Chapter 23 · The Villain's Big Lie

"Get out of my head, Ella."

Silas slammed the mental door hard enough to crack the black floor beneath my feet.

I hit the ground on one knee. His prison had no walls, no ceiling, and nowhere to hide. Just endless dark, broken by thin red lines that pulsed with every beat of his body.

His body.

Our body now.

"You tried that three times already," I said, pushing myself up. "And each time, you gave me more of your mana. Are you sure you want to keep being stupid?"

The red lines snapped toward me.

I threw up both hands. The impact drove me back ten feet. Heat burned through my palms. A warning flashed across my vision.

[Hostile Purge Attempt Detected.] [Parasite Stability: 41%] [Warning: Host Resistance Increasing.]

"You're not taking another piece of me," Silas said.

His voice came from everywhere. Low. Controlled. Too calm for a man trying to erase someone from his own soul.

I looked around the dark. "Then stop handing me pieces."

A shape stepped out of the red haze.

Silas wore the face the world feared. Sharp jaw. Black hair falling across his forehead. A cut above one eyebrow.