*~Aurora’s POV~*
I froze the instant I heard that voice. My throat tightened, every muscle in my body tensing.
Darius stepped through the doorway with that sa poisonous smirk plastered on his face. The air in the room thickened instantly.
He wasn’t alone. The other demon Rebecca sauntered in behind him, her pale hair gleaming under the dim light. The sight of her made my stomach twist.
"You couples are leaving already?" Darius said again and none of us replied him. "Why are you even leaving with him Aurora, you should just leave him here with us instead and you go."
"Oh, I told you," she said with a smirk. "She’s still madly in love with him. Can you believe it? After everything he said to her? So people really don’t have standards."
Her words hit straight in the chest. I almost dropped Leon’s hand.
"What do you an by that?" I hissed, but she just chuckled.
"Well," Rebecca continued, "too bad you two lovebirds didn’t listen to her. You let Heather escape, so now you’re both very much needed. We’ll do whatever we want with you. You don’t get to make demands here."
Leon stepped forward, his voice low and steady. "I’m healed now," he growled. "And I swear, I can tear your heads off."
Rebecca threw her head back and laughed. "Look at this dumb wolf! He thinks being healed ans he can handle demons."
Her eyes slid toward . "The only one in this room who could possibly match us is your pretty little witch over there. But she doesn’t look ready to tap into her full dark magic, does she? So why don’t you both just sit down while we decide what to do with you?"
"Let’s make things bloody," she added, licking her lips.
"Well, that’s good," I said, stepping forward boldly. "Because I love things bloody. Look at the color of my hair—red. The color of blood. My whole life has been bloody."
Darius laughed softly. "Oh, please, listen to her, Rebecca. Such confidence." His gaze turned hungry. "This woman belongs to . She bleeds for . She fights for ."
"Shut up," Leon snarled. "She’s not your property."
Darius smirked. "Well, you had her in your High House once... and you threw her away. Now she’s in my house—the demon’s house. Not yours."
Leon’s jaw clenched. "Can you stop with that twisted facade?"
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Are you two going to fight, or just keep arguing like an old married couple?"
"Fighting will cost too much blood," she added. "But then again, Aurora did say she loves blood. So the ball’s in your court."
I turned to Leon, my pulse quickening. "Leon..."
He t my eyes, reading sothing in them.
"This might hurt," I whispered. "But you need to run."
His face hardened. "What?"
"Yes, you heard . Run."
Darius chuckled darkly. "You heard your little princess, wolf. She said run. She wants to play hero."
Leon’s hands tightened into fists. "Are you out of your mind, Aurora? You expect to leave you with these monsters? No. Of course not."
"I can handle them," I said firmly.
"Aurora, you’re not in the right state of mind," he argued, voice cracking with desperation. "You don’t have enough power!"
"I have every kind of power," I said, my voice dropping lower, darker. My veins were starting to glow faintly beneath my skin. "And I’m not afraid to use it."
Leon shook his head. "If you’re not going, then I’m staying. I’m not leaving you again."
I took a deep breath. "Then I’ll make you."
Versa!" I shouted.
Power tore through like lightning. My stomach clenched; blood rushed from my nose. The magic was too heavy, too wild, but I held onto Leon’s hands anyway.
He tried to pull free. "Aurora, stop! It’s hurting you!"
My grip only tightened. The force inside roared louder, and the air shook around us. Then everything went white.
When the light faded, I collapsed to my knees, gasping. The room tilted. I looked up, Leon was gone. I had done it. I had teleported him away.
But at what price?
My body trembled, the last of my magic draining out of like water from a cracked cup. Blood filled my mouth. Still, I forced myself upright.
Across the room, Darius and Rebecca stared at , half in awe, half in anger.
"Well," I rasped, wiping the blood from my face, "I guess it’s just and you now."
Rebecca gave a low whistle. "Did you see that, Darius? She actually sacrificed herself for him."
Darius’s eyes glowed faintly. "I know," he said. "And I love that about her. Her heart’s just... in the wrong place." He took a step closer. "Tell , Aurora—how loyal can you be to a man who abandoned you? Who shad you before the world, and still you bleed for him?"
"This isn’t loyalty," I said coldly. "It’s choice. And I’d make it again."
Rebecca chuckled. "If you don’t marry her, Darius, I might. She’s got more spine than most creatures I’ve t."
"Oh, trust ," Darius said, smirking, "she’s already mine." His tone hardened. "Do you realize what you’ve done, Aurora? First you let Shiva slip through our hands, and now you’ve sent Leon away. Soone has to pay for that."
He advanced, and I stumbled back until my shoulders hit the stone wall. My energy was gone. The room spun.
"Your magic’s spent," he said quietly. "You can’t even stand without the wall to hold you up."
He lifted a hand toward my face, a mock caress charged with power, dark light curling around his fingers. "You’ll pay, Aurora—through everything you own, everything you are."
Before the strike could land, Rebecca moved.
Her hand shot out, grabbing Darius by the shoulder and hurling him across the room. The impact shook the floor.
"As much as I can’t stand this woman," Rebecca said, her voice sharp as glass, "you don’t cross that line. You want her respect, learn restraint. You’ll never win her by brute force."
Darius pushed himself to his feet, his eyes blazing. "Gentle or tough," he said, brushing the dust from his coat, "it makes no difference. One way or another, she’ll belong to ."
I straightened, my vision swimming but my will unbroken. "You’ll regret saying that," I whispered.
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