Dean's POV
I woke up gasping, my body drenched in cold sweat, my fangs bared, heart pounding like a fucking war drum.
The moment my eyes snapped open, I knew—I could feel it. Something was wrong.
Dark. Vile. Twisted.
Voodoo.
It had sunk its claws into Elena's mind like a disease, wrapping around her soul, warping her reality. That thing—that shadowed figure—it wasn't just some illusion or trick. It was a part of her now.
It had tainted her.
My fists clenched.
The air around me crackled as my vampire instincts surged, a violent need to destroy, to kill, to rip apart anything that had dared touch my mate.
I turned my head to Kane, who was standing near the window, arms crossed, jaw clenched. He hadn't slept—probably because my body had been twitching, growling, reacting in my sleep the entire time.
"She's infected," I said through gritted teeth.
Kane's head snapped toward me. "What the fuck do you mean, infected?"
