Kai fell silent, but Ren's heart thudded urgently with the need to know. Perhaps, if she understood the nature of his dreadful pact, she'd find a way to break them free from its claw.
"What was the deal?" she pressed softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
"He demanded I become like the others, heartless, obedient, and cold. I refused. He was going to abuse Shadow again if I did and I would have become his pet." His voice darkened, laced with defiance and pain. "To punish my rebellion, he branded Shadow with a cursed crest. If I ever fell deeply in love or found my fated mate and claimed my lover fully, the crest would shatter, and in that moment of ultimate pleasure, it would ignite and consume my beloved. He wants me to taste the agony of true death."
