“A Daughter comes into her power after her first sexual experience.”
He looks away. Just lets the silence bleed.
“Well, that’s some archaic bullshit,” I grumble under my breath.
Oh, fuck. He knows.
The hot tingle of embarrassment claws up my neck, just like he said it would.
But underneath that? So much goddamn anger I could scream.
If any of this is true, what a dumb fucking way to gain power. But after tonight, I think I understand. Sex is power. Jameson wielded it like a weapon and made me feel small.
But Ezra? Ezra’s touch at the bookshop was the opposite.
It was powerful. It made me feel powerful. It’s still archaic and misogynistic as hell. But maybe I’m beginning to understand what Lucifer and Lilith were striving for.
I just caught the wrong end of it.
Ezra takes a tentative step toward me, then thinks better of it, giving me space.
I’m out of my depth here, standing in a room with ancient creatures who live in a very different reality than I do … well, did.
Okay, Aurora. Time to address the massive elephant currently stampeding through the room.
“It’s kind of obvious I’m a virgin, isn’t it? I’m not ashamed of it. In fact, I’m proud I never settled for a shitty lay in some random dude’s basement.”
My eyes meet Ezra’s, which ignites the swirling grey tempest once again.
“But maybe it’s for the best that I’m still a virgin. I can’t be very dangerous if I don’t have any power. Wouldn’t they just leave me alone if I promised to never have sex?”
“No. They will continue to hunt you, Aurora. The Disciples know where you are now, and it’s only a matter of time until someone tries to kill you again.”
Meanwhile, Ezra’s shadows ripple, thickening into a shape that pulls itself from the wall—tall, lean, and stitched together from smoke and broken prayers.
The Irish wolfhound with antlers steps forward, slipping in and out of existence. Its massive form shifts as though reality itself isn’t sure if it should exist. It watches me, tilting its head as its shadowed eyes strip me bare.
Ezra doesn’t turn, doesn’t flinch. He merely nods to the creature, acknowledging its presence. One warrior to another. His shadows ripple in response, mirroring the gesture—a silent, otherworldly salute.
Thatthingwatches him, then me, its antlers swaying as if caught in an unseen current. The beast dips its head, then sinks back into the dark, joining Ezra’s other shadows now gently curling at his feet.
“I guess everything Jameson said makes sense now … Oh, shit!”
I lunge for the windows, shoving the curtains aside. Cold air from the glass stings the tip of my nose, but I barely register it.
Jameson’s truck sits at the edge of my driveway, swallowed in shadows. Both doors hang wide open. He’s not in the truck. My heart slams against my ribs, my vision going pinprick sharp.
He’s not in the truck.
Where the fuck is he?
“What does Jameson have to do with this? Is he human? How did he know what I was before I did?”
My eyes fill with tears again as my body shakes violently.
Ezra’s by my side in an instant, wrapping himself around me, his hand rubbing my back in calming circles.
His shadows curl around my shoulders, hesitant at first, then firm, like hands pressing comfort into my bones. One trails up my spine before vanishing, as if reluctant to let go.
