Elena stirred slowly, the fog of unconsciousness lifting like a thick curtain, her mind grasping at the edges of awareness. Her eyes fluttered open to the dim light surrounding her, the soft flicker of a candle in the corner casting long shadows across the room. For a moment, disorientation clouded her thoughts. She wasn’t sure where she was.


    She shifted slightly and winced. Every muscle in her body felt leaden, a dull ache radiating through her limbs. Her skin prickled, as if the weight of her exhaustion was sinking deep into her bones. She tried to focus on her surroundings.


    Then, fragments of memory began to slip through the haze. A rush of fear, the frantic scramble, the clash of shadows and movement... Celeste. Elena’s breath caught as her heart pounded in her chest. She could almost feel the vibrations of the struggle still coursing through her, the cold terror of that moment gripping her once again.


    The blood.


    She frowned, struggling to hold onto the thought. A vague sense of wrongness lingered, tugging at the edge of her consciousness. And then—there it was.


    The Kiss.


    The memory came back, unbidden, like a slow-moving current that washed over her thoughts. Elena felt her skin warm, her breath catching slightly at the recollection of Theo’s lips, his fangs—how the pain had turned into pleasure, an intoxicating bliss. A blush rose in her cheeks, and she pressed a trembling hand to her face, willing herself to push the thought away. But the memory lingered, stirring emotions she didn’t quite know how to process.


    Before she could dwell on it any longer, the door creaked open, and Theo stepped inside, carrying a tray of food and a mug of tea. He moved silently, placing the tray on the nightstand without looking at her, then settling into the armchair by the window, his posture stiff, his expression unreadable.


    Elena watched him carefully, relieved to see that none of the wounds from the hilltop remained. He looked perfectly whole, yet there was a heaviness about him, an invisible weight he seemed to carry.


    “Thank you,” she said quietly.


    Theo gave a curt nod, still avoiding her gaze.


    “I’m glad you’re okay,” she added tentatively.


    Theo made a face that looked halfway between a smile and a grimace, then forced himself to meet her eyes. The brief contact sent a flush across Elena''s face, making her heart skip a beat.


    "I suppose," he said softly, "you’ll be wanting some answers."


    Elena hesitated. There were so many questions swirling in her mind.


    "Where are we?" she finally asked,


    "Arthur’s estate."


    "Arthur," she repeated slowly, "Your…old professor?"


    Theo winced slightly at her words but nodded. " Mentor, but yes."


    Elena hesitated, her mind turning back to the red-haired woman who had nearly killed her. "Who was the woman? The one with the red hair? How do you know her?"


    Theo’s expression darkened, his gaze dropping to the floor. "Her name is Celeste. She’s a vampire, as you saw. I used to work for the vampire who turned her, Lucian. That’s how she knows me."


    "You worked for the man who tried to kidnap me?" Elena’s voice held an edge of incredulity, but when she saw the pain flash across Theo’s face, the bitterness in his eyes, she bit back further questions. She didn’t want to push him too hard—not yet.


    "What do they want with me?" she asked instead, her voice quieter now.


    Theo hesitated, his gaze hardening as he spoke. "The artifact you uncovered is said to have great power in vampire mythology. They want you—and the artifact—so they can harness that power for themselves."


    Elena swallowed, a mix of fear and frustration rising inside her. "This is the truth you’ve been trying to protect me from?" Her voice was sharper than she intended, and she immediately regretted it. Still, frustration gnawed at her—he had kept so much from her, for so long.


    Theo’s gaze remained fixed on the floor, his hands clasped together tightly, the guilt and sadness plain on his face. "I’m sorry, Elena," he said, his voice strained. "I should have never kept it from you. You were hurt because of me, and I can never express how deeply sorry I am."


    Elena blinked, taken aback by his apology. "Theo it’s…" She started to say but trailed off when his eyes met hers. There was a tenderness in his gaze that made her pulse quicken. The memory of his lips on her skin flashed vividly through her mind, sending a tremor of longing through her.


    "It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize," she said. "You saved my life."


    A pained look flickered across Theo’s face and then it was gone. His expression hardened, and his eyes became unreadable. "No," he said firmly. "You saved my life and I nearly killed you." His voice grew cold as he stood abruptly. "You should have never—what you did was dangerous and foolish. I would have never asked to feed on you. You should have left me and run.”


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    He turned away from her.


    Elena’s chest tightened at his words. The sting of his rejection settled deep inside her. She wasn’t a child in need of protection or his admonishment.


    "You didn’t have to ask, " she said, “It was my choice, and I... I wanted to."


    Theo’s back stiffened at her words. He turned halfway, his expression guarded, his tone clipped. "It was a mistake," he said flatly.


    Elena felt a surge of frustration rise in her chest now, irritation mingling with the hurt. "No, it wasn’t a mistake," she countered, her voice steadying. "I’m not some fragile, naive girl, Theo. I made my own choice, and I chose to give you my blood." Her tone was firm, filled with resolve. "And I would do it again."


    “Theo, I have feelings for you…” she said, her gaze on her lap and her voice barely a whisper.


    Theo closed his eyes and sighed heavily.


    “No, you don’t Elena. You only think you do.”


    She looked up at him, her expression puzzled “ What do you mean?”


    "Elena, whatever you felt that night, it was just because of the bite," he said, his voice hard, as if he were trying to convince himself as much as her. "That’s what it does. It intoxicates you with pleasure, makes you believe you’re feeling something that isn’t real."


    Elena’s heart sank, her throat tightening as his words settled over her. "That’s not true," she said, voice strained. "I know what I felt. It wasn’t just the bite. There’s something between us, Theo, I—"


    "It was the bite," Theo interrupted, his voice rising, frustration leaking into his tone. "That’s how it works. It distorts everything. You were never supposed to feel that way."


    Elena’s chest tightened, a cold wave of hurt washing over her. "You don’t get to decide what I felt," she said, her voice cracking. "You don’t get to tell me what’s real and what isn’t."


    Theo growled in frustration. "Elena, you have no idea what you’re saying."


    "Yes, I do." Elena was on her feet now, her temper rising to match his. "I’m not afraid of you, Theo."


    Theo’s eyes snapped to hers, his gaze darkening. His fists clenched at his sides as he took a step closer. "You should be afraid of me," he said, his voice low and dangerous, the tension in the air thickening.


    Elena held her ground, defiant. " well, I’m not and I won’t let you push me away."


    Theo’s expression darkened, something dangerous flickering in his eyes. His jaw clenched, and his whole posture shifted. He took a slow, deliberate step toward her.


    “Is that so?” His voice dropped, low and menacing.


    A chill shot down Elena’s spine, her body tensing involuntarily at the sound of his voice. There was something predatory about the way he moved, the way his gaze locked onto hers, sending an icy wave of fear through her.


    Before she could react, something hit her—hard, like a tidal wave crashing against her mind. It wasn’t like Celeste’s compulsion, which had felt like a dream descending over her, soft and clouded. No, this was different. This was violent. All-consuming.


    Theo’s compulsion seized her like an ocean dragging her under, pulling her into its depths. There was no room for thought, no space for resistance. His commands crashed into her like a storm. She was drowning in it.


    "Come close," Theo ordered, his voice a deadly whisper.


    Her body obeyed instantly, moving toward him without hesitation, her legs trembling under the weight of his will. Her mind screamed for control, but it was useless. There was no room for doubt, no time to question. Only obedience.


    “Closer,” he growled.


    She took another step, her breath coming in shallow gasps. Her heart hammered in her chest, panic clawing at the edges of her mind, but her body continued to move toward him.


    “Close your eyes.”


    Her eyelids fluttered shut. Her mind, once hers, was now adrift, floating in a sea of his command. There was nothing but his voice, nothing but the pull of his power over her.


    “Tilt your head.”


    Her head tilted to the side. His fingers brushed back her hair exposing her neck and a rush of air escaped her lips, her pulse thundering in her ears.


    Theo’s breath was cool and chilling against her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Slowly, deliberately, the ghostly sharpness of his fangs grazed her neck.


    “If you don’t fear me,” Theo whispered into her ear, his voice a dark, dangerous growl, “you’re a fool.”


    His fangs pressed just enough for her to feel the deadly threat they posed, enough to remind her of the thin line between life and death. Her pulse raced, panic rising in her throat.


    “I can tear out your throat right now,” he continued, his voice chillingly calm, “and take every last drop of blood you have.”


    His fangs brushed against her skin again, the sensation making her entire body tense with a mix of fear and something she refused to acknowledge.


    "And make no mistake, Elena," he whispered, his voice filled with dark desire. "That’s exactly what I want to do.” He placed a hand on her arm and his fingers pressed gently into her before falling away. “That is the urge I am fighting every second of every day.”


    The words wrapped around her like a vice, squeezing the breath from her lungs.


    And then, just as suddenly as it had hit her, the pressure lifted. Theo released his hold on her mind, and it felt like surfacing from icy water, gasping for breath. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed, her entire body trembling with the aftermath of his control.


    She opened her eyes, sucking in a desperate breath. Theo stood before her, his gaze was dark, filled with regret and self-loathing. "This is what I am," he said, his voice pained. "And you should never forget it."


    Elena’s breath came in shallow bursts, her body trembling as she processed what had just happened. She brought her hand to her neck, brushing the spot where his fangs had grazed her skin. Fear twisted in her chest, but so did something else—something that made her heart ache and her blood stir.


    Before she could say a word, Theo turned and left the room, the door closing behind him.


    Elena stood there, her knees weak, her breath still shaky. She wasn’t sure what had just happened between them, but one thing was certain: she wasn’t afraid of him.


    But maybe… maybe she should be.