The air around the Vampire Mansion grew heavier as the Red Moon neared. Its crimson glow bled through the tall windows, casting twisted shadows that danced across the cold marble floor. The night had a pulse. Slow. Throbbing. Dangerous.
The Four Lords stood inside the ritual chamber—a cold, hollow hall built from ancient stone and drenched in moonlight. Chains of ceremonial silver hung loosely from the high ceiling, and the scent of dried blood lingered like perfume.
None of them spoke.
Not at first.
Lucien leaned against the wall, jaw clenched, golden eyes narrowed. His fangs were already beginning to lengthen.
Kaelen stood still, hands behind his back, his usual sharp smirk absent.
Darian toyed with a blade in his hand, spinning it lazily, though his eyes remained fixed on the center of the chamber.
And Varek… Varek's silence was the loudest of all. His stormy blue gaze bore into the floor like he wanted to crush it beneath his heel.
They hated this.
They hated her.
At least, that's what they told themselves.
"She's late," Kaelen finally growled, the flicker of impatience in his voice barely masked. "Typical. Even fate's chosen are disappointing."
Lucien gave a cold chuckle. "Maybe she realized what we're about to do. And she's running again."
Darian's lip curled. "Let her. She won't get far."
"Enough," Varek rumbled, his voice like rolling thunder. "We do this. We mark her. We end the chaos in our veins. No more… weakness."
Lucien's eyes flashed. "It's just a bite. Just a mark. Nothing more."
"But it will hurt her," Kaelen reminded, a cruel edge in his voice. "And that's the only part I'll enjoy."
The heavy iron doors creaked.
And then… she entered.
Mira.
Dressed in a simple white gown that brushed the floor, her hair tangled from restless sleep, her eyes wide but defiant. The golden glow in her veins pulsed like a heartbeat beneath her skin.
She stopped a few feet from them, refusing to tremble even as her knees threatened to buckle.
"I know why I'm here," she said softly.
Lucien stepped forward. "Then lie down."
She swallowed. "All four of you… at once?"
"No," Darian said darkly. "One by one. Slowly."
Mira looked at each of them, her lips parting. "Do any of you… care?"
Kaelen laughed—a bitter, broken sound. "Care? No. We're doing this because we have to. Not because we want to."
"But we'll enjoy the part that hurts you," Lucien added, stepping closer. "So lie down. Don't speak."
She stared at them—those monsters bound to her by fate. And then she stepped forward on her own. She lay on the black stone table in the center of the ritual circle, her hands clenched at her sides.
Her voice was no longer trembling.
"Then get it over with."
Darian moved first. He leaned down, brushed her hair aside—and bit.
Hard.
She gasped, back arching as his fangs sank deep into the soft flesh of her neck. The pain was sharp, burning, but something inside her twisted—not just in pain, but in recognition.
This pain was not just flesh.
It was soul.
Darian pulled back, blood on his lips, eyes darker than before.
"Marked," he muttered.
Lucien was next. He didn't bother with tenderness. He bit her wrist—slow and cruel—and whispered against her skin, "This is your place now. Under our teeth. Under our rules."
Her body jerked. The bond inside her roared.
Kaelen took the other side, running a finger down her collarbone before his bite sank just above her heart. "You'll regret every breath you took outside of this mansion," he whispered. "But now, every heartbeat belongs to us."
And finally… Varek.
He didn't speak. He didn't smirk.
He held her gaze… and bit into the curve of her waist, deep and possessive. Her cry filled the chamber. Her blood coated his tongue.
And in that moment—
The circle around them ignited in red flame.
Mira screamed as power flooded her body—searing, unbearable, infinite. The marks on her neck, wrist, chest, and waist glowed gold for a heartbeat… and then turned deep crimson.
The bond was sealed.
She was theirs.
Forever.
They stepped back, watching her panting form. Weak. Marked. Owned.
Kaelen was the first to speak. "It's done. The cursed tie is locked."
Lucien wiped the blood from his lips. "And I don't feel one ounce of pity."
Darian said nothing.
Varek… stared at her longer than the rest. His voice was a low, unreadable growl.
"…We'll see if she survives what comes next."