The room trembled under the weight of their battle.
Damien and Kieran clashed again, their movements a blur of supernatural speed and raw, unrelenting power. The walls cracked, shadows writhed, and magic sizzled in the air like fire waiting to ignite.
Selene's heart pounded as she struggled against her chains, desperate to break free. She could feel the energy between them shifting, darkening—this fight would end in blood.
But whose?
Kieran's strikes were precise, fueled by years of warrior training. His claws raked across Damien's chest, drawing dark rivulets of blood, but Damien barely faltered. He countered with a brutal blow to Kieran's ribs, sending him crashing against the stone wall.
Kieran gritted his teeth, pushing past the pain. He had fought creatures stronger than Damien before. But what made this different—what made this deadly—was the rage burning behind every attack.
This wasn't just a battle.
This was personal.
And personal fights always came with a cost.
—
Damien exhaled, wiping blood from his mouth. His golden eyes gleamed with something dark, something dangerous.
"You really think you can take her from me?" His voice was taunting, but there was a flicker of something beneath it—something like uncertainty.
Kieran smirked, rolling his shoulders. "I don't think—I know."
Damien growled, but Kieran wasn't done.
"You see, that bond?" He gestured toward Selene without taking his eyes off Damien. "It's nothing but a leash you wrapped around her neck. You don't love her. You just love owning her."
Damien's expression darkened.
Kieran's smirk widened. Good. Get angry.
Because anger made people sloppy.
And sloppy got people killed.
Damien lunged first.
Kieran was ready.
—
Selene gasped as the air shifted violently. The two men collided in a final, brutal exchange—one that would decide everything.
Magic crackled.
Blood sprayed.
A roar of pain tore through the room.
And then—silence.
Kieran stood over Damien's body, his breathing ragged, his knuckles coated in blood.
Damien coughed, his body shuddering as he tried to rise. But Kieran pressed a foot against his chest, pinning him down.
"This ends now," Kieran said, voice like steel.
Damien bared his teeth. "You… you think killing me will break the bond?" He laughed, dark and broken. "You don't understand, Kieran. Selene is still mine."
Selene's breath caught.
Kieran's eyes flickered with something primal. Deadly.
Then he crouched low, grabbing Damien by the throat.
"You're wrong," he whispered. "Because Selene has always belonged to herself."
And with that, Kieran drove his claws into Damien's chest.
A scream tore through the room. Magic exploded outward, shaking the walls, sending waves of energy crackling through the air.
Then, suddenly—
The bond snapped.
Selene gasped, her entire body jolting as an invisible weight lifted from her soul.
Damien's golden eyes widened in horror as his power shattered. He gasped, grasping at his chest, but there was nothing left to hold on to.
Kieran stepped back, watching as Damien's body convulsed—then stilled.
It was over.
Selene's chains broke apart, the magic binding her finally gone. She stumbled forward, her vision swimming.
And then Kieran was there.
Catching her. Holding her.
His arms wrapped around her tightly, his chest heaving, his heart hammering as if he had just fought death itself and won.
Selene clung to him, barely able to breathe.
She was free.
But as she looked up into Kieran's dark, unreadable eyes, a new realization took root inside her.
Damien's obsession had been cruel. But Kieran's?
It was something else entirely.
And she wasn't sure if she had just escaped one prison—
Only to step into another.