Page 49 of Wicked Magik

What. Is. This?

My eyes widened and turned black with rage.

I had been a fool to leave Oryx for so long. A fool to not see that this she-demon was living in my home. Her scent that permeated the air filled my lungs again. I covered my nose to keep her scent away.

Poison.

“My Lord…” Benedict entered the room.

“Don’t!” I hissed and pointed at him. “You should have told me. Told me that this she-demon has come into my home, corrupted Oryx.”

“She has done nothing, she’s been nothing but…”

“She has POISONED YOU!” I snarled.

With that shout the woman’s eyes fluttered open and she tried to pull away from the massive cocoon that Oryx had surrounded her with but instead he pulled her closer.

“Mine,” Oryx nuzzled into her hair.

No.

I felt my magik rise and fill the room. Benedict backed away and watched as black shadows filled the room.

I clenched my fists, the dark magik shadows swirling around me as I glared at the woman entwined with Oryx. She looked up at me, her eyes widening in fear as she tried to untangle herself from his grasp. But Oryx only held onto her tighter, a possessive growl rumbling in his chest.

"How dare you attempt to take what is mine?" I snarled, my voice reverberating through the room with an eerie power. The shadows swirled around me, ready to heed my every command.

The woman gasped, clearly sensing the danger that surrounded us. Oryx's grip on her softened slightly, as if he could sense the threat emanating from me.

But it was too late for her.

I would not have her here any longer.

As I raised my hand to unleash the full extent of my power, a voice called out from behind me.

"My Lord, please, do not harm her," Benedict pleaded, his voice filled with desperation. But I paid him no mind as I focused all of my energy on the woman before me.

With a swift motion, I unleashed a wave of darkness towards her, intending to banish her from this plane forever. But before it could reach her, Oryx stood and let out a deafening roar that shook the very foundation of the room, my shadows dropped to the floor and scattered beneath the cracks.

"No!" he bellowed, his body now in his defensive stance. The force of his voice pushed back against my magic, creating a barrier between me and the woman.

I took a step back, stunned by Oryx's sudden defiance. He had never challenged me like this before, never dared to stand in the way of what I wanted.

"Oryx..." I whispered, my heart heavy with conflicting emotions. The woman seized this opportunity to slip out of his grasp and scurry away, disappearing into the shadows of the room.

Silence descended upon us as Oryx turned to face me fully, his expression unreadable. For a moment, we simply stood there, two beings bound by magik.

Then, without a word spoken between us, Oryx extended a clawed hand towards me. And in that simple gesture, I knew everything had changed.

Chapter 17

Vesper

Smoke curled and twisted upwards from the cracks in the floor, snaking its way around the man’s silhouette. He was dressed in a sleek, midnight-black three-piece suit, meticulously tailored to embrace his form like a second skin. The fabric clung tightly around his body, emphasizing his lean physique. His hair, a striking cascade of white as long as my own, whipped about his face in wild disarray, having escaped the confines of a once-secure hair tie. It framed his features dramatically, contrasting sharply with the dark ensemble he wore.

His eyes, dark obsidian, twinkled in the lightning that flashed in the room.

Oryx looked over his shoulder at me. His tail swung and nudged me to stay behind him.