Chapter 45
Darkness.
Then—pain.
A dull, throbbing ache sits behind Ana’s eyes, pressing in like a vice. Her body feels heavy, her limbs unwilling to obey as she tries to move.
A cold surface. Stone beneath her fingertips. The faint scent of damp earth and something else—iron.
Blood.
She gasps, her breath hitching as awareness slams into her.
Where—?
A door creaks.
Footsteps. Slow. Measured.
Then—his voice.
“You’re awake.”
A shiver rakes down her spine.
“Elijah.”
He humors her with a low chuckle. “Still so quick, even in your state.”
Ana pushes herself up, her muscles protesting. The room tilts, shadows warping at the edges of her vision.
She forces herself to focus.
She’s in a dimly lit stone chamber. No windows. A single exit. Elijah stands in front of it, his crimson eyes glowing in the low light.
He’s blocking her only way out.
Her pulse spikes.
“What did you do to me?” Her voice is hoarse, raw.
Elijah tilts his head, his lips curling in amusement. “You were being difficult. I gave you time to…reset.”
Reset.
Like she’s a machine. Like he can shut her down and reprogram her at will.
Her stomach churns.
“Elijah, let me go.”
He sighs, as if exasperated. “We’ve been through this, sweetheart.”
Ana’s fingers curl into fists. “Julian will find me.”
A shadow flickers across his expression. Just for a second.
Then it’s gone.
“Julian.” He rolls the name on his tongue like it’s something bitter. “Your devoted knight in shining armor. The one who took everything from you.”
Her jaw tightens.
“Julian saved me.”
Elijah’s gaze sharpens, something dangerous flashing behind his eyes. “Saved you?” he repeats, softly.
Ana doesn’t answer.
His silence stretches.
Then—
“Elijah.” A new voice. Smooth. Cold. Unfamiliar.
Ana stiffens.
A man steps into view, emerging from the shadows like he’s part of them.
He’s tall, broad, draped in all black. His face is sharp, predatory, with piercing golden eyes that gleam in the dim light.
Ana’s breath catches.
Instinct screams at her.
Danger.
“Elijah,” the man says again, this time with an edge of warning. “We don’t have time for this.”
Elijah doesn’t look away from Ana. “She needs to understand.”
The man’s expression doesn’t change. “You’re wasting your breath.”
Ana’s heartbeat thunders.
She doesn’t know who he is, but he isn’t her ally.
And neither is Elijah.
She needs to get out.
Now.
Elijah turns back to her. “You think Julian is your hero. But tell me, sweetheart—what kind of man erases the woman he loves?”
Ana’s stomach knots.
She knows the answer.
She’s been running from it.
Julian did it to protect her.
Didn’t he?
“Elijah.” The man’s voice is sharp now. “End this.”
Ana barely has time to react before Elijah moves.
A blur.
Cold fingers wrap around her wrist.
She fights.
Twists. Pulls.
“Elijah, don’t—”
His grip tightens.
His breath brushes her skin.
Then—
Whispers.
Soft. Insidious.
"Remember, Ana."
A shockwave tears through her skull.
She screams.
Memories—fragments of something long buried—erupt.
A ballroom. A waltz. Laughter.
Blood.
Pain.
A promise.
"You are mine."
Ana’s vision blurs.
No.
No.
No.
She collapses.