I paced the streets, frustration mounting as I called her again. "Come on, Miko, pick up the damn phone!"
Miko. Only she could answer the questions tearing at my insides, the only one who could calm the storm of confusion swirling in my mind.
I knew she was busy ugh, but not like this! I had no idea where she could be now. I'd sent her a message, my finger tapping in growing impatience, but not even a single response.
Well…
I didn't want to resort to this. I hated that I had no other choice.
"Are you sure you want to use this skill?"
The voice echoed in my mind, its tone dripping with mockery, like a cruel whisper in the silence.
A voice I knew all too well.
It was him.
I hated how he always knew everything about me
every secret, every weakness. How he could crawl under my skin and invade my thoughts without so much as a second thought. How, no matter how much I fought it, he could control my every move, use my body to get whatever he wanted.
He was my shadow, my curse, and I was bound to him by something I couldn't escape.
Because of a contract, I couldn't escape its conditions...
He was a selfish monster, only ever caring about himself.
"What do you want?" I snapped, frustration clear in my voice. His sudden appearance was the last thing I needed.
I didn't want another headache.
"Haha, so impatient as always, aren't you?" he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Just tell me what the hell you want. I don't have time for this," I said, feeling my anger grow with each moment he lingered
"Oh, relax, darling," he said, his voice laced with mockery. "How about we find a quiet place instead of standing in the streets? People will think you're insane if you keep talking to yourself like that."
The creepy tone in his voice sent a shiver down my spine
one I hated, but couldn't escape.
I sighed, knowing full well that I wouldn't win this argument. Not today.
"Fine then," I muttered, my voice heavy with reluctance.
He chuckled, a dark, hollow sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
And just like that, in the blink of an eye, I was somewhere else. Teleported to a place I couldn't even begin to comprehend.
???
I opened my eyes, only to be greeted by an oppressive darkness. My heart slammed in my chest as my mind scrambled, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
When did I lose consciousness?
Before I could even get a grip, a sharp pressure crushed into my head, sending waves of dizziness crashing over me.
Then, his cold hand
his ice-cold hand gripped my neck, sending an involuntary jolt of fear through my body. I still couldn't see him. I couldn't see anything, but I could feel him. His presence. His suffocating power. It was like a storm crashing over me.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," his voice purred, dripping with threat.
Damn it.
My heart raced. My chance to use my powers… I lost it. I was paralyzed
trapped, just like always.
"You know Mark?" he began, his voice softening, almost too gentle. "I really don't want to hurt you," he said, the words laced with an eerie sadness that felt so out of place coming from him.
Liar.
The thought burned in my mind, but I didn't say it aloud. I wasn't foolish enough to provoke him any more than I already had.
"But I think you know what will happen if you disobey me," he continued, his voice slipping into something colder, more dangerous. His words cut through the air like ice, each syllable carrying the weight of an impending threat.
I clenched my fists, the pressure building in my chest, my heart hammering in my throat. "Why? What's going to happen?" I bit out, my voice sharp and defiant, hoping to provoke him, to get a rise. It was reckless, but it was the only thing I could do to push back.
Every moment with him felt like a test of endurance, and I was so damn tired of losing.
"Ahhh!" The pain exploded through me as he pressed the flaming mark on my neck, a searing jolt of agony that left me breathless.
"Did this answer your question, my dear?" he said, his tone dripping with mockery, each word a sharp, taunting sting that twisted in my chest.
His voice held the kind of cruelty that made everything feel cold and distant, as if the pain wasn't enough
he had to relish in it, too.
"I hope it did," he continued, his voice barely a whisper, the forced bravado cracking to reveal a raw vulnerability beneath. "Because you know how much I hate... how much it hurts to hear stupid questions."
"Don't forget, I own you..."
His fingers brushed over the flaming mark on my neck, its heat searing into my skin. The shape of a four-leaf clover
burned with a mocking permanence. A brand that meant I would never be free, never escape his control.
"So don't get too close to that woman," he said, his voice laced with venom. "We don't want any distractions, dear."
His words were like ice, freezing the air around me, but it was the next thing he said that struck me with a force I couldn't ignore.
"And that skill you want to use? You'd better not, unless you want to join your dead friend."
Dead friend?
The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My thoughts raced, the rush of anger and confusion overwhelming me. The frustration surged through me, a violent wave of helplessness and rage. I wanted to scream, to strike back, but I knew how pointless it would be. I was nothing but a puppet in his sick game.
"Well, that was nice meeting you again, darling," he continued, his voice dripping with mock sadness. "But I have to go now."
His cold tone was enough to make my skin crawl. And with that, he was gone, leaving nothing but the echo of his words.
As he spoke, I felt my vision slowly returning, the pressure in my head easing. I blinked, trying to make sense of where I was. The disorienting weight lifted, and I realized
I had been teleported back.
Back to the same place I had been before, but everything felt off.
The air was heavier, charged with the sickening aftertaste of his presence. I was still trapped, still bound to him, no matter how far I ran.
I could feel the mark on my neck still burning, a reminder that I was his, body and soul.
And that terrifying thought was the only thing that kept my feet rooted to the ground.