~LENORA'S POV
"...Human," he said quietly, his eyes shifting from silver to blood red.
The word struck with the weight of a judgment passed.
His grip on my throat loosened by a fraction, not out of mercy, but surprise. It flickered across his expression as though he had not expected the truth to reveal itself so easily, or at all.
That moment of disbelief faded quickly from his face, replaced by something sharper, something that settled into him with interest and intent.
"Oh," the incubi murmured with a smile, eyes gleaming. "This changes everything."
My heart slammed painfully against my ribs as I pressed back against the wall. The stone was cold at my spine, with my escape sealed by the bodies blocking my path.
There was no space to move, no one to step between us.
And this time, there was no Zephyr.
My breath caught as the realization set in, heavy and undeniable.
No—no, that wasn't possible.
My hands trembled as my thoughts spiraled, crashing into each other. The vial Zephyr had given me yesterday flashed through my mind, the faint glow of the liquid still vivid in my memory.
He had said it would conceal me, dull my scent, keep me hidden from beings like them.
Had it worn off?
Or had stepping away from him broken whatever protection it offered?
Or worse, had it never been enough in the first place?
My gaze darted between them, understanding settling into my chest, slowly.
I was not lost.
I had been found.
"Interesting," Valen murmured as his hand fell away from my neck. "I could not detect you at the banquet. I thought my senses had dulled."
A quiet chuckle followed. "Masked," he added, as though amused by the discovery. "That does make you more intriguing."
The incubi turned his attention fully toward Valen, curiosity sharpening his tone. "Why would the First Prince go to such lengths for a mere mortal?" he asked. "Or does the prince and the human harbor feelings for one another."
Feelings.
The word lodged and unsettled itself in my mind. My brows drew together instinctively, the implication sending a ripple of unease through me.
"It is forbidden," Valen replied without hesitation, as though correcting a child. "A demon and a human is forbidden. More so when the demon in question is the prince of this realm."
He scoffed before his gaze drifted back to me, tracing the pulse at my throat, lingered on my wrists, on every place my fear betrayed me.
"And now," he said lightly, "you are no longer masked."
I shook my head, retreating until the wall pressed cold and solid against my back.
"Please," I whispered, my voice breaking despite my effort to hold it steady. Tears stung my eyes with regret flooding in. I should never have left Zephyr's side. "Let me go."
"Let you go?" Valen echoed, exchanging a glance with the incubi before both of them laughed, low and knowing, as if I had said something absurd.
"What a shame," Valen continued softly. "Because I rather enjoy stepping on the prince's toes."
The incubi laughed under his breath.
Valen flicked him a look, one brow lifting. "Not in that sense. Control yourself."
His attention returned to me calmly.
"I have no intention of touching you," he said evenly. "I only want to taste."
My stomach dropped, the meaning sinking in with sickening clarity.
I shook my head again, panic rising too fast for me to stop it. "Please—"
"Ah," Valen sighed, almost indulgently. "Humans always say that."
He gripped my shoulders, and reality twisted.
A low vibration coursed through my body, rattling my teeth and blurring my vision, and the hall dissolved around me.
I found myself standing in a vast chamber steeped in shadow, the room itself seeming designed to swallow light and hope alike.
The walls loomed too high, the corners too deep, and every instinct in me screamed to run.
My gaze snapped to the door.
I barely managed two hurried steps before something solid slammed into my back, stopping me cold.
The incubi seized my waist from behind, yanking me back against his body. His grip was stone hard, his presence closing around me, and my feet left the ground for a heartbeat.
"No—please—!" I screamed, my arms outstretched, wanting to reach for the door which seemed to drift farther every passing second.
He only laughed, tightening his hold until his fingers dug painfully into my sides.
"Zephyr would not like this!" I cried, desperation sharpening my voice. I clung to the name like a lifeline, hoping it might be enough to make them leave.
Valen chuckled softly. "You are correct. The prince would not like this." He paused, his tone turning almost thoughtful. "He does tend to be possessive of things he finds interesting."
The incubi's grip loosened slightly, doubt flickering across his expression. "She may be right," he said, slow and cautious. "Crossing the First Prince rarely ends well."
Valen rolled his eyes. "Oh please," his gaze returned to me. "Where is the thrill if I simply let her go."
He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as his voice dropped, carrying something colder beneath it. "I want to step on Zephyrus' toes and see how much of the world his red flames would burn for what he believes is his."
The incubi hummed in quiet amusement. "The prince's signature. Rage, then fire."
"You do not know him," I said before I could stop myself.
The words slipped out, fueled by something raw and instinctive. I did not like the way they spoke of Zephyr, reducing him to a spectacle of destruction.
I did not understand why it struck so deeply, only that it did.
Valen tilted his head, studying me with open curiosity. "And you do."
He began to circle us slowly, his steps unhurried. "I have known the prince for centuries," he said lightly. "His temper has always been impressive. Briefly contained, spectacularly unleashed."
He stopped in front of me, his gaze locking onto mine.
"Frankly," he continued with a faint smirk, "he should seek one of those humans who charge coin simply to listen to others trouble. It might save the realm a great deal of property damage."
The incubi snorted.
Valen waved a hand dismissively. "Enough about Zephyrus. Where were we?" He grinned. "Ah right, I was getting ready to feast."
The weight of his words crushed the air from my lungs.
"Please," I sobbed, tears spilling freely now. "I beg you."
Their laughter rose together, low and cruel, filling the chamber as the incubi released me.
Then they threw me.
I hit the bed hard, the impact knocking the breath from my chest as the mattress bounced beneath me.
My gown twisted around my legs as I lay there with my heart pounding violently, and dread flooding every part of me.
I did not know exactly what awaited me, but the expressions on their faces told me enough.
Somewhere deep inside, a part of me already understood how this would end, and the realization made my stomach twist painfully. I could not accept that this was how everything would be taken from me.
Revulsion desperately surged through me, lending me one last burst of defiance. I scrambled to my knees and struck out on instinct, aiming for Valen with everything I had left.
But the moment my leg moved, my body seized up as my muscles locked, freezing me in place. Panic clawed at my mind, but before it could take hold fully, something else crept in.
Heat.
It bloomed low and sudden, coiling through me in a way that did not belong. The fury in my mind dulled, my thoughts blurred as the urge to fight slipped away, replaced by a haze that made it hard to breathe.
I looked to the incubi, and his grin widened in quiet satisfaction. Whatever doubt lingered vanished as understanding settled in.
He had done this.
My body reacted against my will, sensation flooding me until it drowned everything else out.
The incubi before me no longer looked monstrous. His forms caught the low light, edges softened, and his serpentine features twisted and turned strangely mesmerizing.
I did not understand how he was doing this to me.
I only knew that my resistance was slipping, pulled apart by something insidious and overpowering.
And I hated myself for how badly my body responded.
"It is working," the incubi growled, his voice low and pleased as he moved closer.
His forked tongue slipped out, tracing his lips with deliberate slowness, and the sight alone sent a shiver through me that I could not control.
"Of course it is," Valen replied coolly. "You released your pheromones."
He glanced at the incubi sharply. "Remember, we are only stepping on Zephyrus' toes. Do not go too far, Onyx."
The incubi inclined his head, his grin never fading.
Valen leaned over me, his weight pressing me into the mattress, leaving no room to escape. His mouth hovered near my neck, breath warm against my skin, teeth grazing my collarbone just enough to draw a gasp from my lips.
"Now," he murmured, almost thoughtfully, "where should I feast from."
His finger traced the hollow between my shoulder and neck. Then it moved slowly, following the frantic beat beneath my ear.
"Here," he said softly, "or here."
My pulse betrayed me, fluttering wildly beneath his touch, and my breath came uneven as my body reacted before my mind could catch up.
The pain came sharp and sudden as his fangs pierced the skin below my ear.
I cried out, my fingers curling into the sheets as he fed while holding down my body with a firm and unrelenting grip.
The initial sting burned hot, but it did not last.
Suddenly, the pain softened, melting into a sensation I could not name. It was warm and overwhelming, spreading through me in waves that left my thoughts scattered and unmoored.
I did not understand how it happened. Only that the ache in my neck transformed into something that made my body respond in ways that felt wrong and irresistible all at once.
"More," I breathed without meaning to, my back arching as my body chased the sensation desperately without thinking.
He withdrew slowly, and the loss of him sent a missing feeling through me. His tongue followed, smoothing over the wound, making warmth linger on where his fangs had been.
I felt tingles in that spot, the skin sealing as though nothing had happened at all.
Valen hummed softly with his eyes closed, savoring the moment. He lifted his finger, which was stained faintly red, and brought it to his lips, licking away the blood.
"B negative," he said with clear satisfaction. "Exquisite."
His gaze found mine again, sharp and amused. "You need not tell Zephyrus about this. Consider it our little secret."
He cupped my face, forcing my attention back to him as his eyes shifted from crimson to molten gold.
"Repeat after me," he said gently, his voice threading something dangerous into my thoughts.
I nodded, pliant and unfocused.
"I do not know how I got here," he instructed. "And I did not see anyone."
The words pressed against my mind, heavy and insistent.
Before I could repeat them, Valen stiffened.
The color drained from his face, and his expression twisted into something that looked disturbingly like fear. In the next instant, he was gone, the space above me suddenly empty.
The warmth vanished with him.
The incubi's presence faltered as well. The hands that had been everywhere froze mid motion and a low curse slipped through his lips.
"My L-lord—"
The incubi's words were cut off.
Air shattered with a violent crash, stone cracking, as something heavy collided with the floor, followed by a groan that echoed through the room.
The world spun.
I forced my eyes open, vision blurred, body still humming with unspent sensation. For a heartbeat, I thought I was still trapped in some fevered dream.
Then I saw him.
Those eyes.
They burned with living fire, too bright, too alive, fixing me in place with a force that stripped me bare without a single touch.
Nothing softened his gaze.
Nothing dulled its intensity.
He looked unreal, as though shadow and light had been shaped into something divine and merciless all at once. The glow around him caught on sharp angles and hard lines, stealing the air from my lungs.
For a fleeting moment, I wondered if I had died.
If this was what awaited those who wanted too much.
His gaze narrowed, heat sharpening as it locked onto me where I lay sprawled and breathless.
Every inch of him radiated restraint wound so tightly it made the room feel smaller.
My body still ached, awareness humming painfully beneath my skin, with desire coiling where fear should have been.
I did not mean to say his name.
It slipped from me, soft and helpless.
"Alaric," I whispered.