Talon's POV
The instant it happened, I felt it—a crackling surge in the air, tearing through my mind, sharp and unforgiving. Valeria. She'd bound herself to him. Adrian.
The realization hit me like a wound tearing open, fresh and raw. Her essence, once tethered only to me, was now tangled in that human's thread, a flicker of light bound to her darkness. The mark branded on her chest was a scar across my soul, a reminder of the power he had taken, of the moment I had been forced to watch from the shadows, unable to wrench her back.
I clenched my fists, letting the anger coil through me like poison, refusing to release it. They thought they were safe in the Oracle's haven, beyond my reach. A laugh, dark and bitter, clawed its way from my throat. They were fools if they thought that bond—weak, tainted by a flickering human spark—could keep her from me.
In my domain, shadows writhed at my anger, sensing the force of my wrath. They pulsed and curled, hungry to devour, to lash out, reflecting the storm churning inside me.
A wraith-like servant emerged from the corner, flickering with unease. "Master… the Oracle has hidden them away. Their bond grows stronger," it murmured, voice a bare whisper in the silence.
Hidden. That's what they thought they could do, hide away from me, shield themselves in the safety of her walls. The Orcle might have cloaked them, but nothing—not a damn thing—could keep her from me. Not some fool's bond, and certainly not that spark Adrian thought was power.
"Pathetic," I sneered, the word dripping with venom as I felt my hands tighten, the fury cold and unyielding. "He thinks he can protect her? That he can keep her safe with the force of his light?"
The servant dared not respond, its form flickering as it attempted to shrink back, but I was beyond caring. My mind was a storm of fury, each memory of Adrian's touch on her skin, his mark on her heart, fanning the flames that burned hotter, refusing to be contained.
"Find them," I commanded, my voice low, cold as ice. "Send word to every creature under my influence. I want eyes on them, shadows tracking their every breath. Adrian will learn that whatever bond he believes in, I am the darkness that devours."
My servant bowed low, vanishing in a wisp of black mist, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The silence did nothing to calm the rage within me. I imagined Valeria, wrapped in Adrian's arms, felt the surge of her power intertwined with his. A power that should have been mine. She should be at my side, my strength complementing hers, our power a force unstoppable. Instead, she had chosen him.
And now, the Oracle thought she could defy me too, sheltering them behind walls of magic as if they could keep her safe, as if that might protect her from what was coming.
I stood, my gaze hardening, feeling the shadows swell and surge with the same thirst for vengeance. Valeria might be his for now, but she was marked by the darkness, claimed by me long before he ever knew her name.
"Enjoy your bond, Adrian," I hissed into the silence, a smile twisting my lips, cold and sharp. "Because I will tear it apart, piece by piece, until nothing remains."
She was mine. And nothing—not even the so-called strength of light—could change that.