Adrian staggered back from the table, the lingering taste of wine on his lips like a slow, teasing kiss that promised more. Fire coursed through his veins—hot, molten, a primal hunger awakening deep inside him. The shard wasn't just inside him anymore; it entwined with every fiber of his being, pulsing with a dark, intoxicating desire.Faceless guests leaned forward, their hands pale and trembling, wrappings slipping and sliding with a silky, almost sensual rhythm. The table itself shifted, edges bending, platters trembling as if hungry to be touched, tasted, consumed with reckless abandon.Selene's fingers curled tightly around his wrist, her touch searing into his skin, alive with intoxicating electric heat. She pressed her body flush against his, her voice a sultry murmur that slid down his neck like molten silk.
"Stop fighting, Adrian. This is your place. Every breath you've drawn has been leading you here, to surrender—to indulge."Cassia yanked him fiercely back, desperation dripping from her every word, her tear-streaked face glistening with raw, aching vulnerability. Her amber eyes smoldered with a fierce, possessive fire.
"No! They'll ravage you inside and out! Look at me. Not them—me."He swayed, caught between Selene's burning pull and Cassia's tantalizing promise of safety. The mark on his chest throbbed with an aching heat, glowing crimson through his shirt—a siren song of fire and flood warring in his veins. Inside him, the shard screamed in a voice thick with lust and hunger: Feast. Devour. Be devoured.The air shimmered, thick with tension and whispered desire. Chairs scraped back, shrieking like a prelude to sin. The hosts rose as one, pale, sinuous hands beckoning with desperate longing. Their intent caressed him like a lover's promise, raw and demanding. They wanted him—bound, dripping need, utterly surrendered.Selene's lips ghosted over the hollow curve of his neck, breath hot and heavy, breath dripping with invitation.
"Give in, Adrian. I want to see the real you—the one who tastes fire without flinching, who craves everything and fears nothing. Drink again—taste the forbidden feast as your own."Cassia's nails dug into his arm, sharp and sweet pain mingling together as tears fell freely down her face.
"Don't! You're mine. The boy who saved me. Don't surrender to their dark hunger."Jealousy sparked within him like a wildfire—raw, possessive, setting his blood ablaze. The shard inside twisted, savoring the battle for Adrian's soul, smiling without a face.Around him, the feast pulsed with wicked life: a roasted bird flexed its charred wings with lascivious movement; grapes burst open, spilling fragrant, writhing worms like seductive whispers; goblets rattled, black-red liquid steaming and seething across the cold stone like warm blood.The guests stepped closer, their pale hands sliding over his skin—a lover's touch, cold and lingering, igniting a shiver down his spine.Adrian gasped, nearly undone.Selene seized him, mouth crushing against his ear, her whisper a spark against dry tinder.
"Give in, Adrian. Take it all. Don't give them your surrender—take every sweet, dark thing for yourself. Cassia clings because she's afraid you'll slip away. But I know you. You were born to burn."Cassia pressed her body hard against his, desperate, voice trembling.
"Stop poisoning him, Selene! He's not your toy." Her head rested against his shoulder, fragile but fierce. "Please, Adrian. Don't leave me alone. I can't lose you."Her heartbreak pierced him deeper than any blade.His chest heaved, the mark glaring wildly—a wild storm of fire and water raging between his ribs. Desire clawed at him—Selene's lips, Cassia's touch—each feeding a fire that threatened to consume.He imagined sinking into both, shattering boundaries, drowning in luxurious ruin, drowning in heated embraces and shadowed lust.But inside, a fierce voice screamed No.His fists slammed down on the table, rattling plates and silverware. The hosts froze; Selene's breath hitched; Cassia gasped.Adrian's voice tore out, hoarse, ragged with need and defiance:
"Enough."The mark flared white-hot, scorching brilliance flooding the chamber. Shadows recoiled as the faceless hosts hissed, their wrappings unraveling violently.He ripped free from both women, staggering forward. Grabbing a goblet from a pale hand, he shattered it against the stone. Black-red liquid sprayed, sizzling like blood on the floor.The Feast let out a wailing cry—walls shook, platters shattered, meat shriveled to ash, fruit rotted and oozed. The hosts retreated, folding inward as if dragged by unseen chains.Selene's eyes widened in shock, her perfect mask cracking.
"You fool... Do you even know what you denied yourself?"Cassia clung to him, weeping relief washing over her.
"You fought it. You won."But Adrian could only tremble. The shard roared inside him, starved and furious. Pain blazed through his chest, black spots flashing across his vision. His soul shredded in the hunger's ruthless grip.The room dissolved into darkness; shadows peeled from walls, clawing the air. The hosts melted to smoke, hands still reaching even as they vanished.Selene's voice, low and hungry, cut through the silence.
"You can't hide forever. The shard will consume you until you give in. And when you do…" Her smile gleamed, dark and trembling. "…I'll be there to watch you burn."Cassia pressed tighter, shielding him with trembling body and fierce love.The table cracked apart with a thunderous roar. Darkness surged, swallowing everything. A whirlwind of shadows tore through the chamber.Adrian clung to Cassia, body shaking violently, shard screaming fierce in his veins.The Feast of Shadows collapsed into stillness—only the ache of appetite echoing in his core.Then—darkness.When he woke, stone cold beneath him, throat raw, chest burning.Cassia knelt, hands trembling over him, eyes glowing with fierce relief.
"You're alive…"Selene stood apart, back rigid, trembling with barely repressed hunger. Slowly, she turned, brittle smile slicing the air.
"You've delayed the inevitable. But you've only fed its hunger. Next time, Adrian… you won't resist. And I'll watch you burn, burning with me."Adrian tried to rise—Cassia held him down, gentle yet firm. His body shook, powerless.His mark burned faintly, throbbing in wicked impatience. The shard waited, insatiable, hungry for more.He knew, with a shudder, the hunger was endless. It would devour him—whole.And one day, it would break him.one day, it would break him.