“That’s what I like about humans. They experience love in such a unique way. They hold hands while walking through the park, visit museums together, get dressed up and dance the night away, go to jazz concerts, have these things calledcookouts, baby showers, anniversaries. They celebrate the love they have for one another. All we have is trauma, magic, and a forest.”
“Shidddd, women get their brains blown out by their spouse almost every day in the city. But look at it this way—those same humans wish they could have your gifts, but they deal with trauma too. You can live for thousands of years in a safe environment. Stop fantasizing about a world you don’t know anything about. This life will always be the one I choose. And trust me, it could be a lot worse for you if I didn’t own you,” he said. There was a warning in his voice—a twisted kind of reassurance that I was safe with him, even though he was just as likely to hurt me.
I shook my head. “You’re so wicked and dark-hearted. Even when I’m vulnerable with you, you have to remind me that I’m your possession. I’m not even this open around my sisters.”
He didn’t flinch. “People use your vulnerabilities against you—and I have, more times than I can count. I don’t need to read your thoughts to know how much you crave the protection that comes with love.”
His voice was cold, detached—as if my suffering was nothing more than an interesting experiment to him. That was the real torment: not the curse itself, but the way he could watch me unravel and feel nothing.
“In my dream, Azarion told Clover he loved her. Stop acting like it’s wrong to want a connection with someone that isn’t just about sex!” I spat.
“Intimacy comes in all forms,” he said, as if lecturing a child. “Our conversations are intimacy. When we kill together, that’sanother kind. When we argue, fuck, or when you make me want to break your wings because you’re too damn nosy—that’s intimacy too. Us being here, in this forest, in this crystal-clear pool, naked, is intimacy. Me teaching you how to unlock your gifts, sharing pieces of my past—things I never talk about—that’s intimacy. Now drop it. I’m done talking about this nonsense.”
He could walk away from my pain, untouched. That was the point, wasn’t it? The curse wasn’t just about binding me to him. It was about making sure I felt everything, while he felt nothing at all.
I changed the subject. “I want to come with you when you kill Hoax,” I blurted.
He ignored me, ducking under the water, muscles rippling as he swam away. I laid on my stomach, propping my face on my hand, kicking my feet, tapping my nails against the rock. “I know you aren’t going to ignore me!” I shouted as he resurfaced, droplets running down his face.
“I want to kill him for what he did to my mother.”
“Not this time, Eboenia,” he said.
“You can’t always control me.”
“Yes, I can and I will,” he shot back, brushing me off like I didn’t have a valid reason.
I transformed back to my normal form, body stretching, skin prickling as I shed the fairy shape. War swam to the rock, water cascading off his body, and stood between my legs, heat radiating from him. I had to look away, heart pounding, but he grabbed my chin, rough and demanding, forcing me to meet his gaze.
“I said ‘no’,” he repeated.
“I heard you,” I whispered.
He picked up my leg, draping it over his shoulder. My nails dug into the rock as he kissed my inner-calf, his mouth hot, tongue tracing fire up my thigh. The waterfall’s roar faded, as I lost myself in our space. I watched, breathless, as he pressed two fingers against my puckering bud, rubbing slow, deliberate circles that made my skin tingle and veins stand out, pulsing with heat.
He buried his mouth in my bare pussy, tongue working magic, the cold bite of the sword on his tooth scraping the side of my clit. The pain was mixed with pleasure until I couldn’t tell them apart. A little trickle of blood welled up, and War licked it away, eyes locked on mine, the taste sealing a hex between us—binding, dangerous, and dark as the magic that kept him alive.
“Even the blood inside your clit taste like honey,” he said.
War pulled away from my throbbing, wet center, a smug smirk curling his lips. “She just let a tear out,” he teased, nodding at my glistening mound. Embarrassed, I squeezed my thighs together.
“How long are we supposed to be here? I need to go to bed,” I mumbled, fatigue washing over me.
Ignoring my protest, War tugged gently at my legs, slipping me back into the water. He wrapped my legs around his waist, his strong hands gripping my ass as he held me up. My head found rest against his chest, and he began stroking my scalp, the gentleness caused an moan to escape my lips.
“Let’s just do whatever you want so I can see my sisters,” I sighed, closing my eyes. His embrace, the warmth of his body, and the soothing massage of his fingers nearly had me drifting off.
War carried me out of the pool, his mechanical gears whirring beneath my body. The sensation almost made me gasp, but he held me securely. “I can’t take all of you again. I’m still exhausted from last time,” I admitted, hoping he wouldn’t conjure up three of himself again.
He chuckled. “You say that now, but that’s not what I want,” he replied.
Suddenly, the lianas hanging from the trees began to move, coming alive with a will of their own. They wrapped gently around my arms and legs, pulling me away from War. “Nooo, War! I don’t like these things!” I protested, squirming.
“Just go with the flow,” he said, his voice calm.
The lianas continued their work, but instead of restraining me, they wove together beneath me, spreading out into a massive hammock—the size of a bed that could easily fit four people. The hammock was padded with thick layers of soft, mossy forest growth and fragrant petals, creating a natural cushion that cradled my body.
The vines gently lowered me onto the plush hammock, the earthy scent of moss and wildflowers enveloping me. War climbed in after me, the lianas shifting and stretching to support his weight as well, making space for us both. The hammock swayed gently, the forest itself seeming to rock us in its arms, as War settled beside me, in a spooning position. I automaticallytensed up when he wrapped his arm tightly around me—this was different for us… extremely romantic.
