AIYANA
I bit my lower lip, staring at the scene ahead.
“We need to go into the houses. See if there’s anything we can use. Food, water, clean clothes, weapons,” I said, slowly letting go of his arm.
Max nodded firmly but didn’t move right away. He looked once more at the empty space where his father’s body had been. I could feel the question burning inside him: what did they do to him?
I wanted to know too.
But now... now we had to survive first.
“Let’s go,” I murmured, starting to walk toward the old Roffman house.
Max stopped.
AIYANAMax’s lips brushed mine lightly, almost like a warning."I’m losing myself to you. Dying inside. You’re a wildfire in my chest, Aiyana. And I’m stupid enough to try to run from it" he panted, his body pressed against mine, "but I’m not strong enough to keep denying it."He looked at me like I was the air he no longer knew how to live without."You drive me insane. And wearing my shirt? Letting me know your sweet pussy is vulnerable underneath?" A low, hoarse, desperate laugh escaped his throat. "That’s torture. And you know it. My wolf is out of control, demanding I complete the bond. He wants his mate."His hips brushed against mine, and a moan e
AIYANAMax’s chest rose and fell violently, as if he were trying to keep some beast inside him. But failing."Are you trying to torture me?" he growled, his voice hoarse, caught between pain and desire. "Is that it, Aiyana?""I… I don’t know how I ended up here." I tried to pull the towel, cover something, anything, but the fabric betrayed me, slipping easily, spreading across the mattress as if it too wanted to abandon me. "Damn it…"I tried to turn, to retreat, but he was already over me.Max moved with animal speed, and suddenly I was lying on my back, his weight pinning me to the mattress. One of his hands gripped my throat, not squeezing, but firm, possessed. The other supported his body beside my face, his muscles taut, veins bulging, as if he might explode."Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?" he whispered, his voice torn, his eyes blazing. "You lie on my chest with that fucking towel and think it won’t tear me apart inside?"His eyes roamed my body as if every expos
AIYANAVardam opens the book and shows me diagrams. Energy lines. Protection circles."Most witches barely scratch the surface. A thread of magic, and that’s it. But a few… a few are like us. Gifted.""Gifted?" I ask, trying to hide my discomfort.He takes a vial with a dark liquid and sets it on the table."Arkan, for example. Meredith as well. Both went beyond what’s considered the standard limit among witches. They’re on a higher level, which is why they believe they’re superior."His eyes don’t leave mine."She doesn’t work with alchemy. She prefers other methods… more visceral. Meredith uses control magic. Voodoo dolls, personal objects. If she gets something that belongs to you a strand of hair, a piece of clothing, she can invade your body with pain."My stomach twists. The thought of someone like her by Arkan’s side is enough to give me chills."And Josefina. Is she involved too?""Josefina is young, but she was born in the midst of power. Raised as heir to Meredith’s dark leg
AIYANAI didn’t know what to expect from a father lost and found. Maybe an awkward hug, or a dramatic apology straight out of some cheesy romance Alyssa would try to shove on me. But Vardam gave me none of that.And deep down, I’m grateful for it.He didn’t call me “daughter.” He didn’t try to fill a role that was never his. He just introduced himself as someone who knew more than he was telling, which seems to be the theme with everyone in my life, and offered what he could: answers, guidance, training.Still, when I’m near him, it feels like I’m trying to decipher an ancient riddle. As if he carries every piece of my puzzle and is testing whether I deserve to see them.
AIYANAI slipped out of Icarus’s arms and finished pulling on my shirt, fumbling to find my pants, tugging them on in a rush while his touch still burned against my thighs.I had one leg in when Maxim appeared on the second-to-last step of the staircase.And his gaze burned hotter than any touch.He froze.He didn’t say anything at first, not in the first second, maybe not even in the next. But his eyes said everything. His clenched jaw, his fists tightening, his gaze sparking with a maddening mix of rage and hurt.“I thought you were dead,” Maxim finally growled, his eyes darkening. “But no. You were just... busy.&rd
AIYANAThe attic of Vardam’s house was covered in a fine layer of dust. The slanted ceiling filtered the late-afternoon light through cracks in the roof, painting the space with orange hues and long shadows.Icarus walked to the center of the room, nudging a few objects out of the way with his foot. I followed him in silence, watching his precise, almost calculated movements, like he always knew exactly where to step without making a sound, as if the whole world were a minefield and he had memorized the map.It was only when he turned to me, arms crossed, that I noticed.“You’re... wearing gloves?”He glanced down at his gloved hands as if he had forgotten. The gloves were black, thin, looked like lightweight wool, but reached just past his wrists.“Yeah.” His answer was quiet, almost defensive. “Lethal touch, remember? Better not risk it.”My stomach tightened. It hurt, in a strange way. Not out of fear, but for him. For everything he carried and hid behind irony and silence. He spok