Lysanthir is livid.

After he had rescued Y/N from Ryfon, he had roughly hauled her back to Athtar, ignoring her cries of protest as her wounds stung in his grasp.

He had tossed her like a rag doll into his chambers, her shoulder hitting the wall with a dull thud. Pain had shot through her body.

He couldn't even bring himself to heal her injuries, instead calling in Vesryn to do it.

Murdukann healing abilities still awe Y/N, and she had watched spellbound as Vesryn had sung her siren song, erasing all bruises and cuts. Even the gash on Y/N's thigh hadn't been deep enough to leave a scar.

Luckily for Y/N, Lysanthir's anger at her for running away pales in comparison to what he is unleashing upon Ryfon.

The red-haired murdukann has been left chained in a dungeon far below Athtar, forbidden from healing himself. Vesryn personally volunteered to survey his injuries daily. She gleefully said that if she sees any unnatural healing, she will delight herself in opening the wounds back up.

~~~~~~~

Y/N is locked in Lysanthir's chambers with eyes on her at all times. At least it's better than a prison cell.

She is in the sitting room, curled up on a woven algae chair with her murdukann seated across from her. His angular features are furrowed in deep thought, long hair swirling around him.

He just stares at her unblinkingly. Silence hangs dauntingly in the air.

Y/N can tell he wants to say something, many things even, but either can't bring himself to or doesn't know where to begin. She, on the other hand, really doesn't want to have this conversation.

They have been locked in this stalemate for what she believes to be hours now. Neither of them moving, neither of them making a sound.

The waiting game becomes unbearable.

She slowly unfurls her limbs, rising to her feet to go to a different room. Anywhere will be better than this strained tension.

With a flick of his tail, Lysanthir is before her.

He pulls her to him, tilting her chin back so the only place she can look is into his eyes.

"Why did you do it?"

He is trying to stay calm, but she can feel the murdukann trembling with fury. His black eyes desperately search her face, trying to decipher the emotion there.

Y/N opens her mouth to speak but no words come out. She doesn't know what to say. What is she supposed to tell him?

Lysanthir now screams at her, "Why did you do it! Why did you leave me?"

The murdukann's rage is undercut by crushing devastation. By leaving, she betrayed him.

"I am trying to make you happy," his face crumples, "Why won't you let me?"

Y/N looks up at him, her eyes shining with a feeling she can't describe.

"I saw what you did to those sailors."

Her tone comes out more bluntly than she anticipates.

Lysanthir stiffens. He glances down, averting her gaze.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

Y/N bristles, unsatisfied with that answer.

"How can I stay here with you when I know what you do to humans like me?"

Shaking his head, he murmurs, "They are nothing like you."

Y/N bites her lip, frustrated. She knows he can never understand. To him, humans are disposable, something to be used.

And consumed...

She cringes at the thought, yet it's true. Murdukann are predators, and humans are their prey.

But Lysanthir doesn't see her as that. He sees her as his mate, a girl marked from birth to become his. And anything that gets between them is an obstacle to be destroyed.

In his mind, he isn't doing anything wrong.

But does that make it right?

She isn't so sure.

"You belong with me," Lysanthir continues, pressing his hand above her left breast, to her heart, "You cannot resist me forever."

Y/N can't deny the turmoil within her. She knows how monstrous he is. How cruel and vile.

And yet, she is marked, and they are bonded as one. A bond that supersedes all else, a bond that can never be broken. And as much as she wishes it isn't true, she knows Lysanthir is right.

She won't be able to resist him forever.

"Tonight," he leans down, brushing his lips against hers, "I make you mine."

~~~~~~~

Translation—the next chapter involves explicit sexual themes.