CHAPTER 005: The Inner Demon

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~~CALIX MALZARETH~~

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The little wolf's blood ignited something inside me that had been dead for years now, my ability to fully shift into Tai, my inner demon.

A lot of people in the other kingdoms didn't know this, but the Khra'gixxes were getting weaker. Our shadow magic, our shifting ability, they were no longer what they used to be. And then there was the infertility issue. Pregnant Khra'gixxian women were becoming a rarity. I hadn't had an erection in months.

But now, just one taste of Lyric's blood, and Tai was seconds away from ripping my skin apart just to get more of the wolf.

‘Let me out,’ he said.

‘No. You'll tear her apart.’

‘Let me have her, Calix. Let me mark her.’

‘No way.’

The words I said to Tai were more for myself than for Tai. After all, I was the one feeding him my emotions, my hunger, my lust. If I let myself go, I’d not stop feeding from her until I drained her.

“What do you mean I’m not just a wolf?” Lyric said. “I grew up in Velmira and have lived there all my life. I'm a werewolf.”

“You have a wolf inside you, yes. But you don't taste like a normal wolf.”

Her mouth parted in confusion. “How would you even know that? It’s not like you people keep werewolves in cages and feed from them. Khra’gixxes hate my kind. So tell me, how the hell would you know what a wolf tastes like?”

She had me there.

Most people in Noctis Vhaelor wouldn't know.

Most had never even touched a wolf, let alone sunk their teeth into one.

But I wasn’t most.

I’d hunted, screwed, and fought my way across every kingdom, and yes—tasted things. Everything.

Everything except whatever the hell she was.

“I’ve lived long enough to know exactly what wolf blood tastes like,” I said, voice low. “Which is why I know… whatever’s inside you—it’s not just a wolf.”

She scoffed. “Maybe you’re tasting the wolfsbane.”

“I’ve tasted wolfsbane before.”

“You have? On purpose?”

“Yes.”

“Why would anyone willingly take wolfsbane?”

“None of your concern, Princess.”

The look she gave me could’ve peeled skin.

“Besides,” I added, “the wolfsbane is long gone from your system.”

Her eyes drifted sideways.

To her shoulder.

To where my claws—unconsciously—were digging into the soft skin of her shoulders.

Digging too deep.

“Can you take your claws off me?” she hissed. “It hurts.”

Suddenly realizing how tightly I was gripping her, I pulled away.

She rubbed her shoulders, but her attention instantly went to her bleeding hand.

“Why isn't my palm healing?” she asked.

There she went again, dragging my attention back to the blood.

My nostrils flared.

Tai was screaming in my skull.

‘Just a little taste, Calix.’

‘We’re not feeding from her.’

‘You know you want to.’

‘I don't.’

‘Liar. She’s bleeding. Let me play with her. One touch. I’ll be gentle.

“You’re not touching her,” I snarled under my breath.

“Did you say something?” Lyric said.

I must have said that aloud.

“Nothing,” I replied too quickly. My gaze stayed fixed on her palm. The blood was slowing, but the wound wasn't closing. “I’m the only one who can heal you. A demon's cut isn't natural. Stretch out your hand.”

She hesitated.

Then she stretched it toward me.

I took her wrist—fighting my instinct to feed.

Then I summoned the rune.

A thin thread of black magic twisted down my forearm, coiling around my wrist, sparking as it reached my fingertips. My runes lit up, ancient Khra’gixxian symbols glowing across my skin, writhing like they were alive.

I whispered the sealing spell.

Her skin hissed.

The wound closed instantly.

When I let her go, she didn’t say a word, just stared at my hand.

Then at my face.

Then back at my hand.

“You just healed me,” she said quietly.

“I did.”

“That was magic.”

“No shit.”

I could hear her pulse hammering. The bond was crackling again, a livewire between us, tugging and coiling and biting.

Her scent wrapped around my lungs like smoke.

She was feeling it too. I could see it in her eyes.

The dilated pupils. The parting lips. The chest rising just a little too fast.

Lust. Hunger.

I wasn’t sure which one belonged to me and which one belonged to Tai.

But I knew one thing.

If I stayed here a second longer, I would not be able to stop myself.

“Sun’s coming up,” I said roughly. “Back to camp.”

Then I turned.

Didn’t wait for her.

Didn’t look back.

I walked to the tree where I’d left my clothes. My muscles were still tight, still trembling from restraint. I could feel Tai pacing inside me, furious.

‘Why didn't you take her?’ he said.

‘Go away, Tai. I don’t want her broken.’

‘She’s stronger than you think.’

I pulled my clothes back on.

She was still behind me, quiet.

Watching. I could feel her eyes on my back.

I needed answers.

I needed the Khra'gixxian Priestess.

She'd know what was happening to me. To us. And maybe how to stop it. Or how to survive it.

As soon as we got into Noctis Vhaelor tomorrow, I was paying her a visit.

~~~

Back at camp, I dragged the little wolf into my tent, not in the mood for any of her wandering habits.

She’d already tried to run once, and even though the wards would keep her locked in the forest, I wasn’t about to risk her trying again while I was asleep.

I dropped down on the makeshift bed inside the tent. My body ached—not from exhaustion, but from restraint. From hunger.

I patted the space beside me. “Lie down.”

She stared at me like I’d told her to strip and perform a ritual dance. “With you?”

“What does it look like?”

“I don’t share a bed with strangers.”

I tilted my head, already feeling my patience yawn and stretch. “You might not be familiar with the dynamics of a prisoner and their captor. But here’s how it goes. When I say ‘lie down,’ you do it.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Or what? You’ll kill me?”

“Oh, no. I know you’re more than happy to die. You’re practically obsessed with the idea. But there are things worse than death in this world, Princess. Things I’ve learned from touring all four kingdoms. And I’m more than willing to experiment on you if you don’t lie down right now.”

She hesitated.

Her dress—still a tattered mess of silk and moonstones—swayed about slightly from the wind.

She moved toward the bed, and my eyes travelled downward, noting her bare feet.

“Where are your shoes?” I asked. I could have sworn she had something on before.

“I dumped them. Won’t be needing them anyway since my captor has wings.”

That earned a smirk from me. “Fine by me.”

She lay down beside me, staying as close to the edge as gravity allowed without falling off.

“Come closer,” I said.

“I’m fine where I am.”

“Closer, I said.”

A beat. A sigh. And then she moved—slow, reluctant. Until we were sharing breath. Until her thigh brushed mine. Until the scent of her skin, wild and sweet, was pressed into my every inhale.

I brought my wings forward.

Tai was too eager to do what I wanted him to. His left wing slid under her arm, the right wrapping around her waist like a possessive lover until she was locked in place, completely caged.

She tensed.

“Do not make a sound or try to wake me,” I said, already settling into the makeshift bed.

“So I’m supposed to watch you sleep while being tied to your chest?”

“You can sleep as well.”

“We werewolves sleep at night.”

I exhaled. “Fine. Keep watch then. Just don’t make any unnecessary sounds or sudden movements. I like my sleep quiet.”

She muttered a curse.

And then I closed my eyes.

‘Keep an eye on her,’ I told Tai. ‘Don’t do anything stupid.’

‘I’ll try my best,’ Tai purred, way too enthusiastically.

I fell into a deep sleep.

The dreams weren’t nightmares, not this time. They were… calm. Warm. Her face flashed behind my lids. The way her blood tasted. The way her breath caught when I touched her. The scent of honey and citrus that still clung to the inside of my nose like a curse.

It felt like hours passed.

And when I woke, my body was on fire.

I had an erection.

To top it all off, the stupid Tai had shifted in my sleep.

Fully.

Wings. Claws. Horns.

And he was staring at her.

She was staring right back. From the look of things, they'd been having a conversation.

‘What the hell, Tai,’ I rasped, shifting back into my human form.

‘Careful what you say now, Prince,’ he cooed. ‘The wolf can hear you. I mindlinked with her.’

I stared at her. She looked calm. Too calm. Like she hadn’t just spent the day being bound to a demon.

I looked down.

My clothes were no longer on me—shredded by Tai’s transformation. I had absolutely no clue how much of the day Lyric had spent pressed against my erection listening to whatever unfiltered shit Tai had spilled while I was unconscious.

“You met my demon,” I said.

She nodded. “I met Tai. He's sweet.”

“Sweet?” Now that was surprising. “What did he say to you?”