17. Adelaide

17

ADELAIDE

As I climb the stone staircase to my room, exhaustion hits me like a brick wall. The events of the night swirl in my mind - the hidden library, the ancient book, the revelation about Crimson Shadow and the ritual. It's all a bit exhausting.

I stumble into my room, barely managing to kick off my shoes before collapsing onto the bed. The guys follow me in, crowding around the small space. Orby is hovering near the mirror and bobs up and down, coming to me when I curl up.

"You'll be okay, princess?" Zephyr asks softly.

I nod. "Always."

"Do you want us to stay?"

"No, I think I need to just be on my own for a bit."

"What about Crimson?" Corvus asks.

"I'll be fine. She can't hurt me."

"If you need us?—"

"You'll hear me screaming," I say with a smile I don't feel.

Zaiah bends to kiss me on the forehead, and then they file out, closing the door behind them. As soon as I'm alone, I grab Orby. "What do you know?"

Aww, poor little vessel. Is it getting to you?

"Shut up," I growl into my pillow. "Just shut the fuck up."

Now, now, that's no way to talk to your future self.

I sit up, anger surging through me. "You are not my future self. You're a parasite, and I won't let you take over."

Oh, sweetie, you don't have a choice. It's already happening. Can't you feel it?

I freeze, suddenly aware of a subtle shift within me. It's like a shadow creeping at the edges of my consciousness, a presence that's becoming harder to ignore.

"No," I whisper, clenching my fists. "You're lying."

Am I? Think about it, little bitch. How easily you read that Latin text. How instinctively you found the way out of the library. That wasn't all you, was it?

Fear claws at my throat. She's right. I've been accessing knowledge I shouldn't have, and doing things I shouldn't be able to do.

It's already started, little vessel. Our merging. It's only a matter of time now.

"No!" I shout, jumping to my feet. Orby whizzes away, startled by my outburst. "I won't let you. We'll perform the ritual. We'll stop you."

Crimson's laughter echoes in my head, cold and mocking. Oh, you sweet, naive child. Do you really think that ritual will save you? It's not about containing my power. It's about unleashing it.

My blood runs cold. "What do you mean?"

Think about it. Five elements coming together in a union. It's not just sex. It's the merging of our essences. Yours and mine, yes, but also the power of your four delicious boys.

I feel the blood drain from my face as the implications of Crimson's words sink in. "No," I whisper. "That can't be right. The book said the ritual was to contain your power, not unleash it."

Silly girl. Did you really think I'd let the truth be written down so plainly? That book was meant to mislead, to give false hope. The real purpose of the ritual is far more interesting.

"You're lying," I say, but doubt creeps into my voice. "You have to be."

Think about it. Why else would the ritual require such specific participants? A vesper vessel, a dark fae, a vampire, a fire elemental, and a djinn. It's not about balance. It's about power.

I sink back onto the bed, my mind reeling. Could she be telling the truth? I don't know any more what is truth and what is a lie. What is up and what is down. What is dark and what is light.

"Why are you telling me this?" I ask, suspiciously. "If that's really the purpose of the ritual, why reveal it now?"

Because, my dear, I want you to go into this with your eyes wide open. I want you to choose this. To embrace it. The merging will be so much sweeter if you're willing.

A chill runs down my spine. "And if I refuse?"

Then things will get messy. For you and your little boyfriends. If you think Corvus is good at compelling, you have no idea what I can do.

"If you could do anything, you would. Instead, you are stuck inside my head."

She giggles. You'd like to think that, but the truth is very different. I have more power over you than you know.

My instinct is to argue, but instead, I stand up and make my way to the holdall bag, stashed in the far corner near the dresser. With a determined grasp, I pull out the glinting knife from its resting place. As I approach the mirror, my eyes fixate on my reflection. In one swift motion, I raise the knife with a steady hand and bring it down against my throat. A gush of crimson blood spurts from the wound, flowing freely down my front in a sticky, warm stream. My body convulses as I try to suppress the urge to gag at the sight and sensation of my life force escaping me. The knife falls from my trembling hand as the searing pain both soothes and torments the raging beast within me.

See, little bitch. I can control your actions more than you think.

My body crumples to the ground, a trail of blood following me as I fall. Each beat of my heart feels like a wave crashing against the shore, pushing out more life-giving fluid. But it's not just blood I've lost to this creature. With each passing moment, I surrender more and more of myself to this merciless entity that has taken hold of me. My thoughts become clouded, and my actions are no longer mine. At this moment, I know that not only am I losing my physical self but also my sense of autonomy and control over my own fate. I've lost my free will.