Chapter 31

Natalie's spiral into lunacy accelerated in the days that followed, culminating in a nearly frenzied insanity. The murmurs that had originally taken root in her thoughts had become a cacophonous chorus, their siren melody drowning out any notion of reason or restraint. Her self-mutilations became increasingly intricate and violent as she attempted to communicate with the dark creatures that had trapped her psyche. Bloody sigils and incantations covered her entire body, practically vibrating with an awful vitality. Ace watched these frightening alterations from a distance, his typical composure gradually giving way to a gleam of begrudging fascination. This was no longer the rebellious yet vulnerable woman he had aimed to break and subjugate. Natalie had abandoned her mortal coil, revealing a darker and more unpredictable side. Ace, for all his calculating malice, was terrified by the idea of what she could become. Natalie's screams of passionate anguish rang through the moonlit hallwa