The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

There, on a raised stone platform before it, Cedric’s body struggled as several men restrained him.

Standing over him was Vance.

The man with the thick moustache held his hands hovering on either side of Cedric’s head, his lips moving as he chanted in a language Aliana had never heard before.

Beside him, Gwen forced a dark, viscous liquid down Cedric’s throat while he struggled helplessly against the men pinning him to the altar.

She watched as Cedric’s body began to convulse the moment the dark liquid slid down his throat. A loud groan of agony escaped his lips, and Aliana felt her own throat tighten as she stared at the horrifying scene unfolding before her.

’What is happening to him? What are they doing to him?’ her mind whispered.

Her eyes instinctively dropped to the floor, and that was when she noticed dozens of black candles arranged around an enormous crimson symbol painted directly onto the stone beneath the platform.

It was the very same symbol she had seen in the book.

A star enclosed within a circle.

Strange markings covered the walls from floor to ceiling, while animal skulls, dried herbs, and rusted ceremonial blades lay scattered around the stone platform.

And an icy chill crawled down Aliana’s spine.

Vance lowered his hands, looking down at Cedric as the young man went limp, passing out once more.

"It seems we cannot wait until tomorrow," Vance declared grimly. "We need to hold the ceremony tonight."

"What! What about the guests? Dad, people will ask questions if the groom is missing tomorrow!" Gwen protested instantly.

"Don’t worry about the guests," Vance replied with a cruel, cold smile. "The feast will be ready soon. Once they eat, they will be far too controlled to question anything. Just like my dear son-in-law."

He looked at the men holding Cedric down and barked orders, "Inform the coven that the ritual will take place tonight."

"But High Star, what if some of the guests don’t eat the feast?" one of the men asked.

"If that happens, silence them and throw them into the sea. We can always blame the storm," Vance replied heartlessly.

At his words, a sharp gasp escaped Aliana’s lips.

The sound was faint, but in the eerie silence of the chamber, it was enough.

Every head snapped towards the open doorway.

Vance’s eyes narrowed as he searched the empty threshold as Gavriel had already moved, pulling her back into the shadows just in time.

Still, the noise was enough to put Vance on high alert. "See if a rat is snooping around out there!" he demanded.

At once, the men who had been restraining Cedric rushed out of the chamber.

Finding neither the intruders nor the guards outside, one of the men turned back towards Vance.

"High Star, the guards aren’t here."

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the opposite end of the passage as the two guards returned from investigating the disturbance.

Vance stepped out into the corridor, his face dark with fury. "You idiots! Where were the two of you?"

"High Star, a wall collapsed on the other side. We went to check on it," one of the guards answered nervously.

"Then one of you should have remained here!" Vance snapped.

His eyes shifted towards the ritual chamber behind him. "If they saw the temple... they must not leave this island alive."

"Yes, High Star!"

Within moments, dozens of footsteps echoed through the underground labyrinth as men scattered in every direction, searching every tunnel, chamber, and hidden corner for the intruders.

.....

Back to Jade and Cillian....

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[Music recommendation: CLANN - Darkness to Light]

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Right before the commotion erupted on the other side of the tunnels, Jade stood frozen in front of Cillian. He had waited to give her time to process her emotions, hoping she would say something, anything at all. But her heavy silence was beginning to deeply unnerve him.

Unable to take it anymore, Cillian called out softly, "Jade? Are you okay?"

At the sound of his voice, Jade’s fingers tightened around the front of his shirt, and only then did Cillian notice that her hands were trembling.

A subtle frown tugged at his brow.

Reaching out, he gently cupped her chin with his fingers and lifted her face.

That was when he saw the sheer terror in her wide, bright green eyes, tears spilling silently down her pale cheeks.

He held her gaze, a rare softness settling over his usually playful features.

Before his mind could catch up with his instincts, he smoothed away a stray teardrop with the pad of his thumb.

"Don’t cry, Red," he murmured softly. "You look much better when you’re angry."

Those simple words shattered the last of the composure she had been desperately trying to hold onto.

Without thinking, she threw her arms around his back and buried her face against his chest as silent sobs shook her body.

Cillian froze, stunned by her sudden embrace.

But as he felt her slender frame shivering against his, the surprise melted away.

His arms lifted naturally, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other wrapped firmly around her waist, drawing her flush against his chest to absorb her trembling.

And just like that, Jade found a small measure of comfort after the nightmare she had witnessed only moments ago.

They remained like that for as long as she needed, and Cillian made no attempt to pull away.

Only after her sobs gradually subsided did she draw in a slow, steady breath.

His cologne filled her senses, carrying an unexpected feeling of warmth and safety that made her instinctively want to be even closer to him.

Before she could stop herself, she lightly nuzzled her face against his shirt.

The instant she moved against him, Cillian went rigid beneath her touch.

Jade froze, and her eyes snapped open as reality came rushing back in a dizzying wave, leaving her hyper-aware of exactly who she was holding onto.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, she tilted her head back to look at him, and Cillian was already staring down at her. His chocolate-brown eyes darkened by the shadows until they appeared almost pitch-black.

They were standing so close that the soft warmth of their breath brushed against each other.

In the electric silence that followed, an unseen gravity pulled them together. Slowly, inches began to vanish between them.

Their lips were barely a whisper apart when an unmistakable rustle echoed from the entrance of the narrow passage.

Both of their heads snapped toward the dark opening, their breath catching in their throats as their bodies instantly went dead still.