Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

KILLIAN

S age disappears into the woods, her short dress fluttering high across the back of her thighs, and my cock's already throbbing. Adrenaline pumps through me, muscles flexed, unsure how much longer I can wait. I shudder with the anticipation to track her down fast.

Hunger tears through me, the beast in me demanding we rush after her, catch her, and mark her at once. Never in all my years have I been so consumed by a woman, so fucking obsessed.

Seconds tick by, and I'm itching to run.

Glancing over my shoulder, Wolfe and Nyko are on the sidelines with the crowds, both breathing heavily, chests working overtime, most likely wishing it was them in my place. I see the savagery in their eyes, just as I'd witnessed it last night at dinner. If left alone with Sage, they would have made her theirs… and fuck, I don't care if they want to share her, but I'm sure as hell not missing out on my chance.

Heart thundering, I'm not the only eager one. Others in the lineup alongside me are pacing in a small circle, shaking their arms, stretching…

My gaze locks on the woods, the same shadowy path Sage took.

Ready .

So fucking ready.

The siren rings, loud and piercing.

Like a beast unleashed, I bolt after her, driven by the need to pursue, to claim.

Behind me, the air fills with the raucous shouts of the spectators, but their noise fades into nothing against the rush of blood in my ears.

Shadows darken my paths, trees everywhere, and thick bushes that I leap over. I dart left and right, ducking under branches. No sight of her yet, but I'll find her.

Pink mist drips into the woods around me, and I inhale deeply, letting the magic seep into my lungs, spreading through me. Knowing it will come into effect once I have her.

Thundering footsteps, war cries, and growls resonate around me from the others, each set to catch their prey. While most coming into this might have their sights set on someone specific, they have a right to claim any female participating in the ritual.

That thought alone pushes me faster, and I quicken my pace.

Thick with the scent of damp soil and old growth, the branches around me sway from the wind. The combination of sea and forest air is something I've grown accustomed to. Something that feels like home.

Twisted branches and shadows hide her from me, and considering I have yet to catch sight of her, it starts to worry me.

Taking a deep inhale while my feet shove against the ground, I propel myself forward, but I don't pick up her scent.

Fury slams into me.

That's when a blur of motion to my left catches my attention. My heart hammers with the hope that it's her, but no, it's another competitor, his form monstrous, barreling through the underbrush on all fours, tail slashing through the air, spikes like jagged knives trailing down his back. Behind him and farther to my left, a few others pound the ground, also in their monster forms, knowing they're faster this way.

The last thing I need is to terrify Sage more than she is, charging after her in my true form.

So, where is she?

Knowing Sage, she'd want to be as far from the others as possible, and seeing most are on my left, rushing in that direction, I pivot my direction to the right in a wide swing.

Pulse surging, legs pumping, I move like the wind.

Suddenly, I catch the flick of silver hair dancing between trees up ahead amid the shadows, and there she is.

The girl moves fast… admirable.

My cock hardens at the promise of marking her. I run full speed directly toward her.

The little thing glances back over her shoulder, and for a split second, our gazes clash.

Wide eyes.

Her mouth falls open.

Grinning, I charge ahead, driven by her fear.

But she moves just as fast and darts right into shadows, vanishing from sight.

I'll find her; she won't get far.

When I hear the distinct sound of her cry, anger crashes into me. I'm suddenly careening to her like a tornado, my mind going to a dark place—warped, raw anger at the thought of anyone touching her.

Skidding around a thick tree, shoving aside a low-hanging branch covered in leaves, I practically ripped it out of the ground to get past. There in front of me, the snorting asshole on all fours straddles over her as she frantically crawls backward to get away from him, kicking him in the face.

That's my girl.

Every muscle in my body coils, and I lunge at the fucker, anger lashing at my insides.

Reaching him, I snatch him by the back of his neck, squeezing and wrenching him back with such force that I throw him into a tree. I pounce on him, anger blinding me, and my hands are around his spiny throat.

"You dare fucking touch what's mine?" His eyes are bulging, his claws swiping at me, but I feel nothing. It's all part of the ritual—if you want a girl someone's claimed first, you have every right to challenge him to fight to the death.

"Lord, I'm sorry. I didn't know she's yours."

Liar! This fucker knowingly turned his attention to the wrong female.

A hard smack abruptly collides into my back. Enough for me to release the fucker and swing back around, half expecting another asshole wanting to claim Sage.

But instead, it's her, standing there with a branch gripped in two hands, shaking.

"You don't need to kill him!" She lifts the branch with anger, and from the corner of my eye, I notice the man I challenged is scrambling away.

It's his lucky day that I don't chase after him, not when my sights are set on my beautiful human.

"Would you rather I let him rut you?" I reach for the branch and rip it out of her grasp, tossing it aside. Then I go to grab her, but she shoves against my hand, recoiling. Her face is red from running, her breaths rushing, and I love seeing her so worked up.

"No, but… You can't just kill someone." She suddenly twists and bolts away from me.

I laugh, adoring everything about her.

Adrenaline has me charging madly, my pulse pounding because I'm racing right behind her. With the wind blowing in my face comes her sweet nectar scent pouring all over me.

The Essence of Ethros in the pink mist is coming into play, bringing out our primal hunger, our savage needs to rut. She has no idea why she's so wet… but I inhale it so heavily in the air that it calls to me.

I quickly dart to the right and come around to intercept her, arriving directly into her view.

She screams, then backpedals and swings around, but I'm moving too fast, and I have no intention of stopping. I crash into her, my arms looping around her, my movement pushing us both forward in a moment where there's nowhere to go but down.

I twist, placing myself underneath her, taking the brunt of the fall, her on top of me. She bounces against me, that soft body, those breasts so full, so delicious, that my cock strains in my pants.

But she's fast, and in a flash, she's straddling my chest, those temptress thighs tight against my ribs, the slick of her cunt wet against my chest. She's got a blade, holding it to my throat.

"Enough," she states, baring her teeth.

Oh, she's showing her Shadowfen side, and I fucking love it.

"Where'd you get that knife from?" My cock is so hard when all I can think about is shuffling down and under her skirt, taking her into my mouth, tongue-fucking her hole until she melts for me, screaming my name.

"Does it matter?" she exclaims.

I'm convinced one of the girls must have given it to her, as weapons are encouraged in the chase.

"I've got the upper hand, which means I won, and this is over."

I laugh, obsessed with how adorable she is. She presses that blade tighter to my throat, the bite pinching my skin.

"That's not how it works." I'm shaking under her with lust, loving her being on top. The smell of her slick reminds me of the raspberries from her world. A growl rips out of me, my hips rocking slightly at how fucking hard I am, how desperate I am for her.

"Look around. There's no escape for the women. And you, Sage, are mine. So, unless you behave, I'll have you begging for me."

She chuckles, even if her cheeks blush a bright pink.

"Well, you found me." Her voice is quivering, and all of her is shuddering. "So, you won. Happy now?"

With my hands on her thighs, she arches her back, giving out a moan. Taking that moment, I snatch her hand with the blade and swiftly move it away from my neck. A small squeeze of her hand and she drops the knife.

"Ouch," she cries as I snatch the fallen blade and throw it somewhere over my head, out of her grasp.

But she's too fast, already scrambling off me, then rushing after it on hands and knees, as if she's not listening to me that the blade won't help her.

I hadn't meant to be too rough with her, but she left me no choice.

Rolling onto my side, I'm up on my knees in no time, grabbing her ankles as she attempts to get to her feet, and I haul her back down. The motion not only has her falling forward onto her stomach but pushes her dress up to her waist as I drag her closer to me. The sight has my cock strangling for release.

She cries out, wriggling to get up, one arm stretching out for the blade but it isn't close enough.

With her ass bare for me, I lower my body on top of hers, pinning her down before she escapes. Cock cradled against those cheeks and only the fabric of my pants between us, I'm not sure how much longer I can hold back. I'm not a strong man when it comes to Sage.

"Get off me," she cries, bucking against me.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." I chuckle in her ear, my hips already grinding against her, her scent so much stronger now.

She moans beneath me, and there's a growl in my throat, an involuntary sound.

"You smell delicious, so sugary."

The gorgeous girl writhes beneath me, her muscles quivering. Her ass arches upward, wanting me, despite her protests.

Fucking beautiful.

I lean forward, my lips on her ear. "That's it, Sage. Follow your body."

"I've never been this hot before, this aroused… like I might die. What have you done to me?"

I lift myself off her and sit back on my heels, staring down at that firm, round ass and the slick that covers her inner thighs. She quickly turns over to face me, sitting in front of me and pushing her skirt down to hide herself.

Her scent is so strong now that it fogs my head.

Around us, the cries and screams of being claimed fill the woods from the other contestants, but I only have eyes for Sage.

"Are you going to fuck me now? Is that how you'll claim me?" She's quivering, staring at me with that doe-eyed gaze. Close to her, I see the flecks of violet in them starting to come through, her Shadowfen side pushing forward in her body, just like the color of her hair deepening in mauve.

Her perfume intensifies in my nostrils.

"Is that what you want?" I ask, my hand resting on her knees. I'm wrecked, barely holding on, but I'm under no illusion that this girl has never lain with a man. It's in her scent, so ripe, so delicious.

It drives me to insanity.

She tugs her lower lip between her teeth, biting down on it, the fight on her face clear. The Essence of Ethros might have brought out our carnal pleasures, but it's only drawing on what's already inside of us.

"I-I don't know." Yet she thrusts her breasts forward and parts her legs for me in a move I didn't see coming.

"Let me show you," I murmur, my sight lowering to the sweetest cunt bared to me. Pink and swollen, her pussy is quivering. "My Sage, you're so very wet for me, aren't you?" I trace my fingertips down from her knees, following the curve of her inner thigh, her scent like euphoria, like berries, like fresh water.

She whimpers, spreading her legs wider for me, and all I can think about is driving my cock into her, balls deep. It jolts in my pants, pushing for release, but perhaps I've spent too much time in the human world, developing a conscience, to think that her first time shouldn't happen here.

Instead, a finger drifts over to her cunt, the heat from her body sliding up my arm. Tenderly, I run the back of my knuckles across the length of her, then slip a finger between her folds.

She's gasping for air, her eyes closed, and her innocence has me at her mercy. So silky soft, I press down on her swollen clit, and she winces, her hips rocking forward. Giving her what she craves, I slip a finger into that tight little cunt.

Her cry is the most beautiful sound I've ever heard. She's trembling against me.

I work my finger into her and back out, moving faster, seeing her lose herself before me.

My hunger billows, the ache painful to the point that I'm seeing double vision. I won't be able to hold on much longer.

"Is this what you want?" I ask.

"Um." She nods her head.

Fingering her is not enough for me, not when I keep breathing in her scent.

Her eyes are hazed over when she opens them, and those nipples push so hard against her dress.

"Have you ever had a man lick you?" I shuffle back before kneeling in front of her, praying to my Goddess, to her sweet cunt.

She's breathing quickly now, her cheeks rosier than before, which I'll take as a no.

Without pause, I bury my face between her thighs, the flat of my tongue over her offering, devouring her sweet taste. I trace her from her clit to her hole, going slow at first, savoring her.

"Please don't stop," she whispers.

I almost die hearing her pleading. As though madness has me possessed, I lick and suck on her offering, plunging my tongue into her hole. Control is a strong suit of mine, but at this moment, I'm fighting a losing battle. My cock aches, the monster in me pushing to the surface, but I don't relent. I eat her cunt like a ravenous beast.

Her cries echo around us, her body arching as she fists the grass around us. She's close, and I need her all over me. She shamelessly grinds herself against my face while I reach up her body, tearing at her dress, the rip loud as I free her breasts. I grope one, squeezing its softness, the hardness of her nipple in the palm of my hand.

Her moans sing in my ears, her body sensitive to my touch.

It's been so long since I've fucked, so desperately long.

Never releasing her, I push my tongue into her again and again, my nose on her clit, and she bursts into the most alluring scream. She's shuddering under me, but I don't release her, not yet, not until I've had my fill.

Lapping her up, I take it all as she comes so hard it's fucking beautiful.

In an instant, the building intensity buzzes inside of me, the spark on my skin, the reminder of the Veil Ritual.

Releasing her, I move my mouth to her inner thigh, teeth extending, and bite down into flesh.

She screams, a different sound now, but I don't release her. I sink my teeth into her skin.

A growl rips from my throat, the coppery taste of her blood still fresh on my tongue.

She fights back, shoving against my shoulders, clawing at my head. I hold her down, my body trembling with a violent shudder that racks through me.

It's not just a physical intoxication toward her… I feel it seeping deep down into my soul.

The pink mist thickens around us, or perhaps it's blurring my vision. I lick the bite, wiping away the blood on her skin, when a forceful blow strikes me in the chest.

An invisible strike right in the solar plexus.

I snarl, struggling to rise, my limbs faltering, and I collapse next to Sage, who's also convulsing.

Clasping her hand is the last thing I remember before darkness swallows my vision.

T he air's knocked out of me as I flip open my eyes to find I'm standing on a cliff's edge, overlooking a landscape I recognize from my childhood.

Homes dot the countryside, families move about their daily business, and from my vantage point, the grand, lofty stone palace stands majestically.

It's strange that I'm brought to the old kingdom in Blight.

Movement beside me draws my attention. Sage is here, gazing out over the land, then at me, confusion etched across her face. I smile, a reaction to her I no longer control. And with it comes the answer of why I'm here… because of her.

Because of us.

Seeing her comes with a sharpness in my chest again, along with an explosion of warmth, with possessiveness, with the strength drawn to her.

I've never felt this way before, even with my first love, Inka, who I had assumed was my true mate, but I never tested it. What I felt for her wasn't the same. She was never my intended mate.

Unlike Sage.

This… it's like the first time I saw Sage—the deep rush of emotions, the connection crashing over me, overwhelming, heart-thumping. Like this whole time, I've been living in a cave, and only now I've stepped out into the sunlight, experiencing real warmth.

I'm a warrior, a hunter, and nothing stands in my way, so how is it that when I look at her, I become someone else? Someone who craves a future that isn't filled with only revenge, with hatred, and with fury for everything I've lost.

She stares up at me, blinking, as if she's had her eyes opened up, too… staring at me as though I'm her everything. Fuck, that's everything to me.

"I feel strange," she murmurs. "I'm so drawn to you, but I barely know you. And then this place… I swear I've seen it before."

"You have?" I reach over, pushing her silvery violet hair behind an ear, her skin gentle under my fingertips.

She blinks, casting her glance over the land. "I think so, but it's never been this perfect, not this beautiful. I remember the castle over there, in ruins, in flames…"

Is this her Shadowfen side calling her to its origins?

"Where are we? What happened to the woods?" she asks, glancing around and hugging herself.

Her expression carries innocence, but behind her gaze, I know there's a strong woman needing to emerge.

"This is Silvercrest Kingdom, or what it once looked like. The place was destroyed a long time ago during the Great Desolation, a time of unimaginable earthquakes that ruined our world."

She breathes heavily, just staring at the castle.

I slide my hand into hers, turning her attention to me.

"There's a reason we're here, sharing a vision," I begin. "This is what the Shadowfen call the Veil Ritual. It's where the veil lifts, and we find each other in the same vision. It's the mark of being true mates."

Blinking rapidly, her eyes wide, she shakes her head. "No, that can't be right. I'm imagining this because I don't belong in this world," she protests, pulling from my grasp.

As she does, a great thunderous growl sounds in the air, the ground shivering beneath us, and instantly, the cliff behind her crumbles, leaving us stranded on a shrinking ledge.

She hurries to my side, glancing around, shuddering.

"Destiny disagrees." I chuckle, drawing her even closer, an arm tight around her back. "You're exactly where you're meant to be."

"I don't believe you," she murmurs, her gaze darting around us. "We're different races. I don't…" She trails off, her attention searching the kingdom down below for answers. Her fingers tremble slightly in mine. "All my life, these dreams… seeing places crumbling, feeling lost. If this is all true, then…" Her voice cracks, and she's shaking harder now.

"Sometimes destiny hides the truth from us until it's time."

Her gaze locks with mine again, desperation behind that glassy stare. "If I'm here in this vision, if I've seen it all before … what does it mean?"

I hold her gaze, steady and unflinching. "You know what it means, Sage," I say softly. "Deep in your heart, you've always known the truth."

Her breath catches. "No, you're lying…"

J ust as fast, the vision is ripped away, and we're both lying on the forest ground, gasping for air.

I draw myself up, my head still fuzzy. Next to me, my true mate's scrambling to her feet, tears fresh in her eyes.

"Sage," I reach for her with my hand, a darkened pain in my chest tightening for her agony.

"No, you're wrong." She pulls away from me. "I'm not your true mate because I'm not like you. I'm not a monster. I hate this place, so how can I belong here? My mother…" Tears fall down her cheeks, then she darts into the woods, away from me so fast that I'm still stumbling on my feet from the vision, from her reaction to a truth I hadn't intended to reveal to her.

Not yet, anyway.

Well, fuck!