The darkness was suffocating. A thick, oppressive blackness that clung to her skin, filled her lungs, and twisted her thoughts. It was all-consuming. Selene couldn't even tell if her eyes were open or closed. The world around her felt distant, like a dream, but she could still feel the tremors in her bones, the heat in her veins. The pull of something undeniable.
It was him.
She could feel Alaric's presence, even in the darkness. It was like an ember glowing in the pit of her stomach, simmering, scorching. She couldn't escape him. Not now, not ever. He had burned his mark into her soul, and there was no way out.
Her breaths came in short, panicked gasps, but it was hard to tell if the pressure in her chest was from fear or the weight of something much more profound.
Suddenly, she was yanked from the suffocating dark and thrust into the harsh light of reality.
