CHAPTER :14 The Vow in the Dark

Veronica woke in the dead of night, ensnared by heat that wasn't hers. Her eyes snapped open, and there Elizabeth stood over her, holding her so tightly it hurt. Veronica's panting seized Elizabeth's pale skin, bare against hers, and left her stumbling.

"Eliz." Veronica gasped out, her voice trembling. She struggled to wake her. "Eliz, wake up."

But Elizabeth did not stir. Her breathing was slow and deep, as if she had immersed herself in an impenetrable sleep.

Veronica's cheeks flushed with color. She placed her hands over her face. "Why are you like this…?"

And then, quite suddenly, Elizabeth rolled. Her lips brushed Veronica's wet, lingering, passionate. Veronica gasped, her trembling hands trying to pull away, but Elizabeth's voice kept her in place.

"Don't hide from me, Veronica… you're mine."

Veronica's chest closed in, as if she was tied by secret strings. Elizabeth's half-closed eyes breathed softly in the night, keeping her bound in a grip that would not let go.

"Even in slumber," Elizabeth breathed against her lips, "my heart belongs to you."

The sentence was a promise whisper-soft and sinister, tender and strangling. Veronica couldn't breathe.

Elizabeth drew her in close, holding her lightly, as if she were breakable, fragile. Her hand stroked Veronica's cheek, thumb wiping away the unbidden tears that had slipped out without her even noticing.

"You don't have to be scared, my love," she breathed, voice more at rest now, almost gentle. "While I live, no one is ever going to take you from me.".

Veronica rested her head on Elizabeth's shoulder, her pulse erratic. She wasn't certain if it was comfort she felt… or if this was becoming a cage.

The doll fell off the bed's edge, landed on the floor with a soft thud. Veronica's eyes snapped towards it, then her eyes drew back to collide with Elizabeth's, who stood mere inches away, her breath upon Veronica's skin.

Elizabeth pressed a final kiss to her forehead, soft yet claiming, then whispered into the silence:

“Sleep, Veronica. As long as I’m here… no one, not Keido, not this cursed world, will ever touch you.”

Her body resisted at first, but exhaustion pulled Veronica under. She slipped into restless sleep, the doll silent on the floor, while Elizabeth’s arms held her tightly—unyielding, unbreakable, eternal.