Kian lay on the dark extravagant bed, staring up at the jagged ceiling above him, his body aching, his mind still foggy from the blood loss and confusion.
He was slowly regaining his strength, but each moment in this place, the vampire's lair, felt like an eternity.
The emotions swirling inside him were impossible to tame: heartbreak over his ex, fear over his captivity, and anger at Viktor for putting him in this impossible situation.
How did everything go so wrong?
He shifted slightly, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his limbs. His neck still ached where Viktor had bitten him, a constant reminder of the terror he'd felt in that alley.
But what disturbed him more were the other changes, subtle but undeniable. His senses seemed sharper. He could hear the faintest drip of water from some distant corner of the lair, smell the musty scent of the stones beneath him, and feel the presence of Viktor even when the vampire was nowhere in sight.
It was unsettling.
The silence was suffocating, but then again, so was the looming realization that there was no escape.
Viktor, that cold, stoic predator, had made it clear: Kian was bound to him. And no matter how much Kian wished to deny it, he could feel it, the bond.
It hummed beneath his skin like a taut wire, pulling at him even when he tried to ignore it. His emotions swung between rage and something he couldn't quite place, a confusing, primal urge to be near Viktor despite everything.
"This can't be happening," Kian muttered to himself, his voice a rough whisper in the dim room. He pushed himself up, his muscles protesting, but he was no longer content to lie there helplessly. He needed answers. He needed out.
"Viktor!" His voice echoed through the dark stone hallways. "I know you can hear me!"
Moments passed, and Kian's heartbeat quickened. His pulse raced with a mix of fear and frustration as he waited. Finally, from the shadows, Viktor emerged, his tall, imposing figure casting a long silhouette as he stepped into the dim light. His face was calm, expressionless, as always. The perfect predator.
"What do you want from me?" Kian demanded, standing shakily but keeping his voice firm. His anger bubbled just beneath the surface, held in check by the sheer force of his fear. "Why are you doing this to me? What is this bond you keep talking about?"
Viktor's pale eyes met Kian's, his expression unreadable. "I've already told you. You and I are bound now. It wasn't intentional, but it's done."
"That's not an answer," Kian snapped, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "You're keeping me here, like some kind of prisoner. You say we're connected? Fine. How do we disconnect it? How do I break this, this thing between us?"
Viktor's gaze darkened slightly, his posture stiffening. "You can't break it," he said, his voice low, almost dangerous in its calmness. "Not without consequences. The bond isn't something that can just be undone. We're tied together now."
"Tied together?" Kian repeated incredulously, his anger flaring hotter. "You think I want to be tied to you? You attacked me. You took me here against my will. And now you're telling me I'm stuck with you for… what? Forever?"
Viktor's jaw clenched, and for the first time, Kian saw something flicker behind those icy eyes, something like frustration. "You think I wanted this?" Viktor said, his voice carrying a sharper edge now. "I didn't choose this any more than you did. But it's happened. And now… we both have to live with it."
Kian's breath hitched as Viktor's words hit him like a punch to the gut. There was a finality in the vampire's tone, an inevitability that made Kian feel even more trapped. He couldn't break this. He couldn't just walk away. He was stuck in this nightmare, bound to a creature he didn't trust, didn't understand, and most definitely didn't want.
"I can't..." Kian shook his head, his voice cracking as he spoke. "I can't do this. I don't want any part of it. I just want to go back to my life."
"You can't go back," Viktor said, his voice quiet but firm. "Not anymore."
Kian let out a sharp, bitter laugh, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "So what am I supposed to do, then? Just stay here? Be your… what, your prisoner? Your blood supply? Your fuck buddy?"
Viktor's eyes narrowed slightly, his posture shifting ever so subtly. "You're not a prisoner," he said, though his voice lacked conviction. "I'll keep you safe here. And you won't have to do anything you didn't want to do."
"Safe?" Kian scoffed, his anger boiling over now. "You're the one I need protection from! You bit me! You brought me here! You're..." His words cut off as a wave of dizziness washed over him, his body still weak from the blood loss.
Viktor moved faster than Kian could react, his cold hand catching Kian's arm as he stumbled.
The touch sent a shiver down Kian's spine, an electric jolt of awareness that only made him feel more out of control. He pulled away, his heart racing, but the bond between them pulsed stronger now, tugging at him in ways he couldn't explain.
"Don't touch me," Kian spat, backing away, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"I'm not your enemy," Viktor said, his voice quiet again, though the tension in his body was palpable. "This bond… it's powerful. You're feeling it. I can feel it too."
Kian shook his head, trying to block out the vampire's words, trying to ignore the strange sensations coursing through him.
His senses were heightened, he could hear Viktor's every breath, feel the weight of his presence like a physical force. And that pull, that maddening pull, kept tugging at him, no matter how much he tried to resist.
"What do I do to make it stop?" Kian asked, his voice breaking with desperation. "Why can't you just let me go?"
Viktor stared at him, his pale eyes flickering with something Kian couldn't decipher. For a long moment, the vampire said nothing, his silence more unnerving than anything else.
Finally, Viktor spoke, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I don't want to hurt you, Kian. But the bond… it binds us both. If I let you go, I'll die."
Kian's breath caught in his throat, his mind reeling. "What?"
"The bond is more than just a connection," Viktor explained, his gaze never leaving Kian's. "It's life or death. Like I have said before, nothing else will sustain me but your blood. I need you to survive. And if I die… you'll feel it too."
Kian's stomach churned with a sickening mix of fear and disbelief. "This can't be real," he whispered, shaking his head. "This is insane. I don't want to be part of this."
Viktor's face softened for the briefest moment, the coldness in his eyes giving way to something almost like regret. "Neither did I," he admitted, his voice barely audible. "But it's done."
Kian turned away, running a trembling hand through his hair as he tried to make sense of everything.
His body was still weak, his mind racing in a thousand directions at once. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to get away from this monster, but deep down, he knew he couldn't.
He was trapped.
"I can't do this," Kian muttered to himself, his voice shaking as he paced the room. "I don't want this. I don't want any of this."
Viktor remained silent, watching from the shadows as Kian struggled with his emotions, his anger and fear warring with the inexplicable pull of the bond. Kian could feel Viktor's eyes on him, that cold, calculating gaze that made him feel like prey even now.
But beneath the surface, something was shifting. Kian could sense it, something between them was changing. It terrified him. It confused him. And yet, he couldn't deny the strange connection that seemed to be growing stronger with every passing moment.
Finally, Kian stopped pacing, his shoulders slumping in defeat as he turned to face Viktor once more. "What do I do now?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper now, all the fight gone from him. "What's going to happen to me?"
Viktor's expression was unreadable as he stepped forward, the tension between them thickening in the air. "For now," he said softly, "my aim is to keep you alive."