Chapter 1

Darkness pressed in from every side. Screams tore through it; raw, desperate, inhuman. A woman’s voice rose above the chaos, shaking with terror.

“There… there she is. Kill her. Kill her and the baby. They must not survive.”

Shadows rippled. Something stepped forward; massive, horned, wrong. A demon. Its claws glinted like obsidian blades as it reached for the pregnant woman.

“No—please—”

The plea ended in a wet, sickening sound as the demon tore her open. Blood spilled like a river. A cry pierced the air; thin, fragile, defiant. The demon leaned close, its breath cold as winter.

“Bloom.”

Bloom jolted awake with a strangled gasp. Her sheets were tangled around her legs, damp with sweat. Her heart hammered against her ribs as if trying to escape her chest. She pressed a trembling hand to her forehead.

Not again. Not that dream.

She forced herself to breathe, slow and steady, grounding herself in the dim glow of her bedroom. The familiar shadows of her tiny apartment were a comfort.

Tomorrow was her first day at Bridgeport Corp. She needed sleep, not nightmares.

Bloom reached for the necklace resting on her nightstand was her mother’s necklace, the only thing she had left of her. The metal was cool against her palm, the small gemstone catching the faint light.

She held it tightly, as if it could anchor her to something real.

“Just a dream,” she whispered to herself. “Just a dream.”

Eventually, exhaustion pulled her under again.

This time, the darkness softened.

She stood in a garden, impossibly green, filled with flowers she didn’t recognize but somehow knew. Their petals glowed faintly, brushing her ankles as she walked. Warm sunlight kissed her skin. A breeze carried the scent of something sweet and comforting.

A man stood beside her.

She couldn’t see his face, only the outline of him, tall and steady, his presence warm enough to melt the last traces of fear. His hand slipped into hers, fingers intertwining with a familiarity that made her chest ache.

His voice was soft, deep, and certain.

“I love you more than anything in this world.”

Bloom leaned into him, letting the peace wash over her.

For the first time in weeks, she slept soundly.

Morning light spilled across her room when she opened her eyes again. The nightmare felt distant, the garden dream lingering like a warm echo in her chest.

She stretched, letting the quiet comfort settle over her. Today was important her first real job, her first real step toward the life she’d always wanted.

As she dressed, her thoughts drifted to him, her boyfriend.

The man she’d met during her interview at Bridgeport. The man who made her feel chosen.

They’d clicked instantly. One month together, and her life felt like a dream she didn’t want to wake from. Everything was falling into place. Bloom slipped on her shoes, grabbed her bag, and paused only long enough to touch her mother’s necklace again.

The city air felt crisp and full of promise as she walked toward Bridgeport Corp. When she reached the building, she stopped.

It towered above her, a monolith of glass and steel. The headquarters of the city’s richest man, Damon. A man whispered about in every corner of the city. A man no one dared to cross. People who did had a habit of disappearing without explanation.

Bloom swallowed hard. She hoped today would go well. She needed this job. She needed stability. She needed a future. Inside the lobby, she spotted Samuel, her boyfriend.

He stood waiting for her with the warm smile she had fallen for instantly. They had met during her interview. They clicked immediately. One month together, and everything felt perfect. Too perfect. “Morning, Bloom,” Samuel said, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “Ready for day one?” “As ready as I’ll ever be,” she said with a nervous laugh.

They took the elevator to the sixth floor, following the instructions from the email. The doors opened to a sleek conference area where coffee and pastries were set out.

“This meeting is supposed to be with the CEO’s mother,” Samuel said as he handed her a cup of coffee. “She likes to welcome new interns personally.”

Bloom nodded, though something about that felt strange. Why would the mother of a billionaire CEO care about interns?

Still, she followed Samuel into the meeting room.

She did not know that the woman she was about to meet was the one pulling strings behind the scenes. She did not know she had been maneuvered here, under one roof with Damon, for a reason far older and darker than any internship. She stepped inside, unaware that the nightmare she kept running from… wasn’t a dream at all. It was a memory. And it was coming for her.