All Chapters of Bound by Darkness: Shadowborn: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Ari's POV The heat was overwhelming. It flooded through Ari like wildfire—raw, pulsing pleasure, thick with shadows and the ache of a body unraveling under too many hands. But it wasn't hers. Not entirely. It was Therrin's body. Therrin's desire. And it was Ciaran's touch that was claiming it. Ari screamed in silence, trapped inside, forced to feel every flicker of Therrin's surrender as if it were her own—and she hated it. Hated him. That monster wrapped in shadows and sin, whispering devotion with one hand while puppeteering their body with the other. No more. The wall inside cracked, and Ari burst through like a storm. In a single breath, the haze of pleasure shattered. Therrin gasped and blinked, eyes clouded with confusion—before going glassy, distant. Ari was in control now. "Get off," Ari growled, her voice echoing from Therrin's mouth but darker, rougher, l

Dion’s POV The night wrapped around us like a velvet shroud, soft and cool against my skin, the kind of night that held its breath—waiting. I watched Therrin move ahead, the faint scent of pine and earth drifting off her, mingling with the crisp chill of the forest air. The fireflies danced like flickers of fragile hope, a subtle reminder that even in the darkest places, light tries to bloom. It had been days since I’d pulled her free from Ciaran’s grasp, yet the weight of what lay between us felt heavier than ever. She had accepted me as her mate, yes, but there was something raw and brittle about her now. A wall I could see, even if I didn’t understand every brick. I closed the small distance between us carefully, not wanting to startle her. “You okay?” I asked softly, my voice barely more than a whisper carried by the breeze. She stopped, her head tilting slightly, the faintest hesitation in her stance. “I’m fine,” s

Therrin’s POVThe fire cast a warm, flickering glow across the small cabin, the wooden walls alive with dancing shadows. Outside, the forest lay quiet beneath the heavy branches, but inside, my mind was anything but still. The quiet of the evening felt suffocating, pressing against my skin as if the walls themselves wanted to close in. I sat curled on the worn armchair, my fingers wrapped tightly around a steaming cup of tea. The warmth seeped into my palms, but it could not chase away the cold knot twisting in my chest. Each breath felt heavy, weighed down by the tug of two opposing forces pulling at my very soul. Ciaran’s voice was the first to slip through the silence—a familiar, low murmur threading through my thoughts. You are mine, Therrin. You belong to me. Do not forget that. His words were sharp as steel, cutting through the fragile calm like a blade. The brand beneath my skin throbbed in answer, a constant reminder of t

Therrin's POV The clearing was hushed—like the world itself was holding its breath. Therrin lay on the forest floor, the damp moss a cool balm against her back. Her dress was askew, tangled in dew-laced grass, her skin kissed by fading moonlight and bruised shadows. The silence wasn't empty. It pulsed. As if the forest remembered what had just transpired. As if the air itself had been changed by it. She lifted her hand, fingers trembling—not from shame, not from fear. The tingling at her wrists, her hips, the curve of her throat… it lingered. Not ghostly. Not painful. No, it was a memory carved in pleasure. Ciaran's touch still shimmered on her skin like frost kissed by fire. And for the first time, she didn't want to wash it away. She curled her hand into a fist, then uncurled it again. This is mine now. The craving. The surrender. The twisted hunger. It belonged

Therrin's POV The forest was drenched in the fading gold of twilight, shadows stretching like fingers across the damp earth. Therrin stood at the edge of the clearing where Ciaran waited for her, arms crossed, leaning against the moss-covered stone of a ruined pillar. The remains of a temple long forgotten by time. His presence was magnetic. Dangerous. A pull she could no longer pretend she didn't feel. Even now, her heart beat too fast, betraying her nerves. "You came," he said, voice low like velvet brushing against a blade. "I said I would." But her voice lacked conviction. "You never had to say anything. I would've known." His gaze trailed her as if studying every breath she took, every hesitation she couldn't hide. "Why do you keep coming back to him?" Ari's voice rose inside her head, sharp and hot, like acid on an open wound. "Because he sees me, Ari.