“She could raise armies with a whisper,” Eden continues. “Could unmake cities with a scream. Could rewrite the laws of nature bybelievinghard enough and speaking it into existence.” Her purple eyes meet mine, and I see genuine fear there. “You have that Voice, Sloane. I heard it when you commanded Viktor’s vampires to stop. You have the potential to become what she was.”
“That sounds… terrifying.”
“It should.” Eden doesn’t sugarcoat it. “Because Lilith went mad with power. Lost herself to it. Became something even the supernatural world feared. It took six Original vampires, three phoenix clans, and a coalition of witches to bring her down. And even then, they couldn’t kill her. They could only seal her away.”
The words settle in my stomach, heavy as stones.
“Are you saying I’m going to go mad?”
“I’m saying youcould.” Her hand finds mine, squeezing gently. “If you let the power consume you. If you forget who you are underneath all the magic. That’s why training is so important. Why control matters. Why…” she pauses, seeming to gather courage. “Whyyouneed to stay connected to your humanity. To Crave. To us. To the parts of yourself that remember what it means to care about things other than power.”
“I won’t lose myself.” The words come out fiercely. “I didn’t survive twenty-five years of foster care and nursing school and every shitty thing life threw at me just to get consumed by magic. I’m stronger than that.”
“I believe you.” Eden smiles, and it transforms her face. “But promise me something. If you ever feel the Voice trying to take over, if you feel yourself slipping, tell someone. Tell Crave. Tell me. Don’t try to fight it alone.”
“I promise.”
We sit together in quiet, watching the sky burn orange and gold. A familiar presence brushes against mine,Crave,shifting with a restlessness he’s barely holding back. He’s given me space today, but the cracks in his restraint are showing.
He wants me.
God, I want him too.
“Go.” Eden nudges me with her shoulder. “Your vampire’s about to vibrate out of his skin. Put him out of his misery.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
I find Crave in his rebuilt room, pacing caged and restless. The moment I close the door behind me, he’s there, pulling me against him with his vampire speed that makes my head spin.
“Hey,” I breathe out against his chest.
“Hey, yourself.” His hands slide into my hair, tilting my head back so he can see my face. “You were incredible today. I’m so fucking proud of you.”
“I almost killed a rat and burned through Divine Armor.”
“Exactly.” His smile is devastating. “You’re powerful, Sloane. More than you realize. And watching you learn to control it?” His eyes darken with hunger. “It’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.”
“Sexier than destroying your room?”
“Close second.” He leans down, his lips brushing mine. “But I think we can do better than close.”
The kiss starts gently but quickly spirals into something desperate. My hands fist in his leather vest, pulling him closer, and his fangs graze my lower lip in a way that makes my pussy clench.
“We probably shouldn’t.” I gasp between kisses. “Your room just got fixed.”
“I don’t care.” He walks me backward to the bed and pushes me back. “I’ll rebuild it again. I’ll rebuild it a thousand times if it means I get to have you like this.”
His mouth finds my throat, and I tilt my head instinctively. Not to be bitten, not yet, but to feel his lips against my pulse, feel him fighting that hunger while simultaneously drowning in want.
The Bloodfire surges between us, and I feel the answering call of his ancient darkness. The Heart Bind thrums with shared need, making it impossible to tell where my desire ends and his begins.
“Crave…” I moan, my hands finding the hem of his shirt.
Knock. Knock.
We freeze.
“Tell me that wasn’t—” I start but am cut off by the door opening.
