Trapped in a Forced Love

t of Dorian's words crushed down on her chest. She had no choice. Her heart pounded against her ribcage,

elt like it could sear through her very soul. The silence stretched between

dged with a calmness that only served to intensify the storm brew

word sounding foreign on her tongue, a bitter pill that she couldn't s

k of control that had become all too familiar. "You're not a puppet, Aria. You're my partner. Whether you like it or not, y

each

ol-she knew Dorian wasn't simply talking about some kind of partnership in the traditional sense. He had made it clear time

e couldn't yet name, but that gnawed at the edges of

despite the storm of emotions swirling within her. "

an on the edge, as though the fragile control he'd built around himself was slipping, just for a sec

ecause of decisions made long before you and I ever met. You're here because of your bloodlin

My bloodline-that was what it always came down to. What had she truly been born into? What was her f

y. She took a step back, shaking her head as she tried to make sense of it all. "I don't unde

It was the briefest flicker of something vulnerable, something huma

p me, or you can resist me. But understand this-resisting me will not protect you. It wi

hard to deny that she felt trapped, that this had become bigger than her. Th

waiting for her to make a decision. But Aria didn't know how to choose. How could she choose when the stakes we

g to destroy you. But I need you to see this for what it is. You and I-our lives are int

e had to like it. She could feel the pull of something darker inside her, something that was beginning to take root. Something

id, her voice shaking with emotion, but her resolve firm.

n in his eyes. "You're not a pawn, Aria. You never were. But you can't deny the t

library, she couldn't shake the feeling that something deep inside her was beginning to change. The

st stepped into Dorian's world. She was becoming something else-something darker, somethi

e shelf. It fell open, revealing a hidden compartment inside, filled with papers that l

her f