The Romano family had a tradition: a mark, a tattoo, a permanent symbol of loyalty. Elena knelt as the ink burned her skin, a searing reminder that she was now part of something greater than herself.
Pain, she realized, could be a source of power. The mark was more than loyalty it was ownership, identity, and threat all at once. Adrian watched her silently, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.
You belong to this world now, he whispered. And it belongs to you.
Elena clenched her fists, the adrenaline and pain merging into something intoxicating. Fear and desire intertwined just like her life with Adrian.