Eira's stomach dropped. "What?"
"You heard me," Caius said, his tone sharp. "The dagger was silver. It's slowing my healing. If you want to survive the night, you'll stop wasting time and come here."
Her hands trembled at her sides. The weight of his words pressed down on her, suffocating and surreal. Her gaze darted to the bodies strewn across the alley and back to him. "I—I can't."
"You don't have a choice," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. He staggered toward her, his golden eyes narrowing with predatory intensity. "Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
"No." She said simply.
Caius's jaw tightened, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously. "You swore yourself to me, Eira. That was your choice. Now, fulfill your duty, or do you expect me to pay the price for your defiance?"
"I didn't agree to become your blood bank!" Eira snapped, the fear in her voice edged with fiery defiance.
Caius took a deliberate step closer, his breath ragged but his gaze unyielding. "No," he said, his voice sharp as steel. "You agreed to become my wife. This is part of that bargain. Or did you think vows were just words?"
Her back hit the wall as she shook her head. "No," she said, her voice firmer now. "I'm not doing this."
Caius's jaw clenched, and for a moment, she thought he might force her. But then his gaze shifted, his nostrils flaring as though catching the scent of her panic. His lips curled into a faint, dangerous smile. "Run, then."
Her breath caught. "What?"
"Run," he said again, his voice a low growl. "Go ahead, my little lamb. Let's see how far you get."
For a moment, she stood frozen, her heart hammering in her chest. Then instinct took over, and she bolted. The alley blurred around her as she ran, her boots striking the pavement in frantic rhythm. The city felt like a labyrinth, the shadows stretching out to swallow her whole.
Behind her, she heard nothing. No footsteps, no breath, no indication that Caius was following. But that was worse. The silence wrapped around her like a noose, tightening with every step.
Her breath burned in her lungs, and every shadow felt like it held another predator. The city she thought she knew had turned on her, the alleyways and empty streets now a maze she couldn't escape. Was this the world Caius had spoken of? One where she was always prey?
Her lungs burned as she turned corner after corner, her surroundings growing unfamiliar. The streets were emptier here, the distant hum of the city drowned out by her own ragged breathing. She glanced over her shoulder, her pulse spiking when she saw nothing but darkness.
Her chest heaved as she slowed, a flicker of hope rising that she might have lost him. But then she turned back—and slammed into something solid.
The impact sent her sprawling backward, the air knocked from her lungs as she staggered to stay upright. Her hands flew up instinctively, pressing against what felt like a wall of iron.
But it wasn't a wall.
Caius stood before her, his golden eyes glowing faintly in the dim light of the alley. His expression was calm, composed—but there was a sharpness in his gaze, a predator's edge that made her blood run cold. "Stay away from me," she gasped, raising trembling hands in a futile attempt to ward him off.
His coat billowed slightly in the wind, his presence calm and measured, a stark contrast to her frantic flight.
"You can't outrun me," he said, his voice smooth, almost mocking. His golden eyes glowed faintly, cutting through the darkness like a predator's. "You think you can defy me, after everything you've sworn?" Caius's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper as he advanced on her, backing her against the cold brick of the building. "You're bound to me, Eira. By your choice, by your vow. Or have you already forgotten?"
Her breath hitched as his hand slammed against the wall beside her head, caging her in. "I don't care about your world, or your rules," she hissed, her voice trembling but fierce. "I won't give myself to you."
She flinched as his other hand caught her chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze. His touch was firm but surprisingly gentle, his golden eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her stomach churn.
"You don't get to make demands, Eira," he said, his voice a dangerous whisper. "Not with me."
She swallowed hard, her chest heaving as she glared up at him. "Then kill me," she spat, her voice trembling with both fear and defiance.
His lips curled into a faint, humorless smirk, and a cold shiver worked its way down her spine. She hated how easily he could unsettle her, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of looking away. "You think I want to kill you?" His thumb brushed against her jaw, the motion deliberate and unsettling. "I want you alive, little lamb. But that doesn't mean you can defy me."
Her pulse thundered in her ears as he leaned closer, his breath warm against her skin. "This isn't just about you," he continued, his voice soft but cutting. "Every time you hesitate, every time you resist, you put both of us at risk. Understand that."
"I can't be what you want." She pleaded.
For a moment, Caius didn't respond. Then, with a sharp exhale, he pulled back, his hand dropping from her face.
He turned abruptly, his coat flaring behind him as he started toward the end of the street. "We're going back to the car," he said without looking back. "Now."
As Eira followed him down the shadowed street, her heart still hammering in her chest, she seethed quietly. Every step felt heavier, weighed down by the bond she hadn't asked for and couldn't escape.
"I won't let you control me." Eira finally said.
Caius slowed, glancing over his shoulder at her with a faint flicker of amusement. "You're still alive because of me. If I wanted control, you wouldn't be standing here." he asked, his voice low and cutting.
Every step back to the car felt heavier than the last. Eira's chest burned, not just from the chase but from the weight of what had just happened. She could feel Caius's presence ahead of her, commanding and unyielding, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and forced her steps to remain steady. He might have won this round, but she refused to let him see her falter.
Eira clenched her fists, refusing to look away from his piercing gaze. "You're welcome," she spat, her voice trembling with anger. "I save your ass back there."
"Well then, thank you, my little lamb," Caius said, his tone softening to something almost unreadable.
The night had revealed more than she'd bargained for—and it wasn't over. Not yet.