Page 9 of To Crave Truly

I screamed in agony, the command an inferno that sliced into every muscle to move my body towards Jasper. So close. I was so close to him.

“Jasper! Run.”

He spun around, but it was too late.

My hand punched into his chest and my fingers gripped his beating heart. His eyes blew wide in shock, the black fading back into the blue that was impossibly bright. His knees crumpled and I fell to the floor with him, my hand caged in his chest.

“No. No, no no,” I cried as blood pooled around my hand. “Why didn’t you run?”

“Because I love you, Lori. I’d never… leave you.” His words were a guttural whisper as blood poured form his mouth.

I had to fight this. I had to save him.

Sweat peppered my brow as I tried to unfurl my fingers. I could do this. I could beat Mordecai. I could—

Pain sliced through my mind as he put more force behind his command. My demon screamed in agony, unable to escape. The sting of a thousand knives wracked my body, but I refused to pull my hand from Jasper’s chest.

“I love you too.” I just had to hope that my love for him was stronger than Mordecai’s power over me.

Jasper wrapped his hand firmly around my wrist. “You can beat… him, Lori. You can…”

His eyes started to glaze over, and his breathing became nothing more than shallow puffs of air. I was losing him.

No. This wasn’t going to happen. I was stronger than this. I could save him.

I reached out to the command I could feel deep in my core, and I focused all my anger, all my pain and rage on that swirling sensation. A low, menacing growl rumbled in my chest as the Sin Reaper clawed against her cage, fighting her way to freedom. I could hear Mordecai screaming in the background, but I didn’t care. I could feel her straining to be in control and I submitted to her, because right now, I needed to be more than just me.

It was like the breaking of a dam. Power surged through me, not just the power of my demon but also the power of my magic. Finally, it had been released from whatever box it had been locked away in. I don’t know how, but I didn’t have time to analyse it.

Give me control, the Sin Reaper demanded.

And I did. And it was glorious. I surrendered to the demon, to the bloodlust and I took a back seat to watch the world turn into a beautiful shade of red.

Chapter Four

Jasper

Screams and howls echoed around me. I couldn’t quite muster the strength to look around. I felt so cold. So numb. I couldn’t feel my hands anymore.

“Lori...” I tried to reach her, but even if she could hear my voice, she was too lost to the chaos storming inside her. She was terrifyingly beautiful. Moving at the speed of a vampire, hacking and slashing anything that came into her path. Stealing sins and wielding shadows into deadly blades. Nothing stood a chance against her.

A lance of pain cut through me as my ribs cracked back into place to protect my heart and guard my weakest point. I needed blood. I needed to feed. But I didn’t think that was likely to happen. I looked around, hoping to find a source, but there was nothing. At some point, the cavern had emptied, and the only creatures left were either dead or on the dais. Even Selene had run off in the foray.

My heart beat a sluggish rhythm. I had lost too much blood. Lost too much...

A body landed next to me, startling me out of the blackness that was trying to claim me. I saw Lori leap through the air and land on top of it, punching her hand deep into his chest and removing his heart with a battle cry. Her face was painted in blood, her features sharpened, and her eyes glowed brightly. Normally, they were black with a ring of fire for the iris, the same as Lucifer. But right now, as she let her vampire nature break through, that black was a bright ruby red, just like Mordecai’s. He was right. She would be a fearsome weapon to control. Good job he didn’t bet on her doing it willingly.

Lori held her wrist over my mouth. “Feed.”

I shook my head or tried to. I couldn’t quite tell if I actually moved.

“Feed,” she repeated, her voice lower and huskier than normal.

“No,” I managed.

She huffed out a breath before ripping her canines into her skin and tearing the flesh. Blood instantly pooled in the wound, and she pushed her wrist into my mouth.

Sweet fucking Christ.

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