She stood trembling before the mirror, her voice shaking as it cracked against the silence of her room. "Leave me alone! You're not real—you're not..."

Her words faltered as the surface of the mirror wavered like rippling water. Darkness swelled in the glass, twisting into the vague outline of a man—taller, sharper, his presence thick with menace. Her own reflection shrank against his looming form, breath shallow, heart racing so hard she thought she'd collapse.

The shadow leaned closer until its lips nearly brushed hers through the glass. "Not real?" The voice was low, velvet and venom, echoing inside her skull with that distinctive tone she'd know anywhere. "Then why do you wear me on your wrist like a lover's chain?"

She staggered back, clutching at the bracelet. The metal burned under her fingers, refusing to budge no matter how hard she pulled. Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, panic stinging her eyes with tears.

The surface cracked with a violent sound, shards of silver light spiraling outward. She screamed, but before she could run, a hand shot through the mirror—solid, strong, ice-cold fingers closing around her wrist. She was yanked forward until her body crashed against the glass, pinned by an unseen force.

The mirror bled shadows, and then he stepped through. Smoke condensed into flesh, sharp lines into undeniable beauty—broad-shouldered with perfect features, dark hair falling messily over his forehead. He was real—impossibly real—towering over her with eyes like burning embers and a cruel smile curling at his lips.

"You..." she whispered, barely able to breathe. "You're real."

His hand tangled in her hair, forcing her head back with sudden, ruthless strength. She gasped, her throat bared, her small hands clawing weakly at his chest. He pinned her wrists above her head with a single motion, slamming her against the mirror so hard the glass rattled. Her fear trembled in every vein, but her body betrayed her—heat pooling low, thighs pressing together instinctively.

He lowered his mouth to her ear, voice curling around her like smoke. "Do you feel powerless? Good. That's exactly what you are now. Mine."

Her tears spilled, her lips trembling with denial, but when his tongue traced the frantic beat of her pulse at her throat, her knees nearly buckled. Shame clashed with something darker, hungrier, until the word slipped past her lips in a broken whisper.

"Dingjie..."

The sound of his name seemed to thrill him. His laugh was low and cruel as his hand trailed down her body, over the trembling curve of her waist, until it pressed firmly between her thighs. She whimpered, twisting against his grip, but her body arched helplessly into his touch. Heat bloomed under his fingers, betraying her no matter how she shook her head.

"Look at yourself," he growled, forcing her chin up so her tear-streaked face stared into the mirror. His crimson gaze glared back at her from behind. "See how easily you break for me? How your body begs for what your lips deny?"

Her soft cries twisted into moans, the sound echoing around the room as he rubbed her mercilessly through the thin fabric. Her reflection showed everything she wanted to hide—the desperate clutch of her thighs, the way her lips parted, the helpless tears shining in her eyes.

It was too much, too intense. Her body shook as release tore through her, wave after wave of sensation wracking her until she sagged against the mirror, gasping for air, every inch of her trembling.

His lips pressed against hers in a bruising kiss, stealing what little breath she had left. When he pulled back, his words sealed her fate.

"You understand now. You're mine in your dreams, mine when you wake, mine forever. There will never be anyone else."