Elena’s POV

My neck throbbed.

The pain came in waves—sharp at first, then burning—where Damien’s teeth had sunk into my skin. This time, he hadn’t held back.

The bite was deliberate, almost cruel, as if he were punishing me for something I hadn’t yet confessed. I didn’t dare make a sound. My fingers clenched into tight fists, nails digging into my palms as I forced my breathing shallow and steady, enduring it in silence.

Then he pried my hand open.

His long fingers ...