Chapter 27 - The Shadow Of Blood

• Damon
• I can still feel Alina's warmth against my skin, her breath trembling, the fear in her eyes. She's there, right beside me, her hand resting on my bare chest, but I feel the icy emptiness left by the pact I sealed with Cillian. This emptiness is like an open wound, a dark abyss that extends into my entrails.
• The night is heavy, saturated with an oppressive silence. The moon, full and bright, illuminates the room through the half-open curtains. Shadows dance across the ceiling, strange and disturbing. Alina is asleep, her breathing calm and regular, but I... I'm awake. I can't close my eyes when I feel this thing inside me, this black poison pulsing in my veins.