GILDEON
Vergilius vanished from his spot. Before Gildeon could turn, he felt the vampireās presence behind him, fangs aiming for the soft spot on his neck. Instinct took overāscales crawled from his shoulder, thickening over the vulnerable hide just as the fangs struck. The tips cracked with a sharp snap, a brief vibration running through his flesh.
Gildeon didnāt hesitate. He reached out, claws clamping onto the back of Vergiliusās neck. With a growl, he effortlessly hauled the vampire witch off his feet and flung him toward the church wall. But before the impact, Vergilius darted aside, landing gracefully on his feet like a cat.
āI am impressed, salamander,ā Vergilius said with a smirk, tracing the jagged edges of his half-broken fangs. āOr should I say, dragon? What I have learned of your kind holds trueāimpenetrable skin, indeed. But we shall see about that.ā His fangs regrew, gleaming beneath the moonlight, thicker than before.
The f
GILDEONLight Faes.His mouth parted slightly, eyes blinking in surprise. Heād only ever heard a few things about them. Ghulik had said they rarely crossed into the earthly plane, rarely involved themselves in the affairs of other beings.His jaw clenched. āYouāre the ones who tried to harm my child,ā he muttered, summoning fire to his hand. āSaved me the trouble of tracking you down.āA bitter wind whipped through the room, slamming into his hand with such force that it went numb. The cold snuffed out his flame in an instant.He stared, stunned. No other creature had ever done that before.āYour fire holds no power against us.āBut he was already releasing another flame, ignoring the remark.āIf you persist,ā the Fae warned, āyou will only kill this human.āGildeon gritted his teeth, every muscle in his body tightening. It wasnāt about concern for Professor Levisteās safetyāhe hadnāt meant to put her at
GILDEONThe department head made him sit through the scattered video clips that students had taken during yesterdayās incident. Most focused on the sudden bite to the female professorās shoulder, and the fire that had exploded out of nowhere in the hallway.The problem wasāhe and Arah were clearly in them.āCare to explain why you were here, Mr. Ayadi?ā Professor Leviste asked, her white hair catching the daylight pouring through the tall windows behind her. She had the stern face of a strict grandmotherābut the voice of one who always had sweets in her pocket.āYou werenāt due to report back until next week,ā she added. āYou even brought your wife.āHe regretted ever putting that fake wedding photo of him and Arah on display on his desk. Back then, heād thought mimicking human behavior would help them not stand out.Now the irony was biting him in the ass.Gildeon had to be careful about what excuse to give. And as R
ARAHJust when she thought she was ready to forgive Gildeon, he gave her another reason to burn.āItās not enough that you slept with another womanāa crazy witch, no less.ā She slammed her hands on the stone table. āGot her pregnant. And now you want her to live here?āShe paused, catching her breath. Her chest stormed with rage, tight enough to burst. Wind slapped against them, tearing leaves from the tree, fluttering down like the last shreds of her patience.It was too much to take in.Ever since discovering she was a sylph, sheād been quietly training herself to keep her emotions in check. The last thing she wanted was to stir up chaos every time the wind responded to her mood.But this situation was pushing her to the edge. The fact that her outburst had triggered only a mild reaction felt like a small miracle already.Gildeonās mouth parted slightly, his gaze flicking up to the tree above them with a mix of surp
GILDEONHis glasses hit the floor just as he charged Lexi, his arm shifting mid-motion into its full dragon form. His clawed hand locked around her neck. Her glass slipped from her grip, spilling dark violet liquid down her chest. She clutched at his arm, more out of reflex than any real struggle.āI killed you,ā he growled, pinning her to the couch. The fabric tore, and the frame groaned beneath them.Her voice came strained, cracked through the pressure on her windpipe. āWhat... can I... say?ā A weak smirk flickered at the edge of her lips. āIām full of... surprises.āThen he remembered itāthat faint red glimmer heād seen rising from the Crab Witchās burning body. Her soul. It mustāve been her soul.Didnāt matter. Heād kill her again. And this time, heād burn the soul for good, too.His grip tightened, claws pressing deeper, feeling the pulse of her throat thrumming against the tips. A wet rasp escaped her lips, some mix b
GILDEONHe never thought heād set foot in Lexiās apartment again. But sheād left him no choice. She wouldnāt talk at the hospital. After they discharged her, heād driven her homeāwhere she promised to give him answers.āYou want some wine, Professor?ā Lexi asked as she walked toward the kitchen. āJust for you, though. I can only have some juiceāāāIām not here for a social call, Lexi,ā he cut in, not even bothering to sit down. āTell me the truth. That child canāt be mine.āāStraight to business again, huh?ā she taunted, pulling his memory back to that first night he came here. How heād pressed her against the wall without a word, claimed her mouth in a bruising kiss, torn off her dress, and taken her from behindāAll the while thinking of Arah.He hadnāt regretted it. Didnāt even see it as a mistake. It had been necessaryāto appease his dragon spirit. But if heād known it would land him in this situation, Lexi wouldnāt have
GILDEONLexi was pregnant.The revelation hit him like a gut punch. His first thought was that he might be the father, but that was about as likely as the sun freezing over. Lexi mustāve been with someone elseāthat was the only explanation that made a fucking sense.āIām going with her to the hospital,ā Arah said, avoiding his gaze. āI had to move her out of the way earlier. I just want to make sure her babyās okay.āHe felt the urge to reach out, to touch her face, but she clearly didnāt want that. Was she thinking the baby was his? He wanted to confront her about it, but he didnāt even know what Lexi had told her exactly.Either way, now wasnāt the time. The paramedics were closing in, and he had to get Ghulik out of there.āIāll pick you up at the hospital later,ā he told Arah as he lifted Ghulik into his arms.She didnāt say a word, nor did she spare him another glance.He decided to let her be. They could