Chapter 3 His Prisoner

The night came too fast.

Aria sat on the edge of her bed, her hands clenched around the shawl that still smelled faintly of smoke from the kitchen. She had not eaten all day. Her mind kept replaying the forest, the red moon, Lucian’s eyes. Every time she blinked, she saw him standing in the shadows, waiting.

The mark on her wrist burned hotter than before. At first, it came in waves, like a heartbeat. But now it was steady, hot, pulling her like a rope tied around her soul. She pressed her hand against it, whispering, “Please… stop.”

Outside, Ravenshade lay silent. The crickets had gone quiet, and even the wind had stilled. A strange stillness filled the air, like the calm before a storm.

Her window creaked.

She froze.

A shadow slid through the opening—smooth, silent, cold. He didn’t need the door. He didn’t need permission. He was already here.

Lucian.

He stepped into the small room as if it belonged to him. His black cloak brushed the wooden floor without a sound. His eyes glowed faintly, like embers in the dark.

Aria’s breath caught in her chest. She stumbled back until her spine hit the wall. “Get out,” she whispered, though her voice shook.

He tilted his head, almost amused. “I warned you,” he said softly, his voice filling every corner of the room. “The bond is not something you can ignore. You belong to my world now.”

“I don’t belong to anyone,” she said, even though her knees were weak.

His eyes softened, but not kindly—like a hunter admiring a creature already caught in his net. “Then why do you feel me?” he whispered. “Why does your blood answer when I call?”

She wanted to deny it. She wanted to scream at him. But the burning in her wrist told the truth.

Lucian lifted his hand, and the shadows around the room moved like smoke following a master. They wrapped around her ankles before she could run. Cold, soft, unbreakable.

“Let me go!” she cried, pulling against the dark bands.

He stepped closer. His presence was cold, but his nearness made the air feel heavy, almost alive. He raised his hand to her wrist. The mark flared red beneath his touch, and the world spun. She gasped, choking on the rush of power that surged through her veins.

“This mark,” Lucian said quietly, “is not just a bond. It is a claim. And you, little flame… are mine.”

Aria’s heart hammered in her chest. “You can’t just take me away.”

“I already have,” he whispered, and before she could scream again, the shadows swallowed them both.

The room disappeared.

For a moment, there was nothing but cold and dark. Wind rushed past her ears, and she felt as if she were falling without moving. Then, just as suddenly, her feet touched solid ground.

The air here was different. Heavy with magic. Cold as ice.

She opened her eyes.

They were no longer in Ravenshade.

Before her stretched a vast, dark hall lit by torches burning with blue fire. The ceiling soared high above her, carved from black stone. Shadows danced along the walls, whispering in voices she couldn’t understand.

“This is my home,” Lucian said calmly, walking past her as if she wasn’t trembling. “The Shadow Court. The last place you will ever need to fear—unless you give me a reason to make you.”

Aria stared at the long black throne at the end of the hall. It gleamed like onyx. Cold. Beautiful. Terrifying.

“You kidnapped me,” she whispered.

Lucian turned, his cloak swirling like smoke. “No,” he said softly. “The bond brought you here. I only answered its call.”

She clenched her fists. “I want to go home.”

He stepped closer, and for a heartbeat, the cold faded. There was something strange in his eyes—not warmth, but something like recognition. “Home is not what you think it is anymore,” he said. “That life was never meant to last.”

Tears burned the back of her eyes. “Why me?”

“Because,” he said, lowering his voice, “you are the key that can end this curse. The fire that can wake the shadows. And whether you like it or not… destiny chose you long before I found you.”

The shadows around her tightened like invisible chains. She could still feel the pull in her wrist, as if her blood was tied to his.

Lucian leaned closer, so close she could feel the chill of his breath. “Fight me all you want, Aria,” he whispered. “But you will not win against the bond.”

Her heart pounded so hard it hurt. Her world was gone. Ravenshade was far behind. And now, standing in the dark heart of his kingdom, she realized something far worse—

She wasn’t just trapped.

She was claimed.