~ZEPHYRUS' POV
I sauntered down the shadow-stretched hallway, crimson flames crackling like maddened wings atop my red-wine hair. Embers that was fed by the rage churning in my gut swirled around me, with my boots thundering against stone, as the thought of Dove's soul being only an essence for Alaric twisted something in my chest.
She should matter more than this....
It feels like my mind is going insane. I never asked for this bond, and that was the part no one seemed to care about.
I know that my brothers were also feeling what I felt, but they've always been good when it comes to restraining or containing their emotions and feelings.
I can't do that. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't.
Alaric made the choice centuries ago. He bled for it, swore for it, chained fate to his own spine, and somehow that decision reached sideways and wrapped itself around me. Around Lucian. Around something we never consented to carry.
The more the bond grows, the more we would begin to feel her emotions. I don't want a mortal tugging at my instincts. I don't want her fear echoing in my chest. I don't want her scent to be lodged under my skin like a spark waiting for air.
But all of it was inevitable; it was only a matter of time before the bond grew strong enough to detect her emotions and make me feel them.
I knew it wasn't her fault.
It was the bond.
And all I had to do was burn it off and release some tension.
Yes.
I'd just get this out of my system, because I refused to be bound to something I never chose.
With a snarl, I shoved open the chamber doors. Two demons paused mid-task, their eyes caught mine and glowed with an obedient fire.
"Go to the West chamber." I commanded. "Now!" They didn't hesitate, before slipping away like shadows.
By the time I got to the West chamber, the scent of incense hung heavy in the air, thick and intoxicating. Crimson velvet draped the walls with torchlight flickering across rune-etched stone floors.
A massive four-poster bed dominated the center, black iron frame chained like a throne of torment. Along the walls were racks which held implements of every dark desire—barbed whips, enchanted crystal dildos, plugs of every size, and spiked collars.
The demons were naked, their clothes discarded in a careless heap by the door. The golden-skinned one, whom I called Nyx, knelt on the bed with her wrists bound to the headboard by thick iron manacles, the chains clinking softly as she shifted. Her breasts hung full and round with her nipples which was already pebbled against her smooth flesh, begging for abuse.
Beside her, the crimson one, Vesper, mirrored the pose on all fours at the foot of the bed, her ass presented high, tail arched to expose the slick folds of her pussy and the tight pucker above. Her tits swayed pendulously, equally bare and inviting, but I had no time to linger on their curves.
My cock throbbed painfully against my trousers, demanding release and wanting do burn out the gnawing rage inside of me.
I was going to fuck them until they were numb. I was going to leave them broken like shells as they whimpered my name. And I was going to do that till I was satisfied and emptied.
I stripped, shedding my shirt to reveal the taut muscles of my chest, before kicking off my boots and shoving down my pants. My erection sprang free, thick and veined, with the head already glistening with pre-cum.
Nyx's eyes widened, her forked tongue darting out to wet her lips while Vesper let out a soft, needy whine.
"You filthy sluts." I growled, stepping forward and grabbing a handful of Nyx's hair, yanking her head back so her throat arched.
"I'd ruin you both." I slapped her face, the crack echoing off the walls, leaving a red imprint on her cheek. She gasped, but her eyes burned brighter, arousal dripping down her inner thighs at the pain inflicted on her.
Starting with Nyx, I unchained one of her wrists just enough to maneuver her, then forced her mouth open with my thumb and forefinger.
"Open wide, whore." I spat directly into her gaping maw, watching the saliva land on her tongue before she swallowed it down with a shudder. Grabbing a thick leather collar from the rack, I buckled it around her neck, the spikes pricking her skin lightly as I attached a chain leash.
Tugging her forward off the bed, I positioned her on her knees before me. Her round breasts pressed against my thighs as I fisted my cock and slapped it against her cheek.
"Suck." She obeyed instantly, her hot mouth engulfing the head, with her tongue swirling around the slit to lap up my pre-cum. I thrusted deep, hitting the back of her throat which made her gag as saliva dribbled down her chin onto her heaving breasts.
While Nyx worked my shaft, bobbing her head with desperate slurps. I reached for Vesper whose ass was too tempting, with cheeks spread wide in invitation. I snatched a paddle from the wall, a flat wooden board studded with metal rivets, and brought it down on her right globe with a resounding smack.
She yelped.
Her body jerked, but the sound morphed into a moan, "Lord Zephyrus!" Red welts bloomed instantly, and I spanked her again, harder, alternating sides until her skin glowed angry crimson.
"That's right, scream for me, you worthless cunt." I pulled her tail, before yanking her head back to expose her mouth, and spat into it just like I had done with Nyx. She gulped it down, her pussy clenching visibly with juices trailing down her legs.
Satisfied with their warming up, I shoved Nyx off my cock with a pop, strings of spit connecting her lips to my throbbing length.
"On the bed, both of you." They immediately scrambled, waiting for my order. "Spread those legs for me, Nyx." I chained her ankles to the bedposts, splaying her wide so her pussy was on full display. The swollen lips parted, with clit peeking out like a pearl.
I positioned Vesper beside her, face down ass up, wrists and ankles secured with the dangling chains, her tail bound aside with a leather strap to keep her holes accessible.
From the rack, I selected a vibrating wand, its surface ridged and humming to life with a flick of my wrist, and a massive dildo, easily as thick as my length, veined with demonic runes that would make it pulse inside.
I started with the wand on Nyx, pressing the buzzing head directly to her clit. She bucked against the restraints which made the chains rattle, and her breasts, jiggling with the motion.
"L-lord Zephyrus!" she moaned, voice breaking as I ground the toy harder, watching her pussy lips quiver and flood with fresh slickness.
"You like that, hm? Begging already?" I slapped her breast, the fleshy mound rippling under my palm, and her nipple hardened further from the sting.
While she writhed, I lubed the dildo with her sleek, hocking a thick glob onto it, before teasing Vesper's entrance.
Her ass clenched in anticipation, but I aimed lower, and shoved the tip inch by inch into her dripping pussy. Her walls stretched around the girth, the runes glowing as they activated, sending shocks of pleasure-pain through her.
Vesper's back arched, a guttural "Ohhh!" tearing from her throat as I buried the toy to the hilt, twisting it to hit her deepest spots.
I fucked her with it ruthlessly, pulling out almost fully before slamming back in, the wet squelches filling the room alongside the wand's relentless buzz on Nyx.
I alternated slaps to their asses and faces, grabbing fistfuls of hair to yank their heads back, while forcing them to look at each other or at me, as I degraded them.
My cock ached for more than their mouths.
I tossed the wand aside, leaving Nyx panting and on the edge with her pussy twitching emptily.
Unchaining Vesper's legs just enough, I flipped her onto her back beside Nyx, both now spread and chained like offerings. I mounted Vesper first, gripping her hips bruisingly as I lined up my cock with her soaked entrance.
"Time to fill you, you greedy slut." With one brutal thrust, I buried myself balls-deep in her pussy which gripped and clamped down my length like a vice, hot and velvety, making me let out a throaty groan.
"Lord hmm-" She screamed as I pounded into her, chains jangling wildly and hips snapping forward with enough force to make the bed creak.
I fucked her like the beast I was, pulling her hair to arch her neck, slapping her tits until they reddened, spitting on her face and rubbing it in with my thumb. Her round breasts bounced with every slam, nipples scraping against my chest as I leaned down to bite one, drawing blood that I licked away.
The dildo still protruded obscenely from her ass which I had shoved in mid-thrust, double-penetrating her while my cock ravaged her pussy. She came hard around me, with her walls fluttering, but I didn't stop, as I continued chase my release, wanting nothing but to get rid of the pent up rage inside of me.
"Take it, whore," I snarled, burying deep and spilling my cum inside her, hot ropes flooding her depths until it leaked out around my shaft.
Barely softening, I pulled out with a wet schlick, with cum dripping from her abused hole.
Nyx watched with wide eyes, her own arousal making her squirm against the chains.
"Your turn, cunt." I unchained her partially, flipping her onto all fours, facing Vesper who lay spent and leaking my seed.
I fisted her hair, before replacing the dildo in her pussy with my cock, thrusting in savagely.
Her tightness gripped me like fire, and I fucked her consecutively to Vesper's earlier treatment, hard, with unrelenting strokes that made her body jolt forward with breasts swaying back and forth.
For added torment, I snatched a chain whip from the wall, before lashing lightly across her back, the links leaving faint red lines that only heightened her moans.
Vesper, who was still recovering, I made her finger her own cum-filled pussy, and fed Nyx the mixture on her digits while I continued to rail Nyx.
The sight pushed me over with Nyx's ass rippling with each impact, her tail thrashing, and her pussy milking me desperately. I yanked her hair harder, spanking her cheeks until they burned under my palm.
And with a final deep plunge, I came again, pumping thick spurts of cum into her core with a satisfactory groan leaving my throat.
She collapsed.
Both demons now numb and quivering, with the chains still holding them in place as my seed oozed from their well-fucked pussies.
I stood over them, my chest heaving with a slick, well spent cock, admiring the wreckage.
I hummed as I unchained them, watching them rise on shaking legs before limping out, already knowing they'd crawl back for more.
The room should have gone still.
It didn't.
The heat lingered, like the realm itself hadn't exhaled with me. I remained where I was, with my breath slowing while I waited for the familiar hollow calm that always followed after release.
It never came.
Because—
She was still there.
That quiet, infuriating presence curling at the back of my thoughts, steady as a heartbeat that wasn't mine. No matter how hot I burned, no matter how far I pushed the flames, the bond didn't loosen.
It waited.
I clenched my jaw, fists tightening as embers started to flicker on my red-wine strands. This wasn't how it worked. My released rage was supposed to cleanse. Supposed to erase the noise.
Instead, the silence made it worse.
That wasn't possible. I had done everything right, emptied myself of excess, finding release and drowned the noise the way demons had done for millennia.
It should've worked.
It always did.
The wards hummed faintly beneath the walls, as fire answered my temper on instinct, flaring briefly along my horns before I forced it down. I pressed my palms against the cold stone with heavy breath leaving my mouth.
It was still there.
That pull. Low, irritating and wrong, which was now crawling under my skin.
I hated it.
I paced the room, my feet scraping against the black tiles etched with old sigils meant for containment and cleansing. I had burned stronger compulsions than this, and broken enchantments woven by covens who thought themselves clever.
This was just a bond.
I could release it.
I stopped before the brazier at the center of the chamber and snapped my fingers. Crimson flame leapt to life, licking upward as if it sensed my intent.
"All I have to do," I muttered with a rough voice, "is bleed it out."
Demon bonds responded to fire and blood. Always had. Pain reset instinct. Heat burned through attachment. I had done it before after wars, after feeding frenzies, after things that clung too tightly.
I dragged a blade from the table and pressed it into my palm.
The cut was shallow, as traces of crimson appeared on my palm before blood spilled into the fire.
The brazier flared violently, flames roaring high as power surged through the chamber. Heat rolled over me in waves, harsh and cleansing while burning away thought and sensation until there was only instinct.
Good.
This would work.
I leaned into it, letting the fire crawl up my arms, focusing on severing and forcing the bond to recoil.
For a moment, the pull faltered. I felt it loosen like a thread stretched too thin, and relief flashed through me.
Then it snapped back, harder, making the fire sputter.
My breath hitched as something answered from the other side of the bond, not forceful, not demanding, but present. A sensation I couldn't name, but it was warm and fragile.
Human.
I staggered back a step with my teeth clenched.
"No," I hissed.
The flames turned erratic, flickering instead of roaring. The bond didn't weaken. It tightened, and anchored itself deeper, threading through something older than instinct.
I slammed my fist into the stone wall, heat cracking the surface as frustration tore through me. The brazier guttered and died, smoke curling upward in thin, mocking spirals.
The pull remained, steady and unyielding.
I let out a sharp and humorless laugh underneath my breath.
So that was it. I could burn, bleed, tear at myself until nothing remained and it still wouldn't let go. The bond wasn't something to be released. It was something to be endured.
Or broken another way.
I wiped the blood from my palm, flexing my fingers as the wound sealed. My chest still felt tight and restless like something unfinished was pressing against my ribs.
If I couldn't sever the bond.
Then I would make it nonexistent.
And the only way to do that….was to return to the moment before it was ever forged.
Going back to four-centuries ago.
The thought made the room tense around me, stone and flame responding before I could stop them, heat licking higher along the walls as my breath hitched. I closed my eyes, jaw tightening, because I knew better than anyone what that road cost.
I had walked it once, when I tried to change the fate of my mother.
Her pale face rose unbidden, not as she was when she ruled, but as she looked when she was near her end. Queen Ophelia. The only being who had ever softened Alaric's iron and taught me restraint before the fire learned to burn.
I had tried to save her.
By bending reality and going back in time, trying to change the course of her fate by taking her from the altar before Kaeloth could reach her and kill her.
But I couldn't.
Lucian had found me after I tried but failed, I was half-conscious and shaking, my core was fractured and screaming, as my power leaked from me in violent surges I couldn't control.
The physicians that treated me had said that I'd come closer to unraveling myself than any demon they'd ever known. And in that moment, if I had pushed any further, there would have been nothing left to anchor me to this reality, my core would have shattered, and my form would have dispersed, ceasing to exist in this world.
Time didn't forgive.
It punished.
And yet, my fingers curled slowly at my side, fire stirring low and restless, because the thought refused to leave my mind.
If I stopped it there. If I changed that single moment when a grieving human named Lance had stood before my brother with a bargain soaked in desperation and blood. If Alaric had never been forced into choosing between mercy and consequence.
Then there would be no pact.
No mortal soul entwined into ours.
No bond tightening around my chest every time her name went unspoken.
I turned away from the chamber door, pacing once, then stopping, my reflection warping in the polished obsidian wall as flame danced along my shoulders.
I could do it.
I knew I could.
The knowledge sat heavy and terrible in my chest, because power like mine did not vanish simply because it was feared. Sooner or later the choice would corner me the way it always did.
Let the past remain untouched and watch everything fracture slowly.
Or reach back, tear open a moment that should never have existed, and accept whatever ruin followed.
I pressed my palm flat against my sternum, feeling my core pulse, steady but wary, as if it remembered the pain before I fully allowed myself to.
Not yet.
I wasn't ready to break the world again.
But the thought lingered, patient and inevitable, waiting for the moment restraint failed.
I sighed.
"What have you done, brother?" I murmured into the dark.
But the realm offered no answer.