The plant demon's vines shifted, curling like giant snakes.
"I want a pure soul," he said, his green eyes fixed on Barbara. "It advances my power. She's one of the last. Her essence will be mine. Then she will become my follower… a cheetah bound forever."
Barbara shook her head. "Never."
"You think you have a choice?" the demon said with a slow grin.
Rowan's gaze moved past him — and froze.
Hundreds of female warriors stood in the shadows behind the demon. They were not fully human. Each had sharp eyes like a predator, spotted skin patterns, and long claws. Their bodies were lean and strong like cheetahs on two legs.
Alix whispered, "Are… those all Cheetahs?"
"Yes," Rowan said. "All turned by him."
The demon's attention snapped to Rowan. He bent low, watching the faint cut on Rowan's arm.
"Interesting. Hybrid vampire blood… and a soul still intact. That's rare."
Rowan's muscles tightened.
"I could use more sacrifices," the demon said. "And your soul… is exactly what I need to leave this world."
Alix stepped forward. "You're not taking him."
The vines moved instantly.
Before either could react, thick green tendrils wrapped around Rowan and Alix, squeezing their ribs and lifting them off the ground.
Rowan growled, trying to break free, but the demon laughed. "Struggle more. Your blood smell is making my roots stronger."
Barbara's voice rang out. "Let them go!"
The demon ignored her.
Vines slammed Rowan into the air, then threw him backward. He crashed into a deep pool at the center of the shrine.
The liquid was thick and red.
"This is my heart's blood," the demon said. "If you breathe it, it will eat you alive… or make you mine."
Rowan tried to move, but the pool burned like acid against his skin.
Above, the demon turned to Alix. "Your body is strong. Your soul? Pure enough to tempt me. But the vampire… I will take his body."
The female cheetah guards closed in. Two grabbed Alix. Four surrounded Barbara. None of them looked human anymore — their eyes glowed yellow, their nails like short black blades.
The guards dragged both women away through a vine-covered tunnel.
"Let them go!" Rowan yelled, trying to push himself out.
"Too late," the demon said. "In moments, I will step into your body and make it perfect."
The vines in the pool twitched.
A massive root pushed forward into Rowan's chest. The liquid around him started to glow, as if the entire pool was alive.
Then — the demon's own body began to melt into green mist and flow into Rowan through the root.
Rowan's head felt like it was splitting open.
The demon's voice was inside his mind now. "You are mine."
But something was wrong.
The moment the full essence entered — Rowan's own soul spun violently. Black tendrils formed inside his mind space… pulling inward.
A void opened.
It wasn't magic. It wasn't bloodline.
It was something Rowan hadn't used before — a hidden force in his soul like a black hole.
The pull grew stronger.
The demon's voice changed from pleasure to panic. "What is this?!"
The vines tried to pull out, but it was too late. Every drop of Urzatga's blood and every piece of the demon's soul was dragged into Rowan's core.
Rowan's chest felt like it would burst.
The pool's liquid turned black, swirling until it vanished entirely.
In the distance, the cheetah warriors froze.
They clutched their bodies. The glow in their eyes flickered. Their claws shook.
One by one, they dropped to their knees, breathing hard.
Rowan stood in the now-empty pool.
His skin steamed. His eyes glowed faint crimson, shifting for a second into the demon's green.
Alix ran back into the chamber, shock on her face. "Rowan… what happened to you?"
Rowan looked down at his hands. The skin there shifted like liquid metal for a moment before settling.
"I absorbed him," Rowan said slowly. "All of him."
Barbara appeared in the doorway, a cheetah guard limp at her feet.
"What does that mean?" she asked.
Rowan looked around.
The cheetah warriors stared at him — but now, not with loyalty to the demon. They waited.
"It means," Rowan said, "I now have his magic. Demon spells. And his link to the Cheetah bloodline."
Barbara frowned. "Link?"
Rowan's eyes narrowed. "I can turn people into cheetahs. I can command them. Their faith will fuel me."
Alix stepped closer. "And you're okay with that?"
Rowan glanced at the kneeling warriors. "The question isn't if I'm okay with it."
He looked back toward the jungle. "The question is — who I use it on first."