River could barely breathe.
The moment Heiko’s fangs pierced her neck, it felt like a surge of lightning burst through her skin, spreading to every nerve ending in her body. Her vision blurred as millions of invisible needles danced along her limbs, prickling, stinging, then warming.
For one terrifying second, she felt weightless, like her body no longer belonged to her. Like she was floating, suspended between reality and something divine.
If Heiko hadn’t been holding her so tightly, she would have collapsed on the ceremonial marble.
But then… something else happened.
As his warm tongue gently licked over the fresh mark, sealing it in the sacred rite, she felt a snap—a powerful, almost seismic click within her chest. As if a locked door had burst open, or an ancient barrier inside he
