18. Sign of Weakness

I take a deep breath, my mind racing as I look around the dark forest. The trees stand tall, their branches whispering in the breeze. Shadows stretch between them, twisting and moving with a creepy vibe.

They're hanging back, letting me catch my breath before the chase begins. It's just another one of his tricks, giving me a moment to grasp the sheer number of them surrounding me before I fight against them. They're exactly what I've feared for so long. Now, I have to outrun them to save myself.

Fuck you, Echo. Fuck you, you hear me?

I know he can hear my thoughts. He's been listening ever since I let him in. When was that? During Camilla's pseudo-summoning, or later? Doesn't matter. I'm his prisoner now.

His shadows hover around me like vultures, shifting and coiling in anticipation. Their presence prickles my skin, sending cold shivers down my spine. Knowing they're a part of Echo doesn't change the chaos, revulsion, and dread they stir in me.

Maybe that's why I'm even more afraid.

I can feel his gaze now, cold and penetrating, tracking my every move. He's somewhere in the canopies above me. I don't see him, but I feel him. He waits, reveling in my fear, savoring the thrill of the hunt. How do I know this so surely? I don't know. Maybe we're connected now. I am in him, and he's in me. Woven together like fabric.

He must know how I'm feeling—that my legs still tremble from the pleasure he instilled, and my heart pounds because of the rose petal he made me consume. Part of me doesn't even want to run away. Part of me wants to rub my thighs together to ease the pressure between them. Part of me wants him to finish what he started.

But I'm also human.

With the shadows hanging in the air, eager to catch their prey—me—and devour my soul, I can't stop the adrenaline and terror coursing through my veins. My palms are sweaty, my breathing erratic, and my spine is stiff.

The moss beneath my feet shifts as I take a cautious step back, my eyes flickering upward to the canopies.

He knows.

He knows how my desire and fear tangle up inside me. My heart wants his touch, even though every instinct I have is yelling at me to run away.

"Run," his voice calls out from above. "Run, my Little Soul."

A shiver runs down my spine, my muscles tense, ready to bolt. But for a moment, I hesitate, the warmth between my thighs tempting me to surrender, to sink into his darkness. Why fight?

No, don't think like this. Run!

Gasping for air, I whip around and dash into the forest, shadows twisting and curling behind me. My heart's pounding in my ears as I dodge through the trees, my dress getting caught on low branches and thorny bushes.

The forest is nothing like it used to be. Before, I saw it bathed in diluted rays of sunlight, thick tree trunks standing tall, free of any bushes. Only soft moss, specks of light, and the sun surrounded them. It was cozy. It was my promised land.

Now, it's dark and cruel, new bushes sprouting up from the ground as I dash past, branches and leaves clawing at my body, growing just to twist around my limbs and tear at my dress. There's no sun, no warmth. The sky above has turned into a starless night. There's not even a single star dotting its navy expanse.

I'm terrified before the shadows even leap after me. But when I hear them coming, my heart jumps into my throat. Every step is a struggle. My ankles twist on the uneven ground, and I stumble over roots that weren't there moments ago. Leaves slap my face, and the underbrush clutches at my dress. The forest floor is slick with dew, and I slip as I round a bend, my palms slamming into the earth as I scramble to my feet.

"Fuck!" I curse.

My dress is torn and bloodied from the grasping brambles, and the chill of the night air bites at my exposed skin.Moving hurts. Breathing hurts. Everything hurts.

But then, darkness presses in from all sides, swallowing the faint moonlight filtering through the trees, and something awakens inside me.

I'm not going to give up. I'm still here. I'm still breathing. He hasn't won yet.

I repeat the words in my mind like a mantra, pushing myself forward. My lungs burn, and my heartbeat pounds like a war drum in my chest. The whispers of the shadows grow louder, curling around my mind and digging deep into my thoughts.

"So sweet..." the shadows hiss, their voices slithering through the trees like snakes. "So tender..."

The darkness is closing in, and every branch and leaf twists into monstrous shapes that leer at me from the corners of my eyes.

"We're going to eat you, Little Soul," they whisper. "Take a bite after bite. Make you bleed. Make you scream."

They circle me, waiting for a sign of weakness, a stumble. They want to drag me away.

"No," I mutter, my breath hitching in the cold night air. "No!"

My dress is little more than tattered rags now, clinging to me with wet, icy fingers as I claw my way through the trees. Blood trickles from cuts and scratches, painting my skin in dark streaks under the faint moonlight. But I won't stop.

"Run, Claire!" I yell at myself, my voice hoarse and breaking.

I don't know when this will end. Echo didn't tell me how long I needed to outrun the shadows to earn the deal. Why didn't I ask him?!

Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Tears sting my eyes, and I run so fast I think I'll die from the effort. Everything's supposed to feel better in the dreamscape, right? Wrong. Everything is more intense here. Pleasure is bliss. Pain is... worse than torture.

No matter how fast or far I sprint, the shadows are relentless. Their laughter curls around me, and the hissing whispers grow louder.

"When will it be enough?!" I shout into the sky, my voice cracking.

I can't keep this up forever. My legs feel like lead, and my lungs burn with each ragged breath. The forest spins around me, the branches closing in.

The only response is a low, mocking chuckle that rolls through the night air, chilling me to the bone.

"Enough?" his voice whispers, slithering through the darkness like smoke. "There will never be enough. You can run, but we'll find you," they hiss. "We'll drag you into the darkness, rip you apart piece by piece, and savor your screams."

My foot catches on a root, and I fall hard onto the cold earth. I scramble back up, but the shadows have already closed in, their tendrils slithering up my legs and coiling around my waist.

"No," I gasp, clawing desperately at everything around me. "No!"

I don't want to die. Not yet. There's so much left to feel, to experience. Those dreamy moments with Echo—the sun's warmth on my skin, the tremble of my body under his touch.

That first kiss… When I surrendered control and, for the first time, took a deep, freeing breath. I crave more of that. That's why I did it, why I let go. I need my paradise, the bliss I've been chasing. An escape. Freedom. A reason to keep going.

He made me feel alive in my dreams. He brought a happiness I'd never known. Before him, I was so lonely. So damn lonely.

But it's no use. The shadows pull me down, dragging me with them, their voices echoing in my ears. I breathe them in, taste them on my tongue, and feel them slithering over my wounds, licking the blood away.

Suddenly, Echo is in front of me.

"Did I ever tell you this…?" he muses, cocking his head as his shadow presses down on the wound on my arm. He squeezes, prods, and tears at my skin to make more blood ooze out. "I've always loved it when you reeked of fear."

I can only tremble. I've been terrified of his presence for as long as I can remember. But now, he knows my . He can exploit them, torturing me forever.

"No," I whisper, realizing he wants me to answer. He narrows his completely black eyes.

"That's what made me play with you so long, my Little Soul," he says. "Your sweet scent was both a curse and a blessing. A curse because you dangled before me like a ripe cherry, irresistible to bite. A blessing because that taste kept me coming back for more."

His shadow twists through the air, releasing its grip on my wound and stretching toward him. As it comes within reach, Echo pounces, snatching the shadow with his hand and drawing it to his mouth. His long, slimy tongue wraps around it, licking off every drop of blood.

The low, guttural groan that follows is so deep and animalistic that it makes every hair on my body stand on end.

A predator, my instincts scream. He's a predator and you're a prey.

But it's not the only way my body reacts. Something very dark deep down below likes the way his eyes gleam when he feeds on me. I like seeing how he's savoring the taste. My nipples harden, my breath getting even raspier than they already are.

"You see," he continues, his voice a low rasp, "I know your limits. I know how much fear and pain you can endure before you break. And I intend to keep you teetering on that edge for as long as I wish."

He reaches a claw over to my nipple, running the sharp edge over the center, enjoying it when I gasp. He's drinking in my every twitch and tremble, his finger tracing it, circling it slowly, deliberately, and my body responds despite the terror twisting inside me.

Is this how he plans to devour my soul? By leading me to the brink of desire, only to destroy me moments later?

Would it be so bad…?

"If your puny friends hadn't butted in, that's exactly what would have happened," he says, reading my thoughts with a sinister smile. "I'd feast on your energy every day, draining you bit by bit until you couldn't even stand. You'd be too weak to talk, just lying there on your bed, drooling." He leans in, his eyes gleaming with dark delight. "That's when I'd reveal my true form. I'd take you to the edge of pain, pleasure, and fear, all at once. And then, I'd kill you." He takes a deep breath, savoring the moment. "They almost saved you, you know? They really had a chance. But they didn't realize you didn't want to be saved. You only met them out of sheer curiosity. The fear you feel right now? It's your drug. You'd feel lost without it."

No. I can't bear to think about what could have happened if I had been stronger, if I had listened to Camilla and Raven. I don't want to think about what might have been. I just want... I want all this to be over.

So, I ask, "Will you kill me now?"

His teasing touch makes my stomach clench, and I bite my lower lip, fighting the urge to close my eyes and lean into him. I'm caught in a tug-of-war with myself, lust pulling me toward him while fear pushes me away. Resignation keeps me at bay.

Echo's eyes darken, his eyelids lowering. "Get on your knees," he commands suddenly.

So this is how it all ends? I will die on my knees in front of a demon I gave my heart to? My heart leaps into my throat, chills rippling down my spine to my thighs and calves.

One of Echo's shadows pushes against my knees from behind, and I fall to the ground with a thud, a mess of feelings. My body no longer listens to me. I sweat, I drool, and yes, my pussy gets wet too. As I said… I'm a lost cause.

Regret floods me. Leaving Cam's house, living an unremarkable life where nothing made me happy, being a worse friend to her than I could have been. I could have spent my days with her, without letting doubt cloud my judgment. It could have been the two of us against the world.

But now it's all over, isn't it?

Echo chuckles. Of course, he does. It's amusing to him. He's entertained by my misery.

"Yes, my Little Soul," he purrs. "You entertain me so well. Open your mouth."

I open my eyes. I don't even remember closing them, but now that they're open, I see Echo standing over me, a wicked grin on his face and a hand on his groin.

"W-what?" I stammer, my voice weak.

"I want to see you with my cock between your lips." He runs his second hand over my hair, petting me and caressing my face like he loves me. "I want to hear you choke again."

The shadows around me tighten, binding my arms and arching my spine, forcing me to meet his soulless gaze.

"Do as you're told, Little Soul," he croons, his voice dark and low. I can hear the old Echo in him, but it's drowned below a layer of monstrosity. "You will bring me pleasure and suffer while doing it, won't you?"

His hand moves, revealing his cock from beneath a strip of black fabric. He strokes it, making it swell. But here's the thing—it looks nothing like his human one. This one's bigger, with ridges at its base and the same markings he has on his face.

And I… I open my mouth, my breath hitching. My knees ache against the forest floor, and my body is slick with sweat. There's a sharp pain on my scalp where he pulls my hair, but I can do nothing about it. I can just kneel here and take it.

He nudges the tip against my lips, his eyes watching my face with an intensity that sends a chill through me. He presses forward, slowly at first, but then with a sudden thrust that makes me choke.

The worst part? He tastes just like the fucking rose petal.

I'm feeling a new kind of dizzy, my pussy throbbing like crazy, my blood boiling, and this intense need taking over. Suddenly, I need him inside me, filling me up and stretching me out, leaving me completely full with his cum.

That rose flavor, it… Fuck! It sets my whole body alight.

Echo's laughter bounces around the dark woods, a low, taunting sound. He pushes deeper, holding my head firmly in place as his hips move in slow, deliberate strokes. My jaw aches from being open so wide. I can't breathe.

My gag reflex triggers, tears springing to my eyes as I try to adjust to his rhythm. He moves faster, his grip unrelenting. That's when the hand that's on my head grips my hair stronger. He pulls me still so he can thrust without any mercy.

"That's right," he whispers, his voice low and rough. "Choke for me."

The shadows tug at my hands too, making my joints scream in pain. It feels like he's about to tear me apart. I'm on fire.

Pain and pleasure blur, my mind lost in a haze. My vision narrows until all I can see is Echo's wicked smile above me.

"More," he groans. "Give me more, Clarity."

He's using my nickname again. It's ugly, sacrilegious, but I'm a sucker for it. Shame burns through me, yet I can only gasp for air and open my mouth wider.

It's like he wants to reward me. His shadows spread my thighs wider, arching my spine and pinning me to the ground. I stop resisting, letting them hold me as another tendril enters me without warning.

It goes in hard and fast, with no resistance. I'm as slick as possible, and he takes full advantage.

"Yes," he groans. "Give me everything. Everything."

My mind is a fog, a blur of shame and pleasure, and I'm falling, tumbling down the abyss. I don't know where it ends, if there's an end at all. I only know that I'm lost in it.

His shadow plunges deeper inside me, stretching me wider, filling me so completely that my breath falters.

This is unlike anything I've ever felt. It's like being ripped apart and put back together again. I can't think. I can only experience and endure.

"Let me see how hard you come with my shadow fucking your plump cunt."

I can't handle it. The way he's talking to me…

Holy fuck.

"You're such a slut for me, my Little Soul. I knew you would like it," he chuckles, his hips slamming into me with such force that saliva dribbles down my chin, splashing onto my thighs.

It shouldn't feel this good. I shouldn't be rolling my eyes back, savoring the way I can't breathe, the way my head spins more with each passing moment. I shouldn't be so lost in this that I'm actually happy it's happening.

But I am. For just a fleeting second, I'm happy. And then, I break. I climax.

His shadow moves faster inside me, stretching me brutally and making the orgasm nearly unbearable. Wildly, desperately, I try to ride it out on my own, bucking my hips frantically as the pleasure intoxicates me.

In the distance, birds cry out, their calls eerily resembling the screams I wish I could make. Instead, my cries are muffled by Echo's cock filling my mouth, pressing into my throat, demanding everything from me.

The birds… They do sound like me. They have my voice. They have my moans. They…

"I love the sound of your cries," the demon says, reading my mind.

He doesn't explain further. He just focuses on thrusting into me as I tremble beneath him, but I understand. There are no birds here. There's no life except me and him, is there? All this is fabricated, and ironically… He wanted to hear my cries. That's why the birds sound like me.

"Mine," he groans through a ragged breath. "You're all mine."

And then, he spills himself into my throat. His cock throbs against my tongue, pulsing and releasing his thick seed. At the same time, a tendril flicks my oversensitive clit once. Twice. Three times. My eyes roll back and squeeze shut.

Even after he unties me and withdraws from my mouth, I still tremble uncontrollably, my entire body swollen with pleasure.

"Tell me, my Little Soul," he hisses, bending down and lifting my chin with his clawed finger. Through the fog clouding my vision, I can barely see him. "Who do you belong to?"

His white teeth gleam in the moonlight, his smile sweet but sinister, because he knows the answer as well as I do. There's not an ounce of doubt between us.

"To you," I sniff, tears burning my eyes.

"Exactly," he replies. Then, he steps away and disappears into the darkness. One moment he's here, and the next, he's gone, leaving me on the forest floor.

As terrifying as it is to be left alone so suddenly, a thought blooms in my mind that makes me wipe away my tears.

I'm alive. He didn't eat my soul.