Chapter 36

• Cassia •

“So you’re telling me, witches who practice black magic become demons when they die and the only way for them to come back to the living world is by possessing a living person?” I questioned Nina, shocked by the new information she had provided.

It was the first time I was hearing about it.

I had known about witches and vampires and even demons—but I never knew demons were evil witches. 

And I certainly didn’t know they could escape from hell.

It kind of sounded unreal considering they were dead and just souls.

I bit my lip just looking at her.

One question was running through my mind, but I was afraid to find out the truth.

I was scared of the outcome.

But I also needed to know.

I needed to know if that was what happened with Abius.

I didn’t want to believe that he could be in Hann’s body. But it was the only thing that made sense.

I let out a shaky sigh and got up from Nina’s couch. 

She had invited me to her home—a quiet place tucked in the woods, cloaked with wards and enchantments.

She lived alone, which was surprising. 

Witches were stronger in covens, but she preferred her own privacy.

And according to her, she was strong enough on her own.

She didn’t need anyone.

“I need you to help me break the bond between Hann and I.” I said at last, leaving my question for another time.

She stood and looked at me. 

Confused. 

I had filled her in on everything that was going on—except the whole Abius and Hann theory.

Which, admittedly, was still just a theory.

“But a mate bond cannot be broken by a witch, and you know it’s impossible once you’re claimed,” she replied slowly, tilting her head.

“You’re already past the point of—”

“But we don’t know if it’s a mate bond,” I cut in.

“He’s a vampire and I’m a werewolf. Vampires can’t mate.”

She walked back to the couch and sat down again, her fingers twisting into the hem of her shirt. 

Her eyes were thoughtful as she stared at the floor, then back at me.

“We both know Hann is not just a regular vampire,” she said. 

“We don’t even know what he is. He could have a demon inside of him for all we kno—” Nina froze mid-sentence, her gaze snapping to mine.

Her lips parted slightly. 

“He has a demon inside of him, doesn’t he? That’s why you were asking me about demons earlier.”

Her face shifted through a thousand expressions—shock, curiosity, fear, excitement. 

I didn’t know what to say. 

I didn’t have proof. 

I didn’t even know it was possible until she explained it just now.

“It was just a theory,” I muttered.

“I didn’t want to say anything because… I don’t know. If he does have a demon inside of him, then we need to figure out who it is. And why Hann.”

Nina nodded slowly, lost in thought.

Her silence made me uneasy.

I wished I could read minds—hers specifically.

“If he does have a demon inside of him,” she finally said.

“then it all makes sense. The bond, the attraction, the way he fights it—vampires can’t mate because they have no soul. But demons… demons were once witches. They had souls. If a demon is inside him, then you must be mated to the demon. But because Hann is the vessel, the bond feels like it’s with him.”

The words twisted something in my chest.

I looked down at my hands.

“We don’t know that,” I said quickly. 

“We don’t know anything yet. This could all be a curse—a witch’s sick way of keeping me from killing him.”

“It’s possible,” she agreed.

“But there’s a way to know for sure.”

I looked up, hopeful.

“I could use my own magic,” Nina said. 

“I can perform a spell that reveals the nature of magical bonds—whether it’s love, possession, control… or a mate bond.”

Relief poured into me, even if just a little.

“Would you really do that?”

“Of course,” she said.

“But I need something personal from both of you. Something that ties you together.”

My heart dropped. “Like what?”

“A shared item. Or something with both your blood.”

I swallowed hard. 

Blood. 

Of course.

“I’ll get it,” I said, standing. “Just… please be ready.”

“I will,” she said softly, her voice almost gentle.

But Cassia—prepare yourself. Whatever this is, the bond is real. If it turns out you’re bound to something… darker, you’ll have to make a choice.”

I nodded, though my hands trembled.

• Hann • 

‘Are you out of your mind?’ I yelled in my head, slamming my fist into the nearest wall of the abandoned chapel I’d taken shelter in. 

Cracks splintered through the old stone.

Dust rained down. 

‘You revealed yourself to her?’

Abius was calm, almost smug. ‘It was bound to happen eventually. Better now than later.’

I ground my teeth. 

My pulse was hammering too hard for someone that was technically dead. 

The whole room was spinning. 

I had only one thought circling in my mind. 

She knows.

‘I told you to stay buried,’ I snapped. ‘You were supposed to keep quiet.’

‘And watch you fuck it up?’ Abius hissed.

‘You’re driving her away. She thinks you’re the monster. But I’m the one who knows her. I’m the one who loved her.’

‘You raped her,’ I growled.

Silence.

Then a soft, sickening chuckle. 

‘You think that was me? That night? The way she screamed your name… that was the bond responding. You just didn’t understand it. You still don’t.’

My body trembled with rage. 

I didn’t want to hear any more. 

But I couldn’t shut him out. 

He lived inside me like a sickness, and lately, the lines between us were starting to blur.

Cassia had looked at me with fear in her eyes tonight.

Not the way she had before. 

Not the way she used to challenge me like I was something she could handle.

No—this time, she’d seen something. Something that scared her. Something that wasn’t just me.

She was right to be afraid.

‘You’re going to lose her,’ Abius said, softer now. 

Twisting the knife. 

‘She’s already looking for a way out. She’s probably with the witch right now. Asking questions. Plotting how to rip you out of her life. You feel it, don’t you? The distance. The hesitation. The disgust.’

I did.

I felt every beat of it in my chest like knives.

The bond didn’t just connect us—it exposed us. 

Every flicker of doubt she had, I felt it. 

Every wave of revulsion. 

Every time she touched her own skin and wished it wasn’t tied to mine. 

I felt it all.

And I hated it.

Not her.

Me.