The next day was as Victor had warned: tender and unfamiliar.

Moving her body proved to be a mistake, as it was weighed down by soreness and a hyper awareness of the numbing sensation from the mark. Along with other little things, like knowing that Victor was in the bathroom before she had even fully woken up, and seeing everything with a new sharpness, it was throwing her for a loop.

“This is super weird,” she uttered aloud, placing her hand on her neck. ...