r wrist tightened, sending a surge of defiance and fear through her. He was too close, his gaze t

dark glint in his eyes telling her he knew exactly how trapped she felt. "Still

hat do you want from me, Damon? You have all this power, all

ble beneath the steel. But then it was gone, replaced by that same cold inten

the bone. "Being yours doesn't mean I have to love you,

?" He laughed, a low, mirthless sound. "This isn't about love, Caroline.

n gaze hardening. "Then maybe you should find someone else to fill that

ed?" His voice was low, almost a whisper, and she could see the flicker of something haunted in his gaze. "Every

t a chill race down her spine. This was no mere threat-there was s

oice barely a whisper. "Wha

e lost in a memory. "They were weak," he said finally, his voice flat. "They

e queens who had vanished without a trace. But as much as she wanted to recoil, to flee, she couldn't look away from

?" she asked, her voice soft but ste

her breathless. Slowly, he closed the distance between them, his fin

e low, "or perhaps you'll learn

d despite everything, a part of her was drawn to him, captivated by

her as little more than a possession. She didn't know if she could ever accept that

ice filled with a quiet strength, "but you can't co

ce. "Love?" he echoed, a flicker of something unguarded flashing acro

g once more. "But perhaps, with time, you'll come to u

ze head-on, refusing to be cowed. "If you truly want me to stay, Damon," she said s

gaze, as though no one had ever dared speak to him that way. For a long

l, Caroline," he warned, his voice low and dangerous. "You don't know the fo

e shadows, leaving her standing alone in the moonlit ga

d vanished. His words echoed in her mind, both a threat and a challenge,

e didn't know how, or when, but she was determined to find a way to reclaim her