Mariel’s blood-red gown moved like a living thing, its tendrils curling and dissipating into the darkness with every step she took. Her sharp, flawless features shimmered in the eerie light of the runes, and her silver eyes locked onto Ella with a predatory intensity. She smiled—a cold, dangerous curve of her lips that made Ella’s skin crawl.
“Ella,” Mariel purred, her voice dripping with an almost seductive menace. She moved closer, each step deliberate, as though she had all the time in the world.
Her fingers, long and delicate, lifted toward Ella’s neck, brushing the air just above the mark of the blood bond Adrian had left. The touch sent an involuntary shiver down Ella’s spine.
“Such a fascinating creature you are,” Mariel mused, her tone dripping with curiosity. “The blood of your line… pure, potent, untapped. And yet…” Her fingers drew closer to Ella’s neck. “Still waiting to be claimed in full.”
Before Mariel’s fingers could make contact, Adrian moved. He was a blur of speed and fury, positioning himself between Ella and Mariel with an audible snarl. His icy-blue eyes blazed with primal anger as he yanked Ella against him, his arm wrapping tightly around her waist in a possessive grip to his chest that left no room for doubt.
Adrian tilted his head, his lips brushing against Ella’s ear, the scrape of his fangs against her neck deliberate and territorial.
“Do not touch her,” he growled, his voice low and lethal, reverberating through the chamber like a storm. “She is not yours.”
Mariel’s laughter filled the space, a rich, mocking sound that sent the shadows on the walls writhing.
“Yours,” she echoed, her voice dripping with mockery. “You cling so tightly to her, just like a beast marking its prey. But do you even understand what you claim?” Her gaze flicked to Ella, lingering with a sharp, unsettling intensity. “Do you truly know what she is? What lies beneath that mortal shell of hers?”
Ella’s heart pounded, the weight of Mariel’s words sinking into her like claws. Adrian’s grip on her tightened, his protectiveness rippling through the connection as if he could shield her from Mariel’s piercing gaze and cryptic truths. She placed a hand on his chest, hoping to calm him, though her own pulse was erratic.
“She is more than you could ever comprehend,” Adrian spat, his voice steady but filled with venom. “And she will never be yours to manipulate.”
Mariel stopped in her circling, her silver eyes glinting with something dangerous as she tilted her head.
“So possessive,” she murmured, her lips curling into a sly smile. “But possession is not love, Adrian. Tell me, does she feel safe in the cage you have built around her?”
Adrian’s entire body tensed, his jaw ticking as a muscle in his temple throbbed. Ella felt the intensity radiating from him, her own nerves fraying under the weight of his protectiveness and fury.
“What do you want, Mariel?” Adrian demanded, his tone sharp and unyielding, daring her to give an answer he didn’t like.
The witch stopped, her eyes gleaming as her smile widened. “I want what I have waited centuries for,” she said. “The blood bond… and the secrets it holds. The de Vallière bloodline is unique, and your bond is the key to unlocking powers even you cannot comprehend.”
Sebastian’s voice cut through the tension, his usual charm replaced with quiet suspicion. “You have been watching us,” he said, his golden eyes narrowing. “For how long?”
Mariel turned to him with an air of indulgence, as though entertaining the question of a curious child.
“Since the first stone of this manor was laid,” she said smoothly. “I have seen your family rise, fall, and claw its way back to power again and again. Always teetering between greatness and destruction.” Her gaze slid to Ella, lingering with something that bordered on reverence. “And now, the centerpiece of it all stands before me.”
Ella stiffened under the weight of Mariel’s gaze. “If you have been watching for so long,” she said, her voice steady despite the fear churning in her chest, “why show yourself now?”
Mariel’s smile sharpened into something cruel.
“Because now the bond has awakened the slumbering magic of this manor. Now, your bloodline brims with untapped potential, ready to be realized. But without me, you will lose control. You will fail.”
Her words cut through the room like a blade, silencing even the shadows that whispered at the edges of Ella’s mind. Mariel stepped closer, her movements measured, as though she had all the time in the world.
“I can stabilize the bond,” she continued. “Not temporarily, as you managed before, but permanently. I can cleanse the shadows’ lingering taint and fortify the manor’s defenses… for a price.”
“And what is that price?” Vincent asked, his voice colder than usual as he moved to stand beside Adrian. His dark eyes bore into Mariel, distrust flickering in their depths.
Mariel turned her gaze on him, her expression almost pitying. “Honesty,” she said simply, her tone as sharp as a knife. “From all of you. Every secret you have kept from dear Ella must come to light. No lies. No omissions.” Her attention flicked back to Eleanor, her eyes gleaming. “And from you, my dear, I require your blood. Willingly given. Only then can I weave the spell.”
The room fell silent, the weight of her terms settling over them like a shroud. Adrian’s growl broke the quiet, his fury palpable through the bond. “You ask for too much,” he snapped.
Mariel’s gaze sharpened, her amusement fading. “Then you will fall, Adrian,” she said coolly. “The bond will unravel. The shadows will return. And this manor, your family… her…” She gestured to Ella. “All will be lost.”
To emphasize her power, Mariel lifted her hand in a delicate motion, her fingers curling as if pulling invisible strings. Ella gasped as fire raced through her veins, a dark and foreign pleasure coursing through her body, leaving her trembling.
“Stop it!” Adrian roared, his fangs bared as he lunged toward Mariel, his magic crackling around him like a thunderstorm ready to break.
Mariel merely smirked, dropping her hand and allowing the searing sensation to subside.
“You have little choice,” she said, her tone silkier than ever. “Consider my offer, Adrian. You cannot protect her from what is coming, not without me.” She turned her back on him, her blood-red gown swirling as she moved toward the shadows. “But choose quickly,” she called over her shoulder. “The cracks in your bond grow wider with every passing moment.”
Ella placed a hand on Adrian’s chest, her voice trembling as she whispered, “Adrian…”
But he didn’t look at her.
His eyes stayed locked on the space Mariel had vacated, his expression thunderous.