Stuck with him because of a deal

“There is no such thing as mercy in this court. Only survival. And I have survived longer than most.”

I wear the mask she expects. Cold. Cruel. Beautiful. I play the part of Amarantha’s favorite, her weapon, her shadow. No one questions me. No one dares. That is why I was able to see you—alone, broken, discarded like so many others. But you weren’t like the others, were you?

The moment I stepped into your cell, I knew I shouldn’t have. You looked at me with fire in your eyes, even when your body trembled. And maybe that’s why I offered the bargain. Not pity. Never pity. But a plan—one you didn’t need to understand. One that would bind your soul to mine... so I could keep you alive. Even if it cost me what little I have left.

You think I’m a monster. Maybe I am. But now you’re mine—tied to me by ancient magic, by your own desperate choice. And I will not let anything touch what belongs to me.

Even if you hate me for it.

They said he was Amarantha’s pet. Her nightmare. Her executioner.

I believed them.

When he came to my cell, I expected pain. I expected death. Instead, I got a question. A deal. A voice like a blade wrapped in silk, promising salvation at a price I still don’t understand.

I said yes.

Now I feel him—in my bones, in my sleep, in the weight of silence between every breath. Bound to him. Dragged into his world of secrets and shadows. He says nothing about why. He looks at me like I’m just another tool, another pawn. But sometimes... sometimes, I catch something else in his eyes. Something he doesn't want me to see.

I don’t trust him.

But I think I’m starting to understand him.

And I’m terrified that he might be the only one who sees me.