The evening air was thick with the scent of earth and rain as Kyra walked along the edge of the forest, a quiet moment of solitude she had stolen from the ever-pressing weight of Keal's world. The sounds of nature surrounded her—the whisper of the wind through the trees, the distant call of a night bird—but something felt off. She paused, shivering despite the warmth of the summer night.
A shadow moved behind her, too quick, too silent. Before she could turn, a sharp pain struck the back of her head, and the world faded to black.
---
Kyra's senses slowly returned, but it was not the comfort of her room that greeted her. The cold, damp air of an unfamiliar space wrapped around her like a suffocating cloak. Her wrists were bound, her body sore from the rough treatment. She tried to move, but the pain in her head throbbed violently, forcing her to stop.
She opened her eyes, her surroundings coming into focus. The room was dimly lit, the walls made of ancient stone. The only source of light came from a flickering candle, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch across the room. Her breath quickened as she realized where she was—where she had been taken.
A figure stood at the far end of the room, watching her, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
"Well, well," Lorian's voice slithered through the air like poison. "I was starting to think you'd never wake up, Kyra. How's the head? A little bump, nothing serious, I trust?"
Kyra's heart pounded in her chest, fear tightening its grip around her throat. "Lorian," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "What do you want from me?"
Lorian stepped closer, his gaze predatory, his movements calm and calculated. "What do I want?" he repeated, as if considering the question. "I want what's rightfully mine, Kyra. What Keal's kept from me."
Kyra's pulse quickened at the mention of Keal. "Keal... he'll come for me," she said, more to reassure herself than anything else.
Lorian's laugh was dark, full of malice. "Oh, he'll come. But by the time he arrives, it'll be too late. You see, I don't plan to let you leave here. You're not going anywhere—not unless I say so."
Kyra's stomach dropped as she tried to make sense of his words. She struggled against her restraints, but they were too tight. "What do you mean? What are you going to do to me?"
Lorian's smile deepened, a twisted gleam in his eyes. "I'm going to make you one of us. I'm going to turn you into a vampire, Kyra. And when I do, Keal will lose you forever."
Her breath caught in her throat. "You can't—"
"I can," Lorian interrupted, his voice almost soothing now, as if he were explaining something simple. "Keal has shown you the power he can give you, but he's kept you weak—human. You don't belong in that world, Kyra. You belong here, with me. You'll be immortal, powerful. You won't be his little plaything anymore. You'll be mine."
Kyra recoiled at his words. She had no interest in becoming what they were, no desire to walk the path of a vampire, no matter how tempting the promises sounded. She thought of Keal, of everything they had shared, of the way he had protected her. The idea of betraying him in such a way made her heart ache.
But before she could speak, Lorian's voice cut through the air again, more insistent this time. "You think you're special to him, don't you? Keal will never protect you once you're turned. He'll use you, just like he uses everything else in his life. Power, Kyra. That's all you are to him. Power and control."
Kyra's chest tightened, the weight of his words sinking deep into her soul. She shook her head, fighting the doubts that crept into her mind. No, she thought, Keal would never—
Lorian stepped forward, his cold fingers brushing her chin. "You think he's different, don't you? You think you mean something to him. But he'll lose you, just like he loses everything. Just like he lost me."
The venom in his tone made her skin crawl, and she finally managed to pull her head back, breaking free from his touch. "You're wrong," she whispered, though she wasn't sure if she believed it. "Keal will never abandon me."
Lorian tilted his head, his eyes narrowing with amusement. "We'll see about that, won't we?"
The sound of footsteps reached her ears just then, growing louder. Lorian's smile faltered as he turned, a flicker of tension crossing his features. He stepped back from Kyra and raised a hand, his posture shifting into one of quiet menace. "It seems Keal has arrived," he muttered, his lips curling into a smirk once more.
---
Keal's senses were on fire as he tracked the faintest trace of Kyra's scent through the trees. Panic had gripped him since the moment he realized she was missing, and the rage bubbling under the surface only intensified when he caught the trail leading into Lorian's domain. He had no doubt now—Lorian had taken her.