The Abyss pulsed violently, shadows stretching, bending, alive and aware. Seris stood, trembling, eyes fixed on the mark that burned hotter than ever. Mason's presence pressed into her mind, every thought, every heartbeat tethered to his obsession.
"You cannot escape it," he whispered, leaning close, shadows curling around them both. "Every spark of defiance strengthens the bond, every act of power… feeds my obsession. And you… will crave it, whether you admit it or not."
Fear, exhilaration, desire—twisted together, suffocating and intoxicating. Seris realized, fully, that she could resist, but she could never leave him. Mason's obsession, the Abyss, and her growing goddess-blood power had fused into a bond as absolute as the darkness surrounding them.
And the Abyss itself seemed to pulse in agreement, alive with recognition of the tether, the obsession, and the dangerous romance that bound them together.