The mark on my wrist pulsed like a second heartbeat.
It wasn't just a symbol—it was alive. I could feel it beneath my skin, cold and humming with something ancient and unfamiliar.
Damon watched me closely, his expression unreadable. "How do you feel?"
I flexed my fingers. The pain had faded, but the sensation remained—a tether, invisible yet undeniable, pulling me toward him.
"Like I've been branded," I muttered.
A flicker of something passed through his eyes—amusement? Regret?
"More poetic than accurate," he said, stepping closer. "But not far off."
Xue shifted behind me, still pale, still trembling. She hadn't spoken since I signed the contract. I turned to her.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded slowly, though her eyes darted between me and Damon with unease. "I… I don't feel the same."
"What do you mean?" My pulse quickened.
She hugged herself. "It's like part of me is missing. Like something was taken when I came back."
Damon answered before I could ask. "Because something was."
We both looked at him.
"When she returned," he explained, voice calm, almost clinical, "a piece of her soul remained in the other world. A trade must be balanced. That's why she feels... incomplete."
I swallowed hard. "And now that I've signed—what happens to her?"
His gaze held mine for a long moment.
"She stabilizes."
I exhaled in relief.
"But you won't," he added softly.
My breath caught.
"What do you mean?"
He tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was a puzzle he was only beginning to solve. "The contract doesn't just bind you to me. It changes you. Slowly, at first. Then all at once."
I didn't like the sound of that.
Xue reached for my hand. "Yiren…"
I gave her fingers a gentle squeeze, forcing a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."
But even as I said it, I knew it might not be true.
Later That Night
The apartment felt different after Damon left.
Colder. Quieter.
Like the shadows had grown deeper in his absence.
Xue had gone to bed, exhausted and emotionally drained. I sat alone on the couch, staring at the mark on my wrist.
It shimmered faintly under the dim light.
I thought about what Damon had said—that I belonged to him now.
I should've hated those words.
Instead, they stirred something strange inside me. Not fear, exactly. More like… curiosity.
Why did he choose me?
Why now?
And why did I feel like this was always going to happen?
There was a soft knock at the door.
I stood, hesitating. Who would come at this hour?
I opened it.
Damon stood there, rainwater glistening on his coat.
"I forgot something," he said simply.
I stepped aside without thinking.
He walked in like he owned the place.
"You can't just show up whenever you want," I muttered, closing the door.
"No," he agreed, turning to face me. "But I will anyway."
I frowned. "Why are you really here?"
He studied me again, blue eyes catching the light like shards of ice.
"To check on you," he admitted. "New contracts are fragile. You're adjusting."
I rubbed my wrist absently. "Feels like I'm being pulled in two directions."
"That's normal," he said. "Your body is adapting to the connection."
I stiffened. "Connection?"
He stepped closer.
"Yes."
I didn't move away.
There was something magnetic about him. Something dangerous—and yet, I couldn't look away.
His gaze dropped briefly to my lips.
Just for a second.
But I saw it.
And suddenly, the room felt smaller.
I cleared my throat. "What happens next?"
He tilted his head slightly. "You start learning the rules."
I raised an eyebrow. "And if I break them?"
A slow, wicked smile curled his lips. "Then I'll have to punish you."
Heat flared in my chest.
Damn it.
I shouldn't be reacting like this.
Not to him.
Not to this .
But I couldn't deny the way my pulse thrummed in response.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
His smile deepened, satisfied.
"Sleep well, Li Yiren," he murmured. "Tomorrow, we begin."
Then he turned and walked out, leaving behind only the scent of winter pine—and the lingering weight of a promise I couldn't take back.