SKYLA.
Warmth.
It’s so warm…
And it smells so good…
I open my eyes, and my heart skips a beat.
Royce.
I’m in Royce’s arms…
I died.
I smile softly. That’s why it’s so peaceful…
‘Death is not what you deserve, Lycan princess.’
Bastet?
“Then what do I deserve?’
‘Embrace every part of you that makes you… you fought him, and you broke his hold upon you. You did that, child.’ 3
‘Yeah, by killing myself.’
‘Attempted to kill yourself. You did not succeed.’
My eyes snap open as I stare up at Royce’s neck.
His scent, the feeling of his body against mine.
This feels so real…
What?
‘Your life was saved and for a good cause, your death would mean Apophis will always have a hold on this world. Always.’
‘How are you speaking to me now? You were gone?’ I ask.
‘Hecate’s daughters helped channel my energy to you.” 1
‘I see… I’m a danger to them, to them all.’
‘In the bathroom when you took a stand, refusing to hurt anyone any longer, and determined that even death is better than hurting those whom you loved. It was then that you broke the hold he had upon you.’
Bastet’s voice comes. 1
The guilt and regret return to me, a dull ache in my chest.
‘You freed yourself and with it, our connection was rebuilt. He has been meddling with you for a long time. Injecting you not once but thrice. He has been planning this for far longer than we thought.
13
I frown, ‘So all along, his plan was to pull me under his control? Why?”
‘Because he thought he’d be able to attain all … only the Solaris King thwarted those plans.
we had thought we needed to be careful because of my ties to Bastet, not knowing that he already had his eyes on me. I was his
‘What now?’ I ask.
a tinkling
answer, child. Embrace and
She’s gone.
fucking
“You’re awake.”
heart skips a beat at his deep fuckable, just-woke-up
and that crushing guilt fills me again, along
that urge to awaken inside
peace, just like I used to
Royce.
thick lashes
He’s beautiful…
I hate me too.” I say quietly, breaking
sore and my voice is a
he raises
cupping the side of it and my neck in
open my mouth to reply but before
through me as he kisses me with such intensity that my mind goes blank. A kiss fuelled by a
I don’t.
when he pulls me on top of him, deepening the kiss, there
every ounce of his being, even
my cheeks, and he tenses,
He sits up slowly and cups
should be on edge… I could hurt
“You won’t.”
so confident,” I say, cupping the back of
I am a fool. Your fool… if you will
it in. Lowering
his strong arms around me, pulling me against
really is a fool
kissing my shoulder and
and did things that even an apology
up to you. I’m fucking sorry. I feel like shit for what I’ve
voice breaks, but I don’t care. I need to tell him that I’m so fucking
that clear when they mated me to that
“Look at me.”
mine. “I do deserve the fucking best, and that’s you. You are all I want, nothing
vision blurring with tears. “Don’t ask me to forgive
my nose and I scrunch it,
want to
hurt in your heart. Let me be a part
I shake my head.
do right to
raping me. That’s
reputation, just my girl. But…”
my hands in his and kisses my knuckles softly. “For me to be able to do that, you need to tell
eyes,
self-loathing I
long to break free… and even that is thanks to the crystals and stuff. I fucking tried to kill my dad,
–
My voice breaks again as the guilt hits me. “This is why
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