ElijahShe moaned and it undid me. The sound tore through me like lightning in a dry forest, igniting something I’d tried to bury. Something primal. Something I wasn’t sure I had the right to feel, not for her, not for this creature who offered herself so freely, so willingly, when I had no way of giving anything back. But gods, the taste of her… It wasn’t just blood. It was life. It was wildfire and moonlight. Magic laced with storm. My venom tried to seal the wound too soon, my instincts confused between preserving her and devouring her. She smelled like heat and power and need, and I could feel her heart pounding against my chest like it wanted to be claimed. Like it belonged to me. My hands slid up her back, one pressing between her shoulder blades to hold her close, the other curling low at her waist, fingers splayed like I was trying to memorize her shape through touch alone. I should have pulled away. I should have stopped. But I couldn’t. She was feeding me. And for the first
LayahWe walked for another full day, well, almost. The sun had just started to dip when I called it. Getting closer to the water meant that the air was growing colder, sharp with the bite of sea salt and magic, and while that was no problem for Dylan, who basically radiated heat like a damn bonfire, the rest of us weren’t built the same. Shivering bodies and chattering teeth didn’t make for a well-rested group. I found the warehouse by accident, tucked at the far edge of a long-abandoned human town, half-buried under creeping ivy and weather-worn signs. It was ugly, skeletal, a rusted thing long past its prime, but it had four walls and a roof, which made it the most luxurious spot we'd seen in days. The windows were shattered, but the beams were solid, and the old concrete floor was smooth enough to sleep on with a few blankets thrown down. Not ideal, but it would do. Dylan and I split off to hunt while the others stayed behind to prepare camp. He kept close, brushing his hand again
LayahI knew he was starving. Even if Dylan hadn’t confirmed it, I could feel it. A tremor that never settled. A fraying at the edges of a bond I never meant to form. A shadow where Elijah’s presence used to burn hot. He thought he was good at hiding it. That if he kept to the woods and didn’t meet my eyes, I wouldn’t feel him unraveling. But I did. Every night when Dylan came back, damp with dew and silence, I felt the weight in him. He tried to hide it behind tired smiles, behind hands that still touched me like I was something soft and sacred. But I wasn’t stupid. He’d been going to Elijah. Every night. I didn’t ask him to. He didn’t offer details. But I knew. I knew by the way he lingered just a little too long after dusk, waiting. I knew by the way his emotions would flicker strangely through the bond, like pity laced with guilt, like worry wrapped in frustration. And I knew something was wrong. Not just wrong, fucking dire. Elijah wasn’t just weak. He was dying. He was holding o
Dylan lunged for me, but I was already half underwater, kicking up a splash like a water sprite in full retreat. He chased me with all the grace of a soaked dragon, shouting something about “revenge” and “dignity,” which only made me cackle louder as I dodged his flailing arms. For a moment, just one stupidly beautiful moment, it was easy to forget the war, the weight on my shoulders, the terrifying power crackling under my skin. I was just me, with a boy I loved, in a river that smelled like moss and morning. Then I felt it again. A ripple along the thread I didn’t want to acknowledge. I paused mid-splash, my senses sharpening like a blade. My gaze lifted slowly to the treeline and there he was. Elijah. Half in shadow, half lit by morning gold, standing so fucking still he could’ve been carved from stone. Just watching. Watching me. My back straightened. A slow burn crept beneath my skin, not the good kind like when Dylan touched me, but the kind that made me want to snap necks and s
Dylan stripped off his shirt so fast I almost missed it, like it offended him just by existing. Then came his boots, socks, and pants in quick succession until he stood there proudly in all his naked, enthusiastic glory. His grin was huge boyish and wolfish at the same time, like he’d just won the gods-damned lottery and I was the jackpot.“All right, get naked, little doll!” he clapped his hands once, eyes gleaming.“Wait, no! Let me.” His tone dropped into something lower, darker, and that damn smirk curved his lips as he stalked towards me like a predator who already knew his prey was going to surrender willingly. My giggle bubbled up without my permission, half-delight, half-warning.“No ripping,” I warned, wagging a finger at him. “I only have so many panties until the next town.”He pouted dramatically, but his hands were gentle as they found the hem of my shirt. “Such a cruel limitation,” he muttered, but still obeyed. Every piece of clothing he removed was done slowly, deliber
LayahI slept for only a few hours before it was my turn to keep watch. The night air was cool, the forest humming with a quiet rhythm of leaves rustling and insects whispering in the underbrush. The soft chorus of the wilderness offered a small reprieve, grounding me in something ancient, something steady. It was familiar, this forest. I’d walked its edges in another life, before the council, before the resistance, before the marks on my soul. But something was different now. Not out there...in me. I pulled the blanket tighter around my shoulders, my fingers brushing the edge of Kai’s scent-woven gift. Gods, I missed him already. Missed his warmth, his steady presence, his quiet strength. The way he saw me, even when I couldn’t quite see myself."Thinking of me?"His voice drifted softly through the bond, like a feather brushing against my thoughts."Always." I answered, letting the truth bleed into the words. The bond pulsed with quiet joy, and I could almost feel the curve of his l