Page 348 of Evil Hearts

it lives,

it breathes,

it takes,

it binds,

it weaves,

it feeds.

And if you want its power bright,

you’ll bind yourself to me tonight.”

I stared at her, the words sinking in too slowly, like a knife dragging through thick cloth. “Bind myself?” I asked, my voice catching on the question.

Her wings shifted, and she leaned in closer, her glowing eyes narrowing. “Did you think the relic would sit idle, waiting for mortal hands to claim it?” she asked, the melody laced with amusement.

“It is no stone,

no golden prize,

but life itself in shadow’s guise.

It flows through me,

it feeds my breath,

it grants your wish but courts your death.”

The air seemed to thicken around me, heavy and unyielding, as her meaning sank in. “The relic... it’s you.”

Her smile softened, though there was nothing kind about it. “Clever,” she murmured, her song slipping into a low hum. “Yes, it is me. My power. My life. My gift. And if you want it, you’ll give me something in return.”

“What do you want?” I asked, though I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.

Her claws lifted, brushing lightly against my wrist, and the touch sent a shiver through me that wasn’t entirely fear. Her voice softened as she sang,

“A bond,

a thread,

a tether tight,

to bind you here beneath my light.

A mortal’s heart,

a mortal’s soul,

to fill the cracks and make me whole.”

“A bond?” I echoed, my throat tightening. “You mean... I’d be tied to you?”

Her eyes glowed brighter, her smile sharpening as she nodded. “In body, in breath, in soul,” she said, her voice lilting.

“You’ll live,

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