27: Torn Between Two Shadows

27: Torn Between Two Shadows
Isabella’s POV

"A heart split between two monsters can never belong to just one."

The sun was rising, but I didn’t feel warm.
Light stretched across the bedroom floor in golden ribbons, washing over the tangled silk sheets, the bruises on my skin, the ghost of Luca’s hands still lingering on my body.

I pulled my knees to my chest, pressing them against the aching spot where his teeth had sunk into me, where his claim had been etched in blood.
I should’ve felt safe.
Instead, I felt caged.

Because no matter how hard I tried to forget—
I could still feel Dante’s kiss.

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The Blood Oath Feels… Wrong

I dragged my fingertips over the scar Luca had left behind, tracing the mark where his fangs had punctured my skin.
A bite meant devotion.
Loyalty.
Love.

At least, that was what Luca had told me.
But now, with the bond twisting through my veins like a chain, like a leash, I wasn’t sure anymore.
Was this really love?

Or was it possession?

The deeper I felt the magic stir inside me, the more I realized it felt like something else.
Control.

And the worst part?

I had let him do it.

Luca’s words still echoed in my mind.
"Your blood. Your loyalty."

At the time, I had given both willingly.

Now, I wasn’t sure if it had been my choice at all.
Because Luca’s hands had trembled when he touched me last night.

Because something flickered in his gaze when he kissed me—a hesitation, a lie lurking beneath the surface.
He was keeping something from me.

And whatever it was—
It had the power to destroy us.

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A Memory That Won’t Fade

I clenched my fists against the silk sheets, but it wasn’t Luca’s touch that burned beneath my skin.
It was Dante’s.

His kiss hadn’t been violent, like I had expected.
It hadn’t been punishing.

It had been soft.
Slow.
Seductive

It had unraveled me.
And even worse?

I hadn’t wanted him to stop.
I had let him kiss me.

And a part of me—
A dark, hungry, aching part of me—
Wanted him to do it again.

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Why Didn’t I Fight Him?

I could still feel the heat of his mouth on my breast, the scrape of his teeth against my skin, the way his tongue had traced every inch of me—claiming pieces of me I had thought belonged to Luca.

I should have pushed him away.
I should have fought him.

But instead, I had let him take.

And no matter how much I wanted to blame the bond—
The truth was darker.
More terrifying.
A part of me wanted Dante just as much as I wanted Luca.
And that made me weak.

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Luca’s Absence Feels Too Loud

The room felt too quiet without him.
Luca was always watching me, always possessing me, always making sure I knew that I belonged to him.
But now, he was gone.

And I couldn’t shake the feeling…
That he wasn’t telling me everything.

That there was something beneath this bond, something he wasn’t saying.
If the blood oath was meant to keep me safe—
Why did I still feel empty?

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A Choice I’m Not Ready to Make

I stood, my legs unsteady beneath me as I reached for his shirt.
It smelled like him. A mixture of cedarwood and the lingering burn of his cologne.
I slipped it over my bare skin, the fabric too big, swallowing me whole as I crossed the room.
I wanted to trust him.

I wanted to believe that this—us—was real.
But how could I, when the man who swore to protect me…

Was the same man who was breaking me?
And worse—
I knew that if Dante touched me again—

I might not stop him.

\--------------------
A Shadow That Won’t Let Go

A chill crept down my spine, and for a second, I swore I felt it—
A whisper.
A breath at the nape of my neck.
"You’re already mine, Bella."

I clenched my fists, my heartbeat slamming against my ribs, but the moment I turned—
The room was empty.

Still, I knew.
I wasn’t just Luca’s anymore.

And soon, Dante would come back to finish what he started.