Eliza woke slowly, the weight of her limbs pulling her back into the consciousness of her cold, indifferent reality. Her head throbbed, and her throat was dry. The sheets were tangled around her body, clinging to her like chains. She had no memory of when she'd finally fallen asleep only that Raen had kept her awake until her very soul trembled.

It was already late in the afternoon when she stirred, the soft rays of the sun casting a muted glow through the curtains. She shifted, testing the warmth of the bed and the sound of the quiet room. Raen had already left, and though her body ached from his touch, her mind was clearer than it had been in days. She didn’t want to acknowledge it, but there was a growing realization. She was playing his game, but it was becoming a dangerous dance.

Her fingers instinctively brushed her neck, over the place where he had activated that cursed device. She couldn’t let herself forget that it was there, that thing that held her in place even when she was still, when she was silent. How had it worked? How had she fallen so easily under his control? More importantly, how could she escape it?

Eliza sat up slowly, her eyes scanning the chamber. His absence left the room feeling strangely hollow, but it also brought a sense of relief. Freedom. She couldn’t forget what she had planned. She had to escape. She had to destroy the web he had spun around her. She wasn’t just another piece in his game.

Eliza swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet hitting the cold stone floor. She stood, steadying herself for a moment before glancing at the door. Raen wouldn’t leave me alone for long. The thought made her pulse quicken with both fear and defiance.

It was then she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps outside her door.

She froze.                                                                                             

There was no time to think, no time to plan. He was coming. And even though she had prepared herself for this moment, the sight of him filled her with a strange, magnetic tension. She couldn’t decide if it was hatred or something deeper that pulled her to him.

The door creaked open, and there he was, framed by the dark hallway behind him. Raen stepped into the room, his golden eyes locked onto hers, studying her with that familiar intensity.

“You’re awake,” he observed, his voice low and filled with something Eliza couldn’t quite decipher - satisfaction? Or maybe expectation?

She said nothing, though her heartbeat quickened, the words she longed to say caught in her throat. She was desperate to show him defiance, but a part of her knew better. Raen had his way of breaking down walls of manipulating her.

“I hope you slept well,” he said, his voice tinged with amusement as he slowly approached her. “I trust I exhausted you properly. But I must confess, I was concerned you’d try to run again.”

Eliza stiffened. She could feel the weight of his words. He knew. He knew she had been planning an escape. She couldn’t allow him to see her falter, couldn’t show him how vulnerable she truly felt under his gaze.

“I wasn’t planning anything,” she said, her voice more composed than she felt.

Raen smiled, a predator’s smile, his eyes glimmering with something that made her insides twist. “Liar.” He reached out, his fingers brushing against the edge of her jaw. “But I admire your spirit. It makes this game of ours so much more... fun.”

Eliza’s stomach tightened, but she stood her ground, refusing to back down. She couldn’t let him win again not like last time, not like all the times before. But with each step he took toward her, she could feel the pull of his presence, like a storm gathering, ready to consume her.

“You’ve got so much fire in you, Eliza,” Raen murmured, his voice dark. “It’s what I like most about you.”

“You like to watch me burn,” she retorted, her voice sharper than she intended.

Raen’s smile didn’t fade, but his eyes narrowed in a way that made her heart flutter in her chest. “Perhaps. But I’d rather you burn with me.”

His hand cupped her chin, tilting her head back as his lips hovered dangerously close to hers. Eliza felt his breath against her skin, the heat of his body engulfing her, but she refused to let her heart betray her. She would not surrender. Not this time.

“I’m not like you,” she whispered, her lips trembling only slightly. “I don’t want to be part of your plans.”

Raen studied her for a long moment, the silence between them thick with unspoken tension. Then he pulled back, his fingers brushing her lips one last time as he turned away.

“Plans, you say?” His voice was low, almost contemplative. “You think I don’t know about your little escape attempts? I’ve known since the first night you tried to run.”

Eliza’s heart skipped a beat, panic rising in her chest. “What are you talking about?”

Raen smirked, as if savoring her confusion. “You really think I would let you go without knowing where you were? Without understanding your every move? I don’t just watch you, Eliza...I control you. And I will continue to control you, until you understand that you belong to me.”

His words hit her like a blow. Control. It was always about control. Every moment, every word, every touch. And she... she had let him have it.

But not anymore.

She fought to keep the fire of resistance burning inside her. “Then why do you bother?” she asked, her voice steady despite the storm raging within her. “Why not just keep me locked away if I’m so powerless to you?”

Raen paused, his golden eyes flicking to hers, calculating, watching her every move. “Because, my sweet Eliza,” he said slowly, “you’re more than just a pawn in my game. You’re the one piece that could change everything. You are my greatest weapon. And, for now, you’re still worth playing with.”

His words felt like ice and fire, burning deep into her veins. She wanted to retort, to strike back, but there was something in his gaze that made her hesitate. She couldn’t deny it his hold on her was powerful, far beyond anything she had anticipated.

But then, she remembered her plan. The escape.

Raen thought he had everything under control, but she knew better now.

She would find a way. Even if it meant breaking every rule in his twisted game.

She would never be his puppet.@@novelbin@@

As he stepped closer, reaching out for her again, she stood tall, unyielding. “I will escape, Raen,” she whispered, eyes locking with his. “And when I do, you will regret ever thinking you could control me.”

For a moment, his expression softened. It was brief, but in that flicker, Eliza saw something other than control. Fear.

But Raen quickly masked it with a chuckle. “We shall see, my love. We shall see.”

And just like that, the battle had begun again.