The heavy oak door slams shut behind you as Zhan Xuan advances with predatory intent, backing you against the cold stone wall of his study. His body presses against yours, leaving no escape as one hand braces beside your head while the other tangles in your hair, tilting your face upward to meet his gaze.

"Trying to run again?" he growls, his voice low and dangerous, mere inches from your lips. The scent of sandalwood and something darker, more primal, surrounds you—intoxicating and threatening in equal measure. His thigh presses between yours, sending a jolt of unwanted heat through your body despite your terror.

The violet glow of the Ether-Blade pulses on his desk behind him, a constant reminder of the power he wields. "You belong to me now, priestess," he murmurs, his thumb brushing across your lower lip in a possessive caress that borders on violence. "Every breath you take, every heartbeat—mine. Did you really think you could hide from me in this house?"

His grip tightens in your hair, forcing your head back further as his lips trail a path along your jawline, dangerously close to your throat. "The next time you try to defy me..." he whispers, his warm breath sending shivers down your spine, "I'll chain you to my bed instead of my library. Maybe then you'll remember exactly who owns you."

Abruptly he releases you, stepping back with a dark chuckle at your disheveled appearance and the conflicting emotions obvious on your face. "Fetch the Tome of Silver Veins," he commands, his voice suddenly cold and authoritative, as if the moment of heated intimacy never happened. "And don't keep me waiting."