CHAPTER 77Steam curled in lazy spirals from the bathroom as Dorian stepped into his bedroom, towel slung low on his hips, damp curls clinging to his forehead. He hadn’t even taken two full steps before Kai launched at him—literally jumped—legs wrapping around his waist, arms locking around his shoulders.“Kai—”Kai kissed him mid-protest, tongue pushing past his lips with the kind of hunger that made Dorian stumble. The towel dropped. Dorian caught him under the thighs automatically, gripping his bare skin.“You’re insatiable,” Dorian muttered against Kai’s mouth, but he didn’t stop him. Couldn’t. Not when Kai was already grinding shamelessly against him, already moaning like he needed this like breath.“She’s sleeping,” Kai whispered, teeth grazing Dorian’s jaw. “And I need you.”Dorian groaned, stumbling back toward the bed, his knees hitting it. Kai didn’t wait—he shoved him back, straddling him in one fluid move, grinding down against Dorian’s half-hard cock. They were both naked
CHAPTER 76Tea had been set in the eastern sitting room. The staff moved swiftly—almost reverently—laying out the finest porcelain and honey-glazed pastries without being asked. The manor knew fear when it walked through the door.Kairis lounged like she owned the estate, slender fingers coiled around a cup of spiced tea, her gaze drifting lazily over the others like she was examining flawed gemstones.“I must say, Kai,” she murmured, stirring her tea without ever looking down, “you’ve surrounded yourself with quite the eclectic collection.”“I call it a found family,” Kai mumbled from the couch, tucked halfway behind Dorian like a child hiding behind his mother.Kairis didn’t acknowledge the comment.She set her spoon down with a quiet clink, and her eyes—those piercing, emotionless orbs the exact same shade as Kai’s—slid to Elias.“You’re very calm, considering everyone else looks ready to leap in front of you like a bodyguard.”Elias didn’t flinch. “Should I not be?”Lucian shifted
CHAPTER 75Kai was in the garden, sleeves rolled up, hair tied messily at the nape of his neck, humming tunelessly as he snipped dead leaves from a flowering shrub.Then the guard appeared.“My lord Kai,” the guard bowed. “A letter.”Kai blinked and reached for it, wiping dirt off his hands with a cloth. “Thanks.”He cracked the seal lazily, expecting some boring correspondence from the Academy. But the moment his eyes scanned the first line, the blood drained from his face.He read it again.Then again.And then—he screamed.“EVERYONE! COME DOWN! RIGHT NOW! CODE RED! CODE ABSOLUTE HELL!”The sheer panic in his voice sent birds scattering from the hedges.Within moments, footsteps thundered through the manor. Dorian was first, shirt half-buttoned, eyes sharp. Lucian followed, brows drawn into a scowl. Elias came last, looking vaguely alarmed but more confused than anything.Kai stood at the garden’s edge, waving the letter like it was a cursed object.Lucian stared at him. “What happe
CHAPTER 74The portal shimmered behind him as Elias stepped back into the realm of the living. The air here felt lighter, the weight of Hell no longer pressing against his skin—but it lingered beneath the surface. He could feel the residue of it clinging to him like a second skin.Lucian was the first to reach him. “You were gone a whole day.” His voice was soft but tight with restraint. “Are you alright?”Elias nodded, though his expression was unreadable. “Cerberus is stabilized.”Kai and Dorian appeared from around the corner, their faces brightening at the sight of him.“Took you long enough,” Kai said, folding his arms. “I was beginning to think Hell swallowed you.”“It almost did,” Elias muttered, brushing past him gently. “Anything happen while I was away?”“Just the usual,” Dorian said. “Oh, and a messenger came. The Oracle wants to see you. Urgently.”Elias stiffened. “She sent a summons?”Kai frowned. “She never sends those unless it’s... serious.”Elias ran a hand through h
CHAPTER 73Lucian was on his feet in an instant. “What do you want?”Ravelan offered him a glance—one full of disdain, as if acknowledging the yapping of a particularly ugly hound. Lucian’s eyes flared with cold light.Ravelan gave a long, suffering sigh and dusted invisible lint from his sleeve. “Yes, yes, I’m sure your outrage is terribly important to someone. However…” His gaze shifted—laser-focused on Elias. “You are the only one who matters, my Lord.”Elias stood slowly. His voice was steady. “Ravelan.”The demon dropped into a fluid bow, one arm sweeping wide across his chest.“My Lord.”Ravelan’s lips curled faintly. “I bring ill tidings.”Dorian tensed. The demon didn’t even look at him. “Cerberus has been poisoned.”“What?” Elias stiffened.A grim hush fell over the room.Ravelan continued, voice smooth and unhurried. “Found convulsing in the pit. Unresponsive to flame, ice, or shadow. His soul is unraveling, Elias. He is dying.”Lucian moved to Elias’s side instantly. “The
CHAPTER 72 Lucian stood by the windows, arms folded tightly, jaw clenched in a way that warned not to approach him yet.Dorian, however, turned toward Elias, who had dropped into the nearest armchair with a long exhale.“So,” Dorian said carefully, “do you… remember it? When you expelled Tzareth?”Elias blinked up at him, eyes wide. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”Lucian turned his head slightly at that, listening now.“You do?” Dorian moved closer, crouching beside Elias. “What did it feel like?”Elias looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers slowly, as if still trying to feel the magic under his skin. “Like… like I wasn’t fully in control. My body moved, my voice sounded different. But I remember everything. It was like watching from behind glass, like I was submerged but still there.”“You were glowing,” Dorian said. “And that language—none of us could understand it.”“I couldn’t either,” Elias admitted. “But when I spoke it… it just came out. Like something ancient inside me took over a
CHAPTER 71The forest was quiet, bathed in the deep hues of dusk. Shadows stretched between the trees, cool air brushing past Lucian’s skin as he moved silently through the underbrush. His cloak fluttered behind him, boots crunching leaves with calculated steps. He’d left the others with a casual wave, masking the burn in his throat and the thrumming ache in his gut.He needed blood.Not the stored kind. Not the diluted vials Dorian kept for emergencies. He needed it fresh. Alive. Still hot.Lucian’s eyes flashed red as he crouched low near a clearing. He waited, scenting the air—there. The tang of fur and fear. A deer, not far off.He moved in a blur.The creature didn’t have time to flee. Lucian was on it in seconds, slamming it to the ground. It thrashed, hooves kicking, but Lucian’s strength was overwhelming. He held its neck with one arm, pinning it down.“I’m sorry,” he whispered—half to the animal, half to himself.Then his fangs sank into its throat.Hot blood surged into his
CHAPTER 70Hours later, Lucian sat beside Elias, their knees occasionally brushing. Across from them were Kai and Dorian—Kai with slightly tousled hair, Dorian as calm and unreadable as ever.For a few moments, the only sounds were quiet chewing and the occasional clink of cutlery. It was almost peaceful.Until Elias narrowed his eyes at Kai’s neck.“What the hell is that?” he blurted.Kai, mid-chew, blinked. “Huh?”Elias leaned forward slightly, pointing with his fork. “Your neck, Kai. You look like you were mauled by a wild animal.”Kai choked a little, eyes widening. “I—it’s not—” He reached up to cover the mess of dark red-purple hickeys scattered low along his throat. “Elias!”“Oh my gods,” Elias said, breaking into a grin. “You let Dorian devour you.”Kai’s entire face turned a shade of red Elias hadn’t known humans—or vampires—were capable of. “I did not! It wasn’t—Shut up!”Dorian didn’t flinch. He just reached for another piece of bread.“Oh no, no, you’re not getting away wi
CHAPTER 69Soft light filtered in through the curtains, warming the bedroom with a gentle glow. Elias stirred slowly, muscles aching faintly, mind clouded with hazy fragments of the day before—Tzareth, the surge of unknown power, collapsing into Lucian’s arms…Lucian.Still curled at his side, Lucian’s head rested on Elias’s chest, dark hair tousled across pale skin. His breathing was steady, lips parted slightly in sleep. Elias gazed at him for a long, silent moment.He reached up and stroked Lucian’s hair gently, brushing a strand away from his forehead. Lucian didn’t stir.A soft smile touched Elias’s lips.He slipped quietly out of bed and padded to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face. He stared at himself in the mirror—hollow-eyed, but alive. By the time he returned, Lucian hadn’t moved. Elias stood by the edge of the bed for a beat, then slowly climbed on top of him, straddling his hips carefully. His hands braced against Lucian’s chest.Lucian blinked awake, groggy