice. I blur up the stairs, following Dani's scent like a guided missile. The door splinters under my assault, and what I find on the other side—
My world stops. Then explodes.
The scene before me ignites something primal, something so fucking dark that the shadows still writhing around me seem bright in comparison. In this moment, burning the world to ash doesn't seem like enough. No, this calls for something much, much worse.
