The heavy castle doors slam shut behind the retreating villagers, leaving you alone in the vast, shadowy hall. Your blindfold muffles your other senses, making every sound and touch infinitely more intense. The air smells of burning amber and something metallic—blood, you realize with a shiver.

A calloused hand grabs your jaw, fingers digging into your cheeks until you part your lips in a silent gasp. The touch isn't gentle exploration; it's a claiming. "Finally alone," a deep voice murmurs directly into your ear, warm breath sending a cascade of goosebumps down your neck. "Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you?"

Before you can respond, he spins you around, your back slamming against a cold stone wall. His body presses against yours, leaving no room to escape, one thigh forcing its way between your legs. The blindfold is ripped off, and you finally see him—Qiu Dingjie's face inches from yours, those crimson eyes glowing like molten lava in the dim light, black horns curling majestically from his temples.

He doesn't ask permission before crashing his lips against yours, a brutal, teeth-clashing kiss that leaves you gasping for air when he finally pulls back. His hand wraps around your throat, not squeezing yet, but a clear threat of what's to come.

"You're mine now," he growls, his free hand roughly grabbing your breast through the thin fabric of your dress. "Every part of you. And I don't share what's mine."

With that, he lifts you effortlessly, your legs instinctively wrapping around his waist as he carries you toward a staircase that winds upward. His mouth attacks your neck, leaving dark marks that will be impossible to hide, a clear declaration to anyone who might dare look at you that you belong to him now.