Page 74 of Monsters in Love: Lost in the Stars

Eryxxus

It was too easy.

Each day I spent with them, each passing moment that I slipped deeper into their world, I could feel my strength building, my senses sharpening. The crew, foolishly unaware, never suspected a thing. I had assumed a new form, a new name—one of their own. I wore their faces, their smiles, their voices like a mask, only underneath, there was nothing but rot. The transformation was simple. Subtle. I was everywhere they needed me to be—hands quick to repair, words soft and knowing, movements smooth, unassuming.

It was like feeding, a slow, delicious act of manipulation that drew them all closer to me, one by one. Their trust was so easily given, so willingly handed over like a piece of fruit, ripe for the plucking. But it wasn’t them I wanted.

It was her submission .

And with each day I spent among them, barely restraining the bloodlust that churned beneath the surface of my flesh, I grew closer to her.

The murmurs began again. Quiet whispers behind closed doors, cast in shadows and punctuated by worried glances. My eyes never left her—her face, serene and untouched by the chaos around her. There was a quiet desperation in her demeanor, a fragility, a weakening of her light. But still, she played her part, pretending to be the innocent, the delicate, the calm. She knew what I wanted from her, but she wouldn’t give it to me so easily.

The crew was beginning to question me, though, and I could feel their eyes turning to me more and more. They were whispering about my behavior—about the strange way I moved, the way my eyes lingered on her. It wasn’t their fear that concerned me. It was their suspicion.

“You’ve been acting odd lately, Karrus,” one of the engineers said one evening as I passed him in the corridor. His voice was low, just above a whisper, but his gaze was sharp. “Are you alright?”

I forced a smile, sharp and calculated. “Of course,” I replied, my voice smooth as liquid. “Just a little fatigued. This mission is taking longer than expected. But I’m fine.”

His eyes lingered for a moment longer than necessary, but he eventually nodded and turned back to his work. My body relaxed, my grip on the edges of my restraint loosening slightly. It wasn’t the first time they’d noticed me slipping, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But I was good at this—better than anyone could understand.

As I walked away, my mind strayed back to her. To the way she looked when I first found her. The way her body had curled into itself, like a star fading into the dark. She was special— too special. And that amplified my need.

There was a possibility she was still unaware of the true power she held. She didn’t understand the gravity of what she was. How dangerous she could become if given the chance. I had seen it in her eyes when our gazes locked. There was something wild inside of her—untapped. I had to have it. I hungered for it.

That night, I ventured to her cell once more, unable to resist the magnetic pull of her presence. The ship was quieter than usual, the crew preoccupied with their duties. I moved with ease, the silence in the air wrapping around me like a cloak.

I paused before her cell door, listening. Her breathing was slow, steady—almost too steady. She was awake. I could feel it. Her energy, her power, it was thick in the air, and I could taste it.

I slid into the darkness of her cell, watching her, her form barely a shadow against the walls.

"You’re becoming restless," I said, my voice smooth, coaxing. “You can’t hide it from me. Not anymore. I see you for what you are.”

Her eyes flickered toward me, but she didn’t respond. She simply sat there. She didn’t have to say anything. Her silence spoke volumes, but I could hear the storm in her heart.

“I’m not here to harm you,” I continued, stepping closer, each step deliberate. “You’re confused. Lost. But I can show you what you really are. What you can become.”

Her eyes, dim as they were, studied me carefully. She said nothing for a long moment, but I could feel her thoughts swirling, restless. Her jaw tightened, and I knew she was resisting. She always did… to test me.

“I’m not a toy for your games,” she finally whispered, her voice distant, almost too faint. “You do not know what you wish to claim.”

I laughed softly, a sound devoid of humor as I lifted her hair and watched the way it slipped between my fingers. “You are mine, and you always have been.”

And just as quickly, I was gone, slipping back into the shadows, back into the bowels of the ship.

I could feel her watching me as I left, her gaze heavy with something unspoken. Maybe it was fear, or maybe it was defiance. But in the end, it didn’t matter. She could fight me all she wanted, but I had already won. It was just a matter of time.

My patience would be rewarded. All I had to do was keep my distance for now. Let the others speak of my behavior. Let them see my subtle descent into madness. Let them doubt my sanity and get lost in their own distractions.

The storm was coming, and I would be the one to unleash it.

Over the next few days, the ship began to hum with a strange energy. Crew members spoke in hushed tones, a sense of unease pervading the halls. It wasn’t just me they were wary of—it was her.

Some of them had started noticing things. Small things. Missing tools, equipment that had been tampered with, and… disappearances. But no one dared speak too loudly about it. Not yet.

I smiled to myself, my eyes glinting with more danger than they could imagine. Something had awakened on this ship, and I was no longer just a passenger.

Soon, they would know what it was like to be in the presence of true darkness.

And she… she would come to me.