The metallic scent of blood saturated the abandoned meat plant as Guo Chengyu pressed his body against the rusted catwalk railing, knuckles white from the strain of containing himself.

Below, Ragatha moved like death personified.

He watched her tear the heart from Peter Vance's chest, his breath hitching at the spray of crimson that dotted her face. A low, guttural groan escaped him before he could stop it—not of horror, but of raw, unfiltered desire.

She was exquisite in her violence.

His violence.

"Mine," he whispered, the word a growl as his fingers dug into the metal until it creaked in protest. This wasn't just obsession anymore. This was possession.

Ragatha's head snapped upward, her eyes locking directly onto his despite the shadows concealing him. How had she—?

"Come down," she said, her voice carrying no emotion, just cold command.

Every instinct screamed at him to remain hidden, to maintain the upper hand. But Guo Chengyu had never been one to deny himself what he wanted.

He descended the metal stairs slowly, each step echoing through the cavernous space like a countdown. Blood dripped from the meat hooks above, splattering on the concrete floor in a macabre rhythm that matched the pounding of his heart.

"You've been watching," she stated, not questioned, as he stopped just out of arm's reach.

"Always watching," he admitted, his voice lowering to a dangerous purr. "Every scream, every drop of blood... every inch of you belongs to me."

Her lips curled into a sneer. "I belong to no one."

He took a step closer, invading her space with deliberate slowness. "You will."

The air crackled with tension thick enough to taste—metallic, coppery, like the blood that surrounded them. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. The moment he took what was his.

"Run from me, fight me... it changes nothing," he murmured, reaching out to trace a finger along her jawline, ignoring the warm blood that coated her skin. "You're mine, Ragatha. And I always take what's mine."

She didn't pull away. Instead, her eyes darkened, something dangerous flickering to life in their depths—a challenge.

And Guo Chengyu loved a challenge.