ShadowBound: The Need For Power

Seraphina stepped fully into view, and Liam's eyes narrowed slightly—not out of desire, but sheer disbelief.

She wore a thin, dark emerald robe that shimmered like midnight glass, slit high on both legs, barely tied at the waist with black silk. Beneath it, hints of lacy black lingered, delicate and dangerously intentional. Her bare shoulders glistened under the dim chandelier light, and the curve of her neck begged attention.

Liam raised a brow. "Is this what you plan to wear while training me?"

Seraphina's laugh was rich and wicked, like velvet dipped in honey. She tilted her head. "Darling… that was the training."

He blinked.

"You made it to my chamber, undetected, in fifteen minutes. Used dark magic, evaded guards, tracked my myst… I didn't need to lift a finger." She stepped closer, her hips swaying with every word. "If I hadn't given you this little… incentive, you would've kept locking your shadow away. Kept burying it under all that fire and grit."

She circled him like a predator sizing up a new toy. "But the thrill got to you, didn't it? The silence. The danger. Using spells other than flame. You've been craving this, Liam. And tonight, you gave in. You used everything you had—Whispered Shroud and those little spells of yours, what were the names? Ah. Assassin's Veil and Shadow Sight. Very interesting spells from what I was."

"You may be unpolished…" Her fingers trailed lightly across his back as she passed him. "But you made excellent use of your arsenal."

Liam just stared at her, his face unreadable, but his mind turning.

She got him.

She hadn't planned to train him with techniques or runes. No, the whole challenge was laced with seduction and shadows, and she'd baited him with both. His desire to use his dark magic, his hunger for more than just burning things—she'd felt it before he even did. She'd used it. Twisted it like a blade between ribs.

The deal.

This was never about a simple midnight lesson.

Seraphina leaned back against a velvet chaise, crossing her legs slowly. "There it is," she said, smiling knowingly. "That little spark in your eye. Realization."

She tapped one crimson nail against her lips. "Lesson one, Liam: In our line of work, the one who understands desire always wins. You were easy to fool."

She stood again, gracefully walking toward him, her robe barely holding on. Her voice dropped low, intimate. "But don't worry, sweet boy. I'll teach you real things. Secrets I won't dare whisper in class."

She pressed a hand lightly against his chest. "Tonight was just a game of hide and seek. Tomorrow night, too. Every midnight until your break ends, I'll be somewhere in the academy. You'll find me. That's your mission."

She turned, whispering in his ear, "And sometimes, if time allows… you'll hide, and I'll hunt."

Liam exhaled, voice cool. "Using dark magic around the academy is still a risk. I don't want unwanted eyes tracking me."

Seraphina brushed a finger under his chin. "I've already thought of that. Relax. I've done some twitching here and there. While we play, no one sees, no one hears. Just you and me, Liam. All night long."

She let the words linger. Then she stepped back, her playful smile returning.

"Now then," she said, placing both hands behind her back and giving him a look that was equal parts innocent and sinful, "you remember our deal, don't you?"

Her eyes gleamed. "It's time to tell me your little secret."

Liam stood still, arms at his side, gaze never breaking from hers. "I revived because my body refused to let me die pathetically."

The words were calm. Cold. Matter-of-fact.

Seraphina's lips parted, a sinful delight curling at their corners. She leaned forward slightly, voice dripping in sultry hunger. "Oh, do go on… please."

He didn't look at her. Didn't entertain the tone or the heat behind her eyes. He simply spoke—because the deal was a deal.

"After the Berserker Demon drove its blade into my heart, I thought that was it. I started falling... into this abyss. I assumed it was just the place where the simulation pulled us out after a 'death.' But it didn't feel artificial. I couldn't stop it. Flashbacks hit me—every fight, every time I almost died. Every time I was too slow. Every time my bones shattered, lungs collapsed, skin tore."

Her breathing hitched, and her smile deepened. He kept going.

"My body… it's grown too used to death's doorstep. Too familiar with that threshold. So it treated the simulated 'death' like the real thing—and it didn't accept it. That's why I revived."

When the last word fell, Seraphina was already red in the face, eyes burning with wicked hunger. Her gaze didn't just admire Liam now—it devoured him. Possessive. Consumed. The thrill of death clung to her like perfume, and she breathed it in like an addict.

Her thoughts swirled as her pupils danced with fire.

'He's tasted death too many times to count.

Not even the academy's elite drills give that kind of trauma.

He's not just ahead of his peers… he's from another world entirely.

What did he survive? What shaped that blank face and unbreakable calm?

He's holding secrets. Secrets soaked in blood and silence. And I want them. I want him.

No… I need him. I'll rip it out of him slowly if I have to. Seduce it, steal it, burn it from his bones.

But that toy—

—can't be wasted.'

She licked her lips slowly, then asked, "Tell me one of those near-death experiences."

"No," Liam said flatly. "That wasn't part of the deal. You asked what happened during the exam. That's it."

Seraphina let out a low, amused chuckle, then smirked. "Kaine's taught you well in the art of deal-making…" Her tone was half proud, half aroused.

She stretched her arms up lazily, her robe slipping a little more off her shoulder. "That must be all for tonight, then.

"Unless… you'd like to stay."

Her fingers traced the edge of her neckline. "You won't regret it, Liam. Not one moment."

But Liam bowed his head slightly. "Goodnight, Lady Seraphina."

Seraphina's pout was instant, dramatic and devilish. "I told you to stop with the Lady Seraphina stuff," she said, sauntering closer again with a smirk. "It's either Mommy… or Sera."

Liam, completely unmoved, turned for the door. "Goodnight, Seraphina."

And just like that, he stepped out, vanishing into the corridor.

Seraphina let herself fall back into the velvet embrace of her couch. Legs curled. Robe loose. She bit her lip—hard while her fingers curled into the fabric beneath her as her eyes stared into the candlelight, drowning in a lust not just for flesh… but for all the secrets hidden behind Liam's quiet, blank stare.

Then her voice purred out low and ravenous.

"I'll have him… oh, I will," she whispered to the dimly lit room. "A toy like that... can't be wasted."