Lena's heart pounded against her ribs.
The moment the demon lunged at her, instinct took over.
She didn't think—she reacted.
The mark on her wrist burned like fire, and before she knew it, dark energy erupted from her fingertips, slamming into the demon's chest.
The creature let out an ear-splitting roar as the force sent it crashing backward.
Lena gasped, her entire body trembling. She hadn't even meant to do that.
The power inside her—it was growing. Becoming harder to control.
Lucian watched her with burning golden eyes.
"Good girl," he murmured, his smirk slow and sharp.
Lena's stomach twisted.
She wasn't proud of what she had just done.
She wasn't proud of how easy it had been.
And she definitely wasn't proud of the way Lucian was looking at her—like she had just proven herself to him.
The demon let out a low, guttural growl, struggling to rise.
Lucian sighed. "It's still alive. Finish it."
Lena's breath caught.
She turned to him, her pulse racing. "No."
Lucian's expression didn't change. "No?"
Lena swallowed hard. "I did what you asked. I fought back. But I won't kill it."
Lucian tilted his head, studying her.
Then, to her horror, he laughed.
The sound was dark, almost amused. "You still think you have a choice?"
Lena stiffened. "I do."
Lucian's smirk faded. "No, you don't."
He flicked his wrist.
The ground beneath the demon opened up, a swirling pit of fire swallowing the creature whole.
It didn't even have time to scream.
Lena's stomach churned.
"You didn't have to do that," she whispered.
Lucian's golden eyes gleamed. "Didn't I?"
She could feel the heat of the pit still licking at her skin.
It was a reminder.
A warning.
"You're mine, Lena," Lucian murmured. "And I don't share."
Her chest tightened.
She couldn't do this.
She couldn't stay here.
Because if she did—she wasn't sure who she would become.
---
The Escape Plan
That night, Lena made her decision.
She was going to run.
It didn't matter that Lucian had claimed her. It didn't matter that the mark on her wrist tied her to him.
She refused to be trapped.
The Underworld had its rules—and every prison had a weakness.
She just had to find it.
She had spent weeks exploring Lucian's domain, memorizing the halls, the doors, the secret passageways. She knew there was a way to the surface world.
There had to be.
She waited until the halls were quiet, until Lucian was distracted.
Then she moved.
Her heartbeat thundered as she slipped through the corridors, her fingers trailing along the cold stone walls. Every shadow felt like a pair of watching eyes, every flickering torch a potential alarm.
If she could just make it to the portal chamber—
A hand wrapped around her wrist.
Lena froze.
Her breath hitched as a familiar heat pressed against her skin.
Lucian.
She didn't have to turn around to know it was him.
His grip was firm but gentle, his breath warm against the back of her neck.
"You really thought you could leave?" he murmured.
Lena's blood ran cold.
Slowly, she turned to face him.
Lucian's golden eyes were darker than usual, his expression unreadable.
She yanked her wrist free. "Let me go, Lucian."
His smirk was slow. "No."
Her chest tightened. "You can't keep me here."
Lucian stepped closer, his presence suffocating. "Can't I?"
Lena swallowed hard. "You promised you wouldn't hurt me."
Lucian's expression softened slightly, but his eyes remained possessive.
"I won't hurt you," he murmured. "But that doesn't mean I'll let you go."
Her pulse quickened.
"You don't own me."
Lucian chuckled, but there was no humor in it.
"Then why does your body betray you?" he whispered.
Lena shivered.
Because he was right.
She hated it—hated how her pulse quickened when he was near, how her breath caught when he touched her.
Lucian reached up, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"You're afraid," he murmured. "Not of me. But of what you feel for me."
Lena clenched her jaw. "I feel nothing."
Lucian's smirk was slow.
"Liar."
She wanted to slap him.
She wanted to run.
But more than anything—she wanted to prove him wrong.
And that terrified her.
---
No Escape
Lucian didn't take her back to her chambers.
Instead, he led her somewhere else.
The throne room.
The massive black stone throne sat at the center, its presence looming over her.
Lucian turned to face her, his golden eyes burning.
"You want to leave," he said. "Fine. But first, you'll have to convince me."
Lena swallowed hard. "Convince you?"
Lucian stepped closer. "Convince me that you truly want to leave."
She hesitated.
"Say the words, Lena," he murmured. "Tell me you don't want to be here."
Her throat went dry.
She wanted to say it.
She needed to say it.
But the words wouldn't come.
Lucian's smirk deepened. "That's what I thought."
She clenched her fists. "You're manipulating me."
Lucian chuckled. "Or maybe I'm just making you face the truth."
Lena hated him.
She hated how easily he saw through her.
Hated how right he was.
Lucian reached out, cupping her chin gently.
"You can fight it all you w
ant," he murmured. "But you belong to me, Lena."
Her breath hitched.
"You can't escape me," he whispered. "Because deep down—you don't want to."
Her heart pounded.
And for the first time—she wasn't sure if he was wrong.