24. Blend of Tastes

Through a thick fog, I hear that all-too-familiar, distorted demonic voice. It's telling me to open my mouth and cling to him. It's not panicked, but it's… uncalm. Unsteady.

I want to obey, to be the good girl he wants me to be, but I can't. My body feels too weak. Some parts of me are numb, while others feel strangely disconnected. Take my palms, for instance. I can sense the skin of my forearms stretching under the weight of my hands, yet I can't actually feel them. They seem foreign, detached from my body.

The rest of my body feels icy, as if I've been plunged into arctic waters. But the sensation is distant, muted, hard to grasp. I couldn't describe it even if I tried. The only word that creeps into my barely functioning brain is... death. My body feels like death.

The voice, that insistent demonic voice, grows louder, more urgent. "Open your mouth," it commands again, now with a hint of rage. "Hang on to me; don't let go."

I want to scream, to shout that I'm trying, but no sound escapes. My jaw is locked, and my tongue is heavy like lead. So, Echo opens my mouth himself. He forces something inside, and suddenly, everything changes.

A sharp pain shoots through my chest, a burning sensation slicing through the haze. It spreads quickly, setting my nerves ablaze and wrenching a gasp from my throat. My mouth... it's on fire. There's something between my lips—sweet yet bitter, sour yet musky. I can't identify it. I just know it hurts.

The pain is relentless, burning through my veins like liquid fire. My every sense is overwhelmed, each nerve ending ablaze with agony. But even in the middle of all this torment, a bit of clarity starts to come through. The fog begins to clear, and I can feel my hands again.

Then, I see Echo, my vision coming back. His eyes, black like the death I just felt, lock onto mine. They're wild. I want to reach out, to touch his face, but the pain surges through me, pinning me in place. It's a deep, relentless agony that tears at my core, changing me from the inside out. It feels like it's pulling apart the very fabric of my being and reweaving it, changing me at the seams.

Help me. Help me. Help me.

Torture. This is torture. It's not the kind of pain that enhances the pleasures. There's no sweetness in it. This one is raw and excruciating.

"Make… it… stop," I manage to say. My eyes lock with Echo's for a fleeting second before my vision blurs once more. This time, a searing, white-hot blaze engulfs me. It's not peaceful. It's not numbing. It burns through my soul. "Help… me."

I want to die. I want to disappear. Numbness was better than this.

Echo's grip tightens on my shoulders, and I feel a surge of energy flowing from him into me. He's… doing something different. He's giving me his own energy. It's intense, dark, but it offers a glimmer of relief amidst the agony.

"Withstand it, my Little Soul," he whispers, his voice unreadable. "This is the only way."

I nod weakly, tears streaming down my face. Even with his help, the burning in my body grows fiercer, reaching peak I didn't think was possible. Every muscle, every cell in my body feels like it's being torn apart and rebuilt at the same time.

What did he do to me? What did he give me?

Then, just as suddenly as it started, the pain begins to fade. It doesn't disappear completely, but it turns into a dull ache, a far cry from the searing fire it was moments ago. I gasp for breath, my chest rising and falling. Vision comes back to me. Feeling does, too.

I glance down at my hands, flexing my fingers slowly. The numbness is gone. "What… what just happened?" I ask, my voice trembling. I feel… weird.

Echo releases his grip on my shoulders, stands up, and walks away. It's only now that I realize I'm no longer lying in bed. Instead, I'm sprawled on the cold stone floor, right beside the pit where neon cream lights swirl and dance inside. He ate one of those things before.

I pick myself up slowly, furrowing my brows as I realize my hands are completely healed. The slashes from the maze are gone, replaced by smooth, unblemished skin. Not even a single scar remains.

"Echo…?" I call out when he's only walking further away.

He halts abruptly and spins around to face me, his expression wild and untamed. His black eyes are wide open, and his long dark hair cascades over his tattooed face.

"Stay there," he says, his voice deeper and more menacing than ever. He's furious.

"Why are you angry?" I ask, confusion taking me by storm.

He doesn't respond. Instead, he spins on his heel and storms away. Determined, I push myself up and start after him. My legs wobble, but the strength seems to flow through my entire body regardless. I take a few shaky steps, then a few more, each one steadier than the last.

Before I can even think about reaching him, he whirls around like a hurricane and leaps at me with terrifying speed. He lands inches away, and the shock of his sudden appearance sends me stumbling backward. Equally fast, his hand finds my back and steadies me.

"I ordered you to stay," he growls, his voice reverberating off the stone walls.

I freeze for a moment, but something feels off. I need answers. The pain I just experienced was too intense to brush aside.

"What happened?" I ask again, locking eyes with him. His face is a mask of fury, but beneath the anger, there's something else—turmoil, confusion, maybe even… fear? No, impossible.

"It's not your concern," he hisses, sharp teeth baring.

My heart beats wildly in my chest. His voice is filled with a threat that I feel in my very bones. Except… I don't know what he's threatening me with. Tipping my chin high, I plant my palms on his cold chest, and he shudders. He shudders.

"It is. It's definitely my concern. Tell me," I pry. Running my hand over his neck, I cup his tattooed face. His skin feels different underneath my fingertips from before. More potent. Charged with power. A bit warmer, too. "I have a right to know."

He snarls like an animal. Yet, he doesn't let go of me or he doesn't shake my hands away from himself.

I have never seen him like this—so overridden with anger and rage. He was always collected and calm in his malice, never impulsive. Now he looks strange, wounded. I don't want to think about where those feelings come from in him, but the answer pushes itself onto the tip of my tongue anyway.

He's scared. He really is.

"You almost vanished," he growls finally. "Your soul… I consumed too much."

His words are not nice. They are not filled with remorse or apologetic. They're still ugly and angry. The way he says them could make me believe he's threatening me again because of how much disgust there is in his tone.

"Death," I murmur, swallowing hard. His gaze flickers to my lips. I can still feel a weird taste between them—that blend of tastes, like emotions. "I felt it coming. Something stopped it. What did you do?"

My fingertips tickle where I touch him. Something happens to me that I don't understand. I don't feel like myself. I don't feel Echo like I always do. His presence feels different.

"I saved my prey," he growls, nostrils flaring. He steps back, breaking the contact between us, and the loss of his touch leaves me feeling hollow and cold. "I saved you."

"Echo… What did you do?" I repeat once more, this time a quiet whisper. His reactions… They don't sit well with me. I don't know what he's so unsure of saying, but it chills my bones. More importantly, it makes something squeeze and pull inside me.

I don't like the way I'm feeling. Alive, but stirred. Satiated but disappointed. Hungry.

Echo is not happy that I keep asking questions. I see it in the way his sharp teeth grit, and for a fleeting second, I fear he might lash out. His body stiffens, fists clenching tightly at his sides. But then, he turns away, frustration evident as he runs a hand through his midnight-black hair.

It's such a human gesture that for a moment he looks like the old Echo again. "You're infuriating me, human," he mutters, his voice low.

I take a deep breath, steadying myself."You're infuriating me, too, demon."

He turns back to face me. "I fed you a soul." He blinks. "Human soul, I made you consume one."

The words hang in the air between us. My breath catches in my throat, and a shiver runs down my spine. A human soul. I consumed a human soul?

"What?" I whisper. "A human soul as in…"

"The same thing you are, I fed you one just like you," he replies. "Yours was dying. You needed the strength of another soul."

I stumble back, my hands flying to my mouth in horror. The room feels like it's spinning, the walls closing in on me. The shock hits me like a cold dagger straight to the core. I try to say something, but my mind is a whirlwind of chaos.

I fucking consumed a human soul…!

"What…" I begin, my heart pounding like a drum. I can feel the power from that soul coursing through me, swirling and surging within. "What does that make me now?"

Echo's eyes narrow, studying me with an intensity that makes my skin prickle. "More than human," he says.

I shake my head, refusing to accept his words. "What does that even mean?"

But before I can get an answer, his shadows begin to swirl around him. They wrap around him, obscuring him from view. In an instant, they dissipate, leaving no trace of Echo. He's gone. Just like that.

That fucker has vanished.

Lying on the bed, I lift my arms and stare at my skin. It looks normal. Painfully normal for someone who just consumed not meat, not another person's body, but their very freaking soul. Shouldn't there be a mark, a sign, anything to show the darkness I've taken in?

I don't know. I don't know anything. I don't even know what I am right now. From what I can tell, I'm dead on Earth. My body's gone; what's left is just an astral projection. I am my soul, a reflection of the essence I consumed to survive.

But then why do I feel so goddamn hungry?

I've lost all sense of time since Echo left. But one thing remains clear: he's still gone. I used to feel him around me, like a whisper in the air, but now it's as if he's vanished from this world completely. I'm alone in the dark of his cavern, that gnawing emptiness making me clench my teeth.

Time works differently here, but it's just as maddening as those nights I spent on Earth, lying awake and watching the clock. Seconds dragged on like minutes. Now, without a clock, I'm left with only my heartbeat to measure the passing moments. But even my heart seems to betray me, each beat growing slower.

I lick my lips, saliva pooling in my mouth.

More than human.The words echo in my mind. What does it mean to be more than human? Is it like being a ghost, a poltergeist? Or maybe it's something darker, like a soul reaper?

"Damn you, Echo," I shout, dropping my hands and pressing one against my aching belly. The pain intensifies with each passing second, almost unbearable now.

I toss and turn in bed, my gaze drifting to the other room. The pit that glows there is filled with souls—I know that now. Echo must be tearing them from the humans he torments and storing them in that glowing abyss. I remember when he devoured one right next to me. Unlike me, when I consumed a soul, he didn't even flinch from the pain.

My stomach squeezes.

"No," I say, snapping my head away. "Don't even think about it. Don't even let your mind wander to that damn pit."

But the thought lingers, gnawing at the edges of my sanity. I close my eyes, trying to block out this awful persistent hunger that threatens to consume me. I force myself to think of something else, anything else.

A distant memory rises to the surface—one filled with warmth and laughter. Camilla. I wonder how she's doing these days... Being with her on Earth feels like it was a lifetime ago. Did she cry when I died? Probably. But she'd be okay, no doubt about it. Nothing could ever dim that light in her. She was like sunlight personified, always so bright and cheerful.

The pain in my stomach intensifies, and I bite back a scream. No, thinking about Camilla doesn't help. It only makes the pain worse, somehow.

I clutch the edge of the bed, nails biting into the fabric as I battle the relentless urge to move. The hunger is insidious, a dark whisper echoing in the corners of my mind. It pulls me toward the pit, daring me to peer inside.

With a shuddering breath, I force myself to stand. My legs tremble, the room swaying around me, but I steady myself. I don't know when I pass the entire chamber. All I know is that soon, I'm at the edge of the stone platform, staring into the abyss below.

The souls inside are glowing, their light flickering like dying embers. When I first stepped into Echo's lair, they were quiet. Now, I can almost hear their faint little screams. I can sense their despair. They're calling out to me, like a siren's song. They want me to end their suffering.

"No," I whisper once more, but the word rings empty. My body seems to have a mind of its own, and before I know it, my trembling fingers are reaching out to the edge of the pit. As soon as I make contact, a surge of energy courses through me, making me gasp and jerk back. The feeling is a heady mix of warmth and pain, flooding my senses in a way that's both overwhelming and irresistible. I close my eyes, relishing the sensation despite myself.

Oh god… What is this?

I need more.

I open my eyes, watching the souls writhe inside. They look heavenly, so pretty and shimmering. I can almost taste them again. I could drown in a waterfall of pain and come back even stronger, power tingling at my fingertips. I don't know why, but I want it. I want to break and be rebuilt again.

My resolve weakens, and I lean closer.

Just a little bit, I tell myself. Just enough to ease the hunger.

My fingers sink into the pit, and a jolt of energy shoots through me. There are at least a dozen souls here, all swirling in a chaotic dance. So many choices…

Each soul is a world of its own, once filled with life, memories, highs and lows, friends, family, and maybe even love. Thoughts, desires, disappointments—I crave them all.

With trembling hands, I grasp one at random and pull it out. It pulses with its own rhythm, a swirling mass of light and shadow. My mouth opens on its own, and I take the soul inside. The moment it touches my tongue, an electrifying surge courses through me, more intense than anything I've felt before. I bite down, and the soul dissolves like mist, its essence flooding my senses.

Images and emotions flood my mind: a young girl's dreams, a mother's love, an old woman's regrets. A whole lifetime from beginning to end seeps into me, bringing both joy and pain.

It's blinding.

I gasp, my eyes snapping open. I've never felt pleasure like this before. This… this is beyond anything I've ever known. I don't understand now why I can endure it, why I couldn't before, but none of that matters. This is like a drug.

Tremors shake my body, sensations crashing over me in a wild blend of ecstasy and agony. I lie here, panting, as the aftershocks pulse through me. Finally, I manage to sit up, my arms and legs heavy and shaky. The hunger is still there, gnawing at me, but it's a bit quieter now. I wipe my mouth, the taste of the soul still sweet on my tongue.

"Fuck," I curse, running a hand through my hair. Suddenly, I wince as something sharp scrapes against my scalp. My fingernails… they've grown, curling and hardening beyond anything human. Just as I start to examine them, Echo's presence returns. I stiffen, my pulse racing, as his dark, looming figure materializes in the chamber.

"So, you've tasted another soul," he says, his voice a dark melody. He stands before me, his black eyes piercing into mine. I swallow hard, struggling to conceal the lingering ecstasy that pulses through my veins.

"I… I couldn't help it," I stammer. "The hunger… It was too much."

He smacks his lips. His body tenses as he steps closer, eyes narrowing. "I've spent months hunting for it," he hisses, each word dripping with anger. "Your little hunger is nothing compared to that."

I shiver under his gaze. He's right, I have no idea how much work it takes to hunt a human soul. All I know is what it's like to be on the other side of the hunt—lonely, scared, and slowly falling apart until I finally break.

"You left me," I say, lifting my chin defiantly, trying to still my shaking hands. "You left me alone with them." I gesture towards the pit, my voice cracking slightly. "What did you expect would happen?"

Echo's eyes narrow, his expression hardening. He strolls toward me, his claws extended, his eyebrows positioned into two angry lines.

"You want to blame me?" he growls, his voice sharp and cold like a winter wind. "Would you rather I strip away your conscious thought? I could have done that—turned you into one of them, lost in their endless misery. But I didn't. I let you keep your mind. I saved you from an obsolete death and kept with me, a conscious being."

"After you killed me the first time," I growl, surprising myself. Wait, what? That deep, thunderous growl that just echoed through the realm—did that really come from me? No way... Or did it?

Echo pauses, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. The low rumble still echoes in the chamber, reverberating off the walls. "Yes," he says at last, a hint of wonder in his voice. "I did kill you, didn't I? But it seems I've also given you life."

He walks toward me again, slowly, deliberately. He starts circling me, like a predator eyeing its prey, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. But fear isn't what I feel. I'm ready for him. As he moves behind me, I turn my head just enough to catch him in my peripheral vision.

"I needed it," I say, licking my lips. "The hunger was unbearable."

"Is that so?" he coos. "Mine is too."

I fight to keep it together. The hunger might be quieter now, but it still simmers just below the surface, ready to roar back to life. My fists clench, my new nails biting into my palms.

"Don't compare us," I snap through gritted teeth. Anger flares up, hot and fierce, and for a moment, I feel like I could leap at him myself.

He circles around, stopping in front of me with his head tilted, eyes piercing through me. I swear I see that familiar, sinister smirk tug at the corner of his mouth.

"Why not?" he purrs.

"Because..." I begin, but the words get stuck in my throat. No reasons come to mind. My first thought was to argue that we're nothing alike, but that's a lie, isn't it? He devours souls. I've consumed two myself. "Because..."

"You're becoming like me," he declares, his voice a dark whisper. "Maybe you already are like me."

Is this what he meant by saying I'm more than human?

I swallow hard, trying to push down the rising tide of anger and confusion. Echo's words hit me hard, not because they're meant to hurt, but because they're the truth I don't want to admit. He smiles even wider, knowing exactly how I'm feeling inside. But no matter how hard I try to calm the anger that coils inside me, it's not enough. I feel like I'm about to blow up. I'm running hot. My skin seems to burn.

"I can't seem to read your thoughts anymore," he muses. "The flame of your soul has changed shape, too. Tell me, do you feel a fire consuming you? Can you sense the burn of your soul starving for something more?"

I wish I could say I don't know what he's talking about, but I do. That burning sensation... It's like an inferno drawing me into its blaze.

"I do," I admit.

Just as the words escape my lips, Echo's jumping on me. He's fast, faster than I could ever respond. I can barely see him, flexing his muscles and flying in the air before his body crashes with mine.I fall onto the ground, his weight crushing my chest, a cry out of pain pressing onto my throat. His claws find my neck, his eyes search mine with cruelty.

"Do you feel fear when I'm this close to killing you?" he snarls.

For a brief moment, time seems to freeze. Echo's claws dig into my neck, sharp and unyielding. His breath is hot against my skin, and his eyes burn with a fierce, malevolent hunger. I should be terrified, but instead, something inside me snaps.

"No," I breathe out, and a slow, defiant smile curves my lips. "I don't."

His grip tightens, and I can feel my pulse hammering against his hold. The pain is intense, but beneath it, there's a strange thrill, an exhilaration that courses through me.

"Demons are lonesome creatures, Clarity," he growls, but there's a flicker of something in his eyes—hesitation? Uncertainty? "We don't share prey with another."

I meet his gaze, unwavering.

"Lonesome? What about you wanting to spend eternity with me then?" I mock him. "Don't tell me you're scared of me now, Echo."

His whiteless eyes narrow, and I can see the conflict within him. He doesn't respond, but his silence speaks volumes. He's not used to being challenged, to having his authority questioned. And in this moment, I realize that I have power too.

Drawing on the energy of the souls within me, I summon my strength and push back against him. His eyes widen in surprise as I force him off me, his grip loosening. It doesn't last long, though. Deep inside me I realize that he's much stronger than me. He's older, more experienced, fed on too many souls to count. Next to him, I'm nothing.

He's back on me in seconds. He finds my hands and pins them above my head, his body finding a way to slide between my legs. He feels like iron—strong and unyielding.

"You're lucky I'm fond of you." He licks his lips. "Or else I'd kill you for such disrespect."

"Is having fear a disrespect now?" I pry.

"Yes. Fear is for prey."

His eyes are blazing with fury as they're staring into mine. His claws start tracing lines on my neck, running along the veins in a way that both hurts and makes my breathing quicker.

"Then why don't you?" I whisper, my voice trembling with defiance and something darker lurking just beneath the surface. "Why don't you just kill me, then?"

His face inches closer, so close that I can feel his breath on my lips. "Because," he breathes. "Your presence satisfies me."

With a sudden, brutal intensity, he presses his lips to mine, not a kiss of passion but of domination, a clash of wills as much as anything else. I respond in kind, my teeth clashing with his, the taste of blood sharp and metallic in my mouth.

He bites my lips, bites my tongue. His own long tongue presses into me, licking the roof of my mouth, the insides of my cheeks. He makes sure to run through the wounds and taste my blood.

The pain of it all gets me high. Something releases inside me, something dark and unknown, and I never want it to end. The hunger inside me roars, demanding more, demanding everything this demon has to offer.

"More," I growl against him.

I also want to taste his blood. I want to have him inside me, pounding into me until he fills me with his thick cum. I want everything he can give me.

It's different from the last time we clashed like this. Back then, I only wanted pain. I wanted to be a slave for his desires. This time I also want him to be one for mine.

"I need more, Echo," I demand. With a surge of strength, I push against him, rolling us over so that I'm straddling him. His eyes widen for a moment, surprise giving way to a predatory gleam. I lean down, my lips brushing against his ear. "Give me your everything."

And then, when I feel him shudder beneath me, I sink my teeth into his neck, drawing blood. The taste of it is intoxicating. He tastes like the moonlight-found rose with roots so ancient it could be the very first flower on Earth.

He allows you to bite him because he likes it. He likes pain, too.

His growl of pleasure reverberates through me, and I feel his hands on my hips, gripping me with bruising force. The hunger inside me roars, demanding more, and I give in to it, my body moving against his wildly. His claws tear at my clothes, and I can feel the heat of his skin against mine. Every touch, every bite, every bruise only fuels the fire inside me.

Our movements are wild, frenzied, a battle for dominance that neither of us is willing to concede. I can feel the power coursing through me, mingling with his, creating a storm of raw energy.

"You're mine," he gnarls, ripping off the clothes I borrowed from his wardrobe, leaving me exposed just as before. His claws dig into my skin as he pins my wrists above my head, flipping us over and pressing me into the ground. His eyes, dark and hungry, lock onto mine, reflecting the same desire that burns within me. "Don't ever forget that."

I look up at him with a smile, gasping for breath. "If I'm yours," I reply, "then you're mine, too."

He lets out a deep, primal growl that gives me chills. His mouth crashes into mine again. His body presses against mine, and I arch up to meet him, the friction sending waves of pleasure and pain through me.

And then he's already inside me with a sudden, powerful thrust that takes my breath away. I cry out, my nails digging into his back, drawing more blood.

His movements are relentless, each thrust sending shockwaves through me, stoking the fire within to an unbearable intensity. I feel like I might tear apart at the seams, but I don't care. In this moment, all that matters is the heat, the hunger, the need. I cling to him, matching his intensity with my own, pushing us both to the edge.

"Echo," I gasp, his name a plea, a command, a promise.

He growls my name in response, his movements becoming even more frenzied, more desperate. The power between us builds to a crescendo, and I can feel myself teetering on the brink, ready to plunge into the abyss.

And then, with one final, shattering thrust, we both erupt. The power between us explodes, a cataclysm of pure darkness. There are shadows all around us as I scream, the sound torn from my throat. Waves of pleasure crash over me, consuming me entirely.

Echo collapses on top of me, the energy still crackling in the air around us. For a moment, we just lie there, our breaths mingling, our bodies tangled together.But just as I taste satisfaction for a little while, something ruins it all.

"I'm hungry," I say, licking the remnants of his blood from my lips.

I am, in fact, starving.

"Well, then," he purrs, standing up, "how about I take you for a hunt?"

Damn, his words couldn't have been more… macabre.