t. My limbs were heavy, as though chained by invisible weights. I tried to sit up, but a dizzy wave crushed me back into velvet pillows. The room spun in elegant circles. Red velvet curtai

ou had no right." "You were offered," he said coolly. "By your village." "They offered me to die. Not to be bound to a vampire prince like some... pet!" His eyes flashed. "You are not a pet." I laughed bitterly. "Oh, of course. I'm a prophecy. A solution. A soul-match." Silence stretched between us. "Aria," he said, and for the first time, I heard something almost human in his voice. "I didn't choose this either." I turned away, gripping the windowsill. Beyond the glass, black forests stretched toward a blood-red sky. The sun never rose here, only a perpetual twilight. "My whole life," I whispered, "I've feared creatures like you. Vampires who stole children in the night. Who fed on the helpless. And now I'm in your palace, wearing your mark." Lucien didn't move. "Not all stories are lies. But not all truths are full either." I spun back toward him. "What do you want from me?" He paused. "Time." I blinked. "What?" "I need time," he said. "To understand what this bond truly is. To ensure your safety. And to prepare the court for what this means." I stared. "The court doesn't know?" "Not yet." A sharp knock interrupted us. A servant entered silent, head bowed and placed a tray of food on a small table. Fruits. Bread. A silver goblet. My stomach growled traitorously, but I didn't move. "Eat," Lucien said. "You'll need your strength." "For what?" I snapped. "For surviving your first day as the Bound Bride." The moment he left, I collapsed onto the bed and buried my face in my hands. Bound Bride. I wanted to scream. To cry. To rip the mark from my skin and wake up in my old bed, with my old life. But that life was gone. I was no longer just Aria Blake. I was something else now. Something the vampires feared... or worshipped. Tears burned my eyes, but I blinked them back. I wouldn't cry. Not here. Not in his palace. Instead, I looked