Ellie didn't leave the bed.
She couldn't.
Her body was still shaking, her mind replaying every moment—Ben's gasps, the way his body reacted to Victoria, the whisper that had slithered through the darkness.
"You already know the answer."
Ellie wanted to believe it was a trick. That Victoria was manipulating him, forcing him to feel her.
But the look in Ben's eyes—the shame—said otherwise.
He felt her.
And deep down… he hadn't fought it
"Ellie..."
His voice was hoarse. She could hear the guilt dripping from it. But it wasn't enough.
She turned away, her heart pounding. "Don't."
"Please," he reached for her, fingers grazing her arm.
And that's when she felt it.
A chill in his touch.
Ellie jerked back. "Oh my God."
Ben frowned. "What—"
"You still feel cold, Ben!" Her breath came fast. "She's still in you!"
Ben looked down at his hands, a tremor running through his fingers. "No. No, that's not—"
"That is," a familiar voice whispered, sultry and cruel.
Victoria.
Ellie's stomach dropped. "No."
The light in the room flickered.
The air thinned.
And then—Ben's body tensed.
"Ben?" Ellie whispered.
His breath hitched. His pupils dilated.
And when he looked up at her—his lips parted in something between a gasp and a groan—she knew.
Victoria was inside him.
"No!" Ellie lunged, gripping his shoulders, shaking him. "Get out of him, you witch!"
Ben moaned.
Ellie froze.
It wasn't a moan of pain.
It was pleasure.
And Victoria laughed.
"Oh, Ellie," her voice purred through Ben's lips, "it's almost too easy."
Ellie's vision went red. "LET HIM GO!"
"Why?" Victoria whispered, tilting Ben's head. "He's never told me to stop."
Ben shuddered.
Ellie slapped him.
Not hard enough to hurt—just enough to shock him back.
"Wake up, Ben! Fight her!"
His body jerked.
His mouth opened, his chest heaved, and then—
"Ellie—"
He gasped, his body going slack. The cold vanished.
Ben collapsed forward, gripping her waist like she was the only thing keeping him tethered.
"She—" He choked out, "She was inside me."
Ellie's hands clenched into fists. "And you let her."
Ben's face twisted in pain. "I—"
"You felt her, Ben." Her voice was raw. "You wanted her."
Ben swallowed hard. "I didn't mean to."
"But you did."
Victoria's whisper curled around them, dripping with amusement.
"This is fun."
Ellie snapped.
"GET OUT!"
The walls shook.
A force rippled through the air, and suddenly—Victoria was gone.
The room fell silent.
Ellie's breathing was ragged.
Ben lifted his head, his hands still on her waist, his face inches from hers.
"Ellie—"
"Don't touch me."
She pulled away, her body trembling.
"I don't know who you belong to anymore."
And for the first time—Ben had no response.