I wouldn’t know what that feels like. I’ve never had the luxury.
I’ve seen men tear each other apart for gods they barely believed in.
I’ve watched empires burn.
Oceans boil.
And I kept going.
Because I had to.
And now here she is, waltzing through town like she owns the light. Like her joy isn’t a goddamn insult to the shadows I was born from.
I shouldn’t care.
Idon’tcare.
So why does being near her make something inside me ache?
I take a deep breath, but it doesn’t help.
I’m clinging to the idea that this woman—this captivating woman—is just another boring idiot. Another meaningless blip in a long line of forgettable things.
Except … I’m not fully convinced.
Something’s scratching at the back of my mind, whispering otherwise. And that’s what pisses me off. I would never be interested in someone so pointless.
But if I convinced her to come home with me—if I convinced her to let me touch her, to let me worship her—would I even care afterward?
Maybe I just need to fuck her and be done with it. Get her out of my system. So I can go back to my dreadfully boring, but blissfully safe life.
I shake my head, trying to dislodge the little human who’s already rooted herself deep inside my brain.
Following the path the two women took earlier, I savor the sensation of shifting between my Løkkda and my Umbraeth. It’s been ages since I’ve found my Umbraeth useful.
But earlier, when I came so hard I literally came apart, it felt … freeing.
It felt fucking incredible.
There was probably a reason I stopped using it, but I’ve forgotten it now. Maybe that’s a sign it’s time to test the boundaries of what I am again.
Things feel quiet. But it’s the kind of quiet that comes before something breaks.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned across eons, it’s that safety is a story we tell ourselves to keep from going mad. And when someone like Thane shows up bleeding on your doorstep? That’s no accident.
He may not be a threat, but he’s certainly a symptom.
Whatever magic they’ve twisted, it’s still out there. The Disciples didn’t die. They just evolved.
The infuriating little human smirks from the depths of my mind, grinning like she owns me—and fuck, maybe she does.
My cock pulses, hard enough to hurt.
No one’s around, so I grip myself through my pants, chasing just enough friction to make me groan. But it’s not enough. Not for my soul. Not for my sanity. Not for the wildfire raging under my skin.
All that I am fuckingachesfor her.
As I charge down Main Street, my body is pulled in every direction, yet somehow in the same direction all at once.
