บททั้งหมดของ Tainted Desires; Demons. Darkness. Damnation : บทที่ 141 - บทที่ 150

The far wing of the mansion was a graveyard of silence. The walls here were older, untouched by warmth or life, echoing the faint hum of power generators and the distant drip of pipes. Lyra paced back and forth like a caged wolf, her bare feet whispering against cold marble, her breath ragged with suppressed hysteria.Two of Kane’s guards stood outside her locked door, their silhouettes visible through the thin slit of reinforced glass. Both men were statues—impassive, disciplined, weapons ready. Their very presence reminded her of what she already knew: she wasn’t Lucien’s lover here. She was Kane’s prisoner.“You can’t keep me here like some dog!” she hissed, slamming her palm against the heavy door. Her knuckles burned.One guard’s eyebrow twitched upward, but neither moved nor spoke. Their silence was heavier than a thousand insults.Lyra turned away sharply, pressing her forehead against the icy wall. Her fingers trembled as she clutched her hair, tugging at the strands in frustr

The study smelled of whiskey and war. Heavy drapes shut out the world, the only light the glow of a single lamp flickering across the scarred table where Kane sat, his fingers drumming once, twice, before stilling. His gaze, sharp as razors, cut through the silence as Matteo, Lucien, Leo, and Rem stood arrayed before him.None of them spoke.Kane’s voice was ice when it finally came. “Lyra crossed Castelle. That crime is against me.” His tattoos pulsed faintly under his skin, as if hungry. “But I gave her to Lucien because I respect him. Decide her fate, brother.”Lucien’s chest rose slowly, painfully — the bandages across his ribs pulling tight. His face was pale, but his eyes were steady. “You’d kill her without blinking.”Kane leaned back in his chair, the faintest curve of a cruel smile tugging at his lips. “Don’t test me. If she wasn’t yours, she’d already be ash.”The words fell like a blade across the room.Leo shifted uneasily, his arm brushing against Rem’s, grounding himself

The mansion’s far wing was quiet, the silence broken only by the echo of guards’ boots in the hall. Inside the room, Lyra paced like a caged animal, every step scraping against the marble as if trying to wear down the stone itself.When the door opened, her breath caught.Lucien stepped in, still pale from his wounds, bandages peeking beneath his loose shirt. His eyes were cold, sharp, a man straddling the line between life and death, mercy and ruthlessness.“Lucien,” she whispered, rushing forward until the guards shoved her back.He raised a hand. “Leave us.”The guards obeyed, the door clicking shut. Silence returned, thicker now, pressing against her ribs.Lyra dropped to her knees in front of him, clutching the fabric of his pants. “Don’t hate me. Please. I’ll take your punishment. I’ll take whatever you give. But… but give me tonight. Just tonight, as yours.”His jaw tightened. “You don’t get to choose terms.”Tears welled in her eyes, spilling down her cheeks. “I’m begging you,

Down the hall, Lucien and Matteo walked side by side. Matteo was chuckling, shaking his head.“Honestly, brother, I thought Kane was going to cut you in two. You’ve got balls, kneeling at his door like that. And you’re still alive. I’m impressed.”Lucien managed a small smile, but his mind was elsewhere. “Kane knows me. I knew what he’d do.”Matteo slapped him on the back. “Still. Surviving a Don’s mercy and keeping your girl? Not a bad day.”They turned the corner. As Lucien reached for the door to Lyra’s room, a strange stillness made his skin prickle. He pushed it open.The smell of blood hit him first.Then he saw her.Lyra lay half-lidded on the bed, pale, blood pooling beneath her arm, her body trembling faintly.“LYRA!” Lucien’s voice cracked as he lunged forward.Matteo, hearing the panic, burst into the room, took one look, and turned his face away. “Cover her up, brother.”Lucien grabbed the discarded sheet, wrapping her trembling form in it, pulling her into his arms.Lyra’

The hospital wing was quieter that evening, the air heavy with antiseptic and the faint hum of machines. Lyra stirred, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment, the ceiling blurred above her, the sterile light washing her in pale glow. Then the weight of reality pressed in — the bandages on her wrist, the hollowness in her chest, and the memory of Lucien’s broken voice when he’d whispered don’t scare me like that again.Tears burned her eyes before she could stop them.The door creaked open, and Mason slipped inside. He looked smaller somehow, shoulders hunched, but his eyes were bright, stubborn. In his hands he carried a folded note.Lyra blinked at him. “Mason?” Her voice was cracked, raw.He walked up to her bed, sat heavily on the edge, and shoved the note into her palm. “From Castelle.”Lyra froze. “Castelle…? After what I did to her—”“Just read it,” Mason cut her off, his voice sharp with a mix of anger and desperation.With trembling fingers, Lyra unfolded the paper. Castelle’s