A barn owl perches near the window, its heart-shaped face ghostly white in the dim light. Those black eyes track my every move with unsettling intelligence, like it's reporting my status to whoever orchestrated my current predicament. The creature's pristine feathers ripple as it cocks its head, studying me with that eerie supernatural awareness that screams 'magical spy camera.'
Questions flood my mind as I decipher how I ended up here. The last thing I remember is the horrifying attack, Damon feeding on me, the searing pain as my life drained away, and that…woman. Panic rises in my chest at the memory, my heart pounding against my ribs.
Gritting my teeth, I attempt to sit up, only to be roughly yanked back down. Confusion and panic surge through me as I glance at my wrists, my heart plummeting when I see the glint of metal shackles binding me to the bed.
Goddamnit!
I yank against the metal shackles until my wrists are raw, fighting with every ounce of strength I have. But it's pointless—my body, still ravaged from Damon's attack, betrays me.
Defeated, I sink back into the pillow, my chest heaving.Focus, Dani.I close my eyes and reach deep within, searching for the familiar warmth of my light, that core of power that's always been there.
Nothing. Where my power should burn bright, there's only emptiness.
What the hell did they do to me?
The realization hits like a meteor strike—they've found a way to cut me off from my own essence. I'm not just physically trapped, I'm magically neutered. Helpless in every way that matters.
Thevulnerability of my situation crashes over me in waves of pure terror, and anger.
I'm so goddamn tired of this, of constantly being a pawn in someone else's twisted game. How many times do I have to be angel-napped by these self-righteous assholes who think they can just do as they please? It's infuriating!
But as much as I want to scream and rage against the injustice of it all, I know I can't afford to lose my cool. Not now, not when Damon needs me. My brother is out there somewhere, lost and confused, a newly turned vampire struggling to accept his fate. If I don't find a way to get to him, to help him, he could end up hurting someone. Or worse.
The thought of losing Damon forever chokes me, the pain almost unbearable. No, I won't let that happen. I can't. He's my brother, my family, and I'll be damned if I let him face this nightmare alone.
When I saw Damon lying there, lifeless and still, I thought my world had shattered. The pain of losing my brother was a gaping wound in my heart, a void that could never be filled. But then, in a twisted turn of fate, he hadn't truly died. No, instead, he had been reborn as a vampire, cursed to walk the earth as one of the undead.
Part of me wants to see this as a blessing, a second chance for Damon, for our relationship. After all, I haven't lost him forever, not in the way I had feared. But I know the road ahead will be far from easy. Becoming a vampire isn't a fairytale. It's a brutal, unforgiving reality.
Rhyland, Erik, and Lucian have taught me so much about the struggles of newly turned vampires. The hunger that burns in their veins, the insatiable thirst for blood that consumes their every thought—it's a constant battle that can take years, even decades, to master. And the consequences of losing that battle, even for a moment, can be devastating.
The door crashes open, harsh light from the hallway spearing into the darkness. I flinch, momentarily blinded. As my vision clears, my heart stops—it's her. The red-haired bitch who stole me away from everything I love stalks into the room like a predator, each step a deliberate display of power.
Her movements remind me of a cobra preparing to strike—graceful yet deadly, beautiful but lethal.
Theway she prowls toward me makes my skin crawl. This woman didn't just take me by chance—she's been hunting me, and now she's savoring her victory.
"Well, well, look who decided to join the land of the living," she sneers, with disdain. She saunters over to the side of the bed, her emerald eyes raking over me like I'm a piece of meat, a plaything for her amusement.
She reaches for me, and I can't help but flinch, my nerves frayed and raw from the ordeal I've endured. "Oh, don't be such a baby," she scoffs, rolling her eyes. "I'm just checking your neck."
With a rough yank, she peels back the bandage that I now feel, the sticky sound of dried blood peeling away from my skin, making my stomach churn. Suddenly, her fangs slide out, gleaming and sharp, and she licks her lips in a gesture that's both hungry and predatory. I scuttle back against the headboard, a gasp of fear escaping my lips.
She's a vampire.
"Hmm, not bad," she remarks, her tone bored and unimpressed. "I suppose I'll have Morgan come and clean you up. Can't have you bleeding all over my expensive sheets, now can we?" She smirks at me, those soulless green eyes glinting with a malevolent light that chills me to the bone. "And don't even think about trying to escape or calling for help. You're on a magical leash, sweetheart. A little cocktail that was whipped up just for you."
Whatever cocktail of drugs they've pumped into my system is working perfectly—my powers are completely muted, locked away behind an impenetrable wall. The familiar warmth of my magic, usually thrumming just beneath my skin, is gone. Even my connection to Lucian, that constant reassuring presence in the back of my mind, has been silenced.
These bastards knew exactly what they were doing. They've stripped away every defense, every advantage I might have had. The violation goes beyond physical restraints-they've reached inside and stolen a fundamental part of who I am.
Rage burns in my chest, but it's tainted by crushing helplessness. I'm completely at their mercy.
The drugs feel like liquid ice in my veins, a constant reminder that these monsters have thought of everything. They're not just containing me—they're erasing everything that makes meme.
I frown at her, my eyes narrowing in defiance as I find my voice, the words rasping out of my throat like sandpaper. "Who the hell are you? And what the hell do you want?"
She laughs then, a mocking sound. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Lilith, darling. And you, my dear, are the key to getting what I want—or rather,whoI want."
