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
CHAPTER 68Kai lay sprawled on the bed, breath shaky, his body still twitching from aftershocks. But Dorian didn’t give him long to recover.He hovered over Kai, his weight pinning him down, sweat-drenched skin hot against his own. His lips found Kai’s shoulder, biting down hard enough to leave a mark.Kai hissed, arching back into him. "Dorian—""Don’t think we’re done." His voice was wrecked, gravelly. "I’m not nearly done with you."Before Kai could answer, Dorian grabbed his jaw, forcing his mouth open. He slid two fingers in, pressing them deep onto his tongue. "Suck."Kai moaned around them, cheeks hollowing as he obeyed. His eyes fluttered closed, his lips wrapped tightly, tongue swirling. He tasted salt and skin."That’s it," Dorian breathed, eyes locked onto his mouth. "Such a fucking pretty mouth."Without warning, he pulled his fingers out and reached down, circling Kai’s hole with the wet digits before pushing both back in roughly.Kai's eyes flew open. "Fuck—" he gasped,
CHAPTER 67The door clicked shut behind them, and for a long moment, neither spoke.Dorian moved to the far side of the room, pacing. His jaw was tight, hands clenched into fists. Kai watched from near the door, arms crossed, expression uncertain but not soft.“Okay,” Kai said finally. “Are we going to talk about what just happened?”“Not now,” Dorian said without turning.“That’s not an answer.”Dorian stopped, glancing over his shoulder. “I said not now.”Kai stepped forward. “You’ve been quiet since Elias collapsed. Since before that, honestly. What’s going on with you?”“It doesn’t matter.”“Bullshit,” Kai snapped, voice rising. “You’re spiraling. And when you spiral, you shut everyone out. Including me.”Dorian’s eyes flashed. “You think this is about me? Elias nearly tore himself in half! There’s an ancient evil writhing under the floor, and Lucian’s barely holding himself together—”“And you think you need to hold everyone together, huh?” Kai cut in, stepping closer. “You alway
CHAPTER 66Elias hadn’t moved in over five minutes.He stood death-still, shoulders slightly hunched, arms limp at his sides. His hair had returned to its white-blond sheen, falling in strands over his face, but his glowing eyes hadn’t dimmed. They were unfocused, burning with some eerie internal light, like staring into a distant star.Lucian hovered a few steps away, tense. “He hasn’t blinked.”“No shit,” Dorian muttered. He took a slow step forward. “Elias?”No response.“Elias,” Lucian tried, louder this time. “It’s done. You’re safe. You got it out.”Still nothing.Inside the hidden plane of his consciousness, Azazel paced like a caged animal. “What the fuck was that?” he snarled. “That wasn’t me. That wasn’t you. That sure as hell wasn’t you.”Thal’rean stood calmly with arms folded. “I don’t know.”Azazel spun on him. “No. Don’t do that—don’t go all quiet and cryptic on me. He expelled Tzareth. Expelled. As if it were a choice. As if he had control. That wasn’t our power, so wh
CHAPTER 65The dimly lit basement thrummed with energy as Elias stepped down the stairs, silent, barefoot, and eerily calm. His glowing eyes cast pale reflections off the stone walls, and his white hair drifted unnaturally around him though there was no breeze.Lucian stood with his arms crossed, tense. Kai lingered near the edge of the space, fingers twitching slightly in case healing was needed. Dorian said nothing, only observed Elias with eyes narrowed in concern."He's doing it again," Kai whispered."He's not unstable," Dorian said sharply, watching Elias rise off the floor, hovering. "This is something else."Lucian didn’t move. "He’s gone inward."Elias’s body pulsed with light—not blinding, but radiant. In the blink of an eye, the world around him shifted.Elias floated in a glowing void, his form weightless. A breath, and then they appeared: Thal'rean, golden and regal, and Azazel, sharp-eyed and cloaked in shadows.Thal'rean nodded. "You came willingly this time. Good."Aza