The Abyss never slept, and neither did Mason's attention.
Seris stumbled through the winding corridors, exhausted but alive, her fingers brushing the jagged walls. Each step sent shivers through the ground, the shadows bending slightly in her presence. Her mark burned hotter than ever, thrumming with Mason's obsession and something else—her own growing power. She could feel it coiling in her chest, a dark, restless energy, ready to erupt.
She tried to focus, to think clearly. She had survived the rival god's attack, but she knew it would not be the last. Other immortals would come. They would try to take her, to bend her, to destroy the threat her blood represented. And yet, the Abyss itself seemed hesitant, waiting for her to act.
"Stop," Mason's voice whispered through the air, silk and steel at once. She froze, breath catching. He did not appear immediately. Not physically. The words slipped directly into her mind, invasive yet intimate.
"Stop what?" she whispered back, trembling.
"Running from me," he said, appearing from the shadows behind her. His silver eyes burned, storm-dark and intense, consuming the space around him. He did not touch her, yet the air seemed to crackle with his presence, pressing against her like gravity.
"I… I can fight," she stammered, defiance mingling with fear.
"You fight because you must," he said softly, stepping closer. "But you cannot survive this Abyss alone. Not entirely. Not ever. And yet…" His gaze fell to her chest, to the mark blazing like molten silver. "I will not control you entirely. That is the pleasure of watching you struggle. The agony of knowing you resist, even while every heartbeat, every thought… every spark of defiance binds you to me."
Seris's pulse spiked. The words were fire against her nerves, and her mark throbbed violently in response. She wanted to push him away, to run, to scream, to deny the pull that already tethered her to him—but her legs refused to obey. Fear, exhilaration, and something darker coiled in her gut, twisting together.
"You're insane," she whispered, voice shaking. "I hate you for this."
"Good," Mason murmured. Shadows curled around him, alive and sinuous, like dark serpents recognizing their master. "Hatred lasts longer than love. But both will tie you to me, Seris. And one day, you will not care which is stronger. You will only care that I am here… and that I am yours."
The Abyss reacted. The walls warped subtly, shadows flickering and bowing as if recognizing their master—and the one he claimed. Seris pressed her hands to her chest, the heat of the mark almost unbearable, yet intoxicating. She hated him. She feared him. And yet, in some twisted, dark corner of her mind, she wanted him near. Wanted his obsession to be tangible, to wrap around her like a shield, to consume her entirely.
"Why me?" she whispered, almost to herself.
"Because you are different," he replied, voice low, dangerous. "You defy me. You resist me. You are fire wrapped in mortal flesh, and I am… well, I am the abyss that cannot be tamed. You fascinate me. Terrify me. And you… you are mine in ways you cannot yet imagine."
Seris trembled, and she hated it. The mark flared violently, burning her skin with warmth and pressure, and she felt the bond twisting around her heart like a living tether. Mason's presence pressed against her mind, invasive, possessive, and yet… protective.
"You are mine," he said finally, stepping closer, until she could feel the heat radiating off him, the subtle pull of the shadows curling in tandem with his words. "In every heartbeat, in every shadow, in every thought… and one day, you will know it. You will feel it. You will crave it."
The Abyss itself seemed to shiver around them, alive with anticipation. Seris swallowed hard, chest heaving, mind spinning. Fear, rage, and desire collided violently, leaving her trembling and weak, yet unwilling to look away from his silver eyes.
She hated him. She feared him. She wanted him.
And in that moment, she realized the terrifying truth: there was no escape from Mason. Not here, not in the Abyss, and perhaps… not in herself.