All Chapters of MARKED : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Sleep does not come easily after the vision.Even now, hours later, my body still feels like it remembers the pain—the crushing pressure behind my eyes, the cold air in my lungs, the sound of blood dripping from that terrible door.I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling of my room in the Elvadores mansion, listening to the slow, steady tick of the antique clock on the far wall.Each second feels louder than the last.The room is dim now, the late afternoon sun slipping behind thick gray clouds outside the tall windows. Shadows stretch across the polished floor, creeping slowly toward the bed like silent fingers.I pull the blanket tighter around my body.Not because I'm cold.Because I feel exposed.Vulnerable.Like something is watching.My gaze drifts to my hands resting on the blanket.They look normal.Clean.Dry.But I can still feel the memory of warm blood dripping between my fingers in that vision. I can still smell the metallic scent. I can still hear the creak of the door open

ElizabethThe fog curls around us like living smoke, thick and cold against my skin.The woman stands before us—tall, still, terrifyingly calm. Her dark robes sway gently in the wind, and her eyes glow faintly in the dim light filtering through the trees. There's something ancient about her, something that makes every instinct in my body scream to be careful.To respect her.To tell the truth.Vanessa steps forward first.Always brave.Always steady."We were led to you," she says, voice clear despite the tension in the air. "By my grandmother."The witch's gaze shifts slowly to Vanessa.Sharp.Studying.A long silence stretches between them, heavy enough to make my chest tighten.Then the woman tilts her head slightly.Recognition flickers across her face."Well," she murmurs softly. "That explains the power."Vanessa blinks."What do you mean?"The witch takes a single step closer, her eyes narrowing as she examines Vanessa more carefully."You carry the blood of the Bennet witches,

VANESSA POVThe shadows are breathing.I know that sounds impossible, but in my dream, they are alive.Moving.Watching.Waiting.I run through a dark hallway that never seems to end, my bare feet slapping against cold stone floors. The air is thick and heavy, pressing against my lungs like smoke. Every breath burns.Behind me—Footsteps.Soft.Deliberate.Not human.I don't dare look back.Because I know if I do, I'll see them.The shadows.They slide along the walls like liquid ink, stretching and twisting into shapes that shouldn't exist. Long arms. Jagged claws. Hollow faces with no eyes.They're hunting me.I turn a corner, heart pounding violently in my chest.The hallway suddenly narrows, the ceiling lowering until I have to duck. Darkness swallows everything except a faint red glow flickering in the distance.A door.Red.My stomach drops.No.Not that door.Not again.The shadows surge forward behind me, faster now, closing in.I run harder, lungs screaming, legs burning, panic rising like

ElizabethSomething is wrong.I know it the second I walk into the foyer and see Vanessa standing there looking like she's seen death itself.Her skin is pale.Her breathing uneven.And her eyes—God.Her eyes keep darting toward the shadows like she expects something to crawl out of them.Damon notices it too.I can tell by the way his posture changes instantly, every muscle in his body tightening beneath the black sweater stretched across his shoulders."What happened?" I ask quickly, rushing down the staircase.Vanessa turns toward me so fast I almost flinch."The spell," she says breathlessly. "Something went wrong with the spell."Cold dread settles in my stomach.Behind her, Adam quietly shuts the mansion doors.Locks them.The sound echoes through the foyer louder than it should.Chloe steps out from the sitting room carrying a bag of chips, looking confused."Why does everyone look like they're about to die?"Vanessa looks at her.Then at me.Then at Damon."The shadows follow

Elizabeth"They came for you."The words settle into the room like smoke.Heavy.Impossible to ignore.Damon's arm remains around my waist, holding me upright while the others stare at me like I might suddenly explode or open another dimension in the middle of the hallway.Honestly?Fair.The mansion is eerily quiet now.Too quiet after what just happened.The shattered windows let cold night air drift through the corridor while flickering ward symbols glow faintly along the walls. Somewhere deeper in the house, old pipes groan softly.But the shadows are gone.For now.My pulse still hasn't slowed.I pull away from Damon carefully, needing space to breathe, to think, to process the fact that shadow creatures apparently broke into a vampire mansion specifically looking for me.Fantastic.Chloe is the first to speak."No offense, Liz," she says slowly, "but your life is getting aggressively terrifying."A shaky laugh escapes me despite everything."Trust me, I noticed."Vanessa still l