“Stupid girl.” He breathed, rising slowly. She shrank back, stumbling towards the door before she caught herself.
He grimaced at the weakness, at the mistakes, and gave a quick slice of his fingertip. The girl’s body split apart, her torso falling from her hips, landing with a heavy, wet thud on the floor. She hadn’t even had time to scream. Leviathan glared down at the body with disgust–and then bent to grab her arm. He gave a hard yank, severing it with ease, and then turned for the hallway.
All this time he’d stayed away. Given the brat his space. Been patient and understanding. Even thought to seal off the windows and the balcony so he couldn’t jump to get away from him through more dramatic measures. But if the little prick was going to try to starve himself to death, all bets were off.
His shadows had him outside the bedroom door in moments. And he wasted no time before raising his leg and kicking it in. It splintered apart under his foot and Cullen shot up out of bed with a cry of shock and fear, his eyes going wide at the sight of Leviathan hovering in the doorway.
“Why haven’t you been eating?” He demanded as he strode into the room.
Cullen gaped at him for what felt like a very long time, his dark eyes wide with shock and confusion.
And then he finally raised his chin and spoke in that broken, painful voice. “I am not…a monster.”
Leviathan scowled, reminded unpleasantly of the night he’d first brought him here. Of that little bastard Walker calling him a monster. Of Cullen’s broken, shocked look.
“Whether you like it or not, Cullen, youarea monster. And even monsters need to eat.” He moved forward, bringing the severed hand up between them. “So eat.”
Cullen cringed. “I won’t.”
Leviathan snarled and scales pulsed on his arms, his true form threatening to break through this human one in his rage. “If you’re trying to kill yourself by starvation, you’ll soon find out that’s not possible for us. You’ll only get hungrier and hungrier until you begin to become a savage.You’ll only end up attacking a servant or hurting yourself. Eat now or suffer later.” He snapped the hand off the arm he was holding, then slammed the appendage into his chest and dropped the arm. “Eat it.”
Cullen shoved it away with a glare, his face twisting with disgust. “I’m not going to eat human flesh! I don’t care if I’m a demon, I won’t do that! I’d rather starve!”
A vicious snarl tore from Leviathan's throat and his body moved on its own, jerking forward and grabbing Cullen by the throat. He shoved him down to the bed and straddled him, holding him there while he ignored the cries of shock and fear, the hands clawing at his chest and stomach. He snapped off two of the fingers and tossed the hand to the side, his eyes meeting Cullen’s defensive ones.
His mouth clamped closed as Leviathan leaned over him, but Leviathan wasted no time, grabbing him by the jaw and prying his mouth open. There was a brief flicker of fear in the brat’s eyes–and then the fingers were stuffed into his mouth and Leviathan was holding them there, his hand cupped tightly over his mouth to keep it closed.
Cullen gagged and choked, panic spreading across his face, and Leviathan scowled again, holding him more firmly in place, his legs coming down on his arms to hold them down while Cullen struggled under him.
“You won’t choke.” He assured him quietly. “Just swallow.”
Cullen’s face went red and tears flooded his eyes, spilling down his cheeks. Leviathan shuddered at the sight, ignoring the little twinge in his gut as he held him still. Cullen’s face contorted suddenly, his eyes widening. And then a deep red pulsed from beneath his black eyes and his body went slack. His throat moved, swallowing hard, and Leviathan’s griptightened at the bulge he saw move in his neck.
Not now. Not now. Not now…
Cullen moaned softly, his eyelids fluttering shut, and Leviathan instantly felt himself grow hard, heat flooding him and making him feel hot and impatient.
Slowly, he removed his hand from Cullen’s mouth, resting it beside his head instead. A tiny, relieved smile flickered on his lips before he could stop it, and he leaned closer, inhaling that darkness that he could see in Cullen’s eyes now. The shadows taking over his body and making him want things he normally wouldn’t have. Or at least that he would have lied about wanting.
“Cullen.” He whispered against his lips.
Darkness had taken over his soul. The moment he’d swallowed, the moment the blood had registered on his taste buds…something had grown and twisted inside him. Something that felt like desire but…not quite. It was that same terrible darkness that had made him attack Walker the night he’d been Changed. It was taking over again now, making him feel hot and tingly and needy…and Leviathan’s light touch on his lips, the warm brush of his breath…it was all too much.
He shoved against his stomach, some small patch of his brain telling him he hated this man. Hated him and wanted him dead. That this wasn’thimwanting it. This was that darkness and he didn’t want anything to do with it–
Leviathan kissed him and Cullen gasped, his head tilting up to meet him. Leviathan made a soft, weak sound and Cullen arched up against him, shifting his hips until he felt the hard press of his erection against his.
No.
No.
I hate you.
Leviathan shifted, freeing his arms, and Cullen’s hands slid into his hair, his legs coming up to hug his hips. His teeth grazed his lip and Cullen moaned, his body beginning to tremble with the alien need.
Wait.
There was…somebody. A man. With chocolate hair and big blue eyes and–
