2

It was harder to breathe in his domain since the air was different, thicker in some way. Alternatively, it may have been my imagination playing tricks on me while I stood motionless, attempting to process what had just transpired. I could still feel my heart racing and every nerve ending tingling as if he had burned a mark on me. His remarks were unavoidable; they hovered in the air.

"You belong to me."

I wanted to yell at him and correct him. That I belonged to no one, and certainly not to some king of the undead on some abandoned world. But I was unable to muster the courage. Trapped between the need to go and the strange pull that kept pulling me toward him, my body would not move.

I hadn't heard the name Kael'vok pronounced, but it rang in my head. I wasn't sure if he had inadvertently imparted the knowledge to me or if it was something I had always known. I had to leave him behind, regardless of who he was or what he had done to me.

He was standing a short distance away from me, staring straight at me as if he were challenging me to initiate contact. Although his body was muscular and motionless, there was an almost regal quality to the way he handled himself. Not merely a king of the dead, but a sovereign with total authority over his realm—and now, over me.

I forced my voice to work through the stiffness in my throat and swallowed. I tried to sound braver than I actually felt when I said, "I'm not staying here."

A cold, mocking smirk flashed over his lips. Do you believe you have an option? You entered my realm, tiny person. There's no turning back now.

I pushed myself to stand, taking a step back to verify his assertion. I felt his presence as if it were a gravity field, holding me close even as we got farther apart. It felt like the air itself was getting thicker around me, making it harder to move with every step and impossible to get away.

Kael'vok moved forward, filling the space I had left behind. As my back struck the chilly stone wall behind me, I realized I was out of options. He dominated the room, casting a shadow over me that made it appear even smaller and more cramped until there was just him and the oppressive force that came from him.

With a sweet but steely voice, he said, "You can fight it all you want, Alyssa." "However, the instant you stepped foot on my land, you were marked."

"How are you aware of my name?" With my heart pounding in my chest, I muttered. The way he whispered my name sent shivers down my spine, as though he had known me far longer than I had known him.

His mouth opened wider, his pointed teeth gleaming in the low light. "I am fully aware of you. Every weakness, every want, and every fear. You were mine to know the instant you stepped foot in my realm. to possess.

I balled my hands, my rage rising within of me and overpowering my dread. "I am not your property. I'm not something you own. It's not enough to just—

"It can't just what?" Dangerous, he lowered his voice. "Are you claiming me? Mark you, please? His hand sprang out, firmly but not painfully gripping my wrist. His eyes were glowing with something primordial as he drew me in closer. "I have done so already."

His touch generated an electric heat that shot through me like a wildfire. I struggled to pull away, but my body turned against me, muscles tensing against his presence. Despite my efforts to resist, I could sense the unseen connection that drew me toward him.

I cried out, "Let go of me," but I stammered as his intense stare penetrated my being.

Even when Kael'vok's hold relaxed, his fingers continued to feel close to my skin, serving as a constant reminder of his might. He whispered, "Run," seeming almost daring. "Go if you want to. But be aware that I will locate you no matter where you hide or how far you go.

I was afraid, but I forced myself not to show it to him. I ripped my wrist free from his grasp and stepped back, my thoughts racing. His eyes never left mine during the thick hush that elapsed while I made my choice.

I turned and ran away without saying a word.

I didn't turn around. Whatever was behind his lair's collapsing doors didn't matter to me. All I knew was that I had to leave this place and get away from him. The sound of my boots hitting the chilly stone floor reverberated throughout the large hallway as I ran, eventually becoming deafening to the sound of my own heart beating.

As I stepped out of his chamber, the cold air nipped at my skin as the darkness closed in around me. I broke through the building's main door and out onto the outside, the scene considerably more foreboding in the low light. Through the mist, the once-ruined metropolis could still be seen looming in the distance, twisted and broken. Past it, an unending, desolate wilderness stretched out in all directions, providing neither safety nor comfort.

It was my only option. With the damp ground squelching beneath my feet and my breath raspy in my throat, I rushed into the mist. I forced myself to go faster and harder, and my lungs burned. Though it felt weaker the farther I traveled, the peculiar pulse that had previously tugged at me was still there in the back of my mind.

This is something I could handle. I could get away from him.

As I ran, my legs hurt and every muscle cried out in pain. My mind raced to come up with a strategy—somewhere to hide, a way to live on this foreign planet without supplies, or a fallback. There has to be a way to avoid his twisted hold, a method to outwit him.

Abruptly, the haze around me grew denser, almost tangible. The scenery became hazy, and my field of vision shrank to barely two feet. I halted as I tried to regain my bearings, panic tearing at my chest. Now that I was near the ruins, I felt uneasy due to the strange silence. It seemed too quiet, too vacant.

Footsteps, I heard them then.

I froze, the sound clear in the heavy mist. At first it was subtle, but it was obvious. sluggish. thoughtful.

They weren't owned by me.

My heart leaped into my throat, and I whirled to find out what was making the noise. Nothing. Just the mist, concealing anything or whoever was outside while swirling like a live creature.

I pushed into the dense fog, forcing myself to keep moving, but the footsteps continued. They had moved closer, faster, keeping up with my speed.

Fear bit me, yet it wouldn't go away. I resisted being confined here and meeting the same end as my colleagues. I continued running, my body hurting and my heart thumping in my ears, but the footsteps followed me, getting louder and more insistent the faster I went.

Then a man materialized out of the haze.

tall. Dark. His physique dominated the area in front of me like a nightmare come true, and his silhouette was obvious.

Kel'vok.

With a grace that defied comprehension, he walked with such ease that the distance between us was quickly bridged. His eyes, which were glowing slightly in the low light, fixed themselves on me with such predatory intensity that it chilled my blood.

"However" Without air, I gasped. "How did you manage to—"

He went closer and added, "I told you," in a low, sinister tone. "There is no getting away from me."

I staggered back, searching desperately for an escape route, but there was none. Now that he was too close, his presence was oppressive and overbearing. Our connection became more intense, serving as a harsh reminder of his actions. Of the person I was growing into.

"Why...why me?" Desperate for answers, I demanded. "What is the purpose of this?"

A spark of something unreadable passed over his face as his eyes darkened. "Because you are the one I've been waiting for," he murmured, his voice suddenly nearly gentle.

He spoke before I could process it, and then he moved quicker than I could respond, grasping my wrist and drawing me in close to him. Even though he had a cool body, there was heat between us. With a gasp, I tried to push him away, but he held me in place with a tighter grip.

With his lips perilously close to my ear and his breath heated against my skin, he muttered, "I told you." "I own you."

Then all of a sudden the ground gave way under my feet and moved. His grip was the only thing preventing me from going all the way to the bottom as I screamed and my body went into the dark.

However, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.