Page 73 of Presence

The creature’s eyes flicker with amusement as it catches my desperate whisper. “Echo? You think he’ll save you?” it sneers, inching closer, the room’s darkness deepening with every step. “He’s the one who brought you here, Clarity. He wants you to suffer. You’re nothing but a bag of energy for him. Why do you think he chose you?” It continues, circling me like a predator. “Why do you think he keeps you close? He sees the misery in you, the potential for torture. But you’ll never be more than that. You’ll remain a little, powerless prey until he decides to consume you fully.”

“No,” I whisper, the word sounding weak even to my own ears. But doubt gnaws at me, a relentless force.

Fuck!

A sudden, oppressive force presses down on me, and I feel the darkness closing in, suffocating. The creature’s form looms larger, its presence overwhelming. I can feel its malice, its hunger.

“What do we have here?” a cold, familiar voice cuts through the darkness. Echo.

The worst part? That spirit guardian part of him is gone.

My heart squeezes.

He won’t save me.

20

Onslaught

“Ventured far, haven’t you, Little Soul?” Echo taunts with a mocking tone. “This is new territory for you.”

My body shakes uncontrollably as dried tears cling to my cheeks, dread consuming me. From the shadows, Echo steps out, his eyes still void of any whites, hauntingly black.

“I… I couldn’t find you,” I manage to whisper. “You left me in that forest. We have a… a deal to make.”

Speaking feels impossible with two demons staring at me, their wide grins and malicious intent palpable, like a toxic perfume.

Instead of responding, Echo wraps his arm around the sinister Claire’s waist, pulling her close. She giggles, her laugh eerily similar to mine. To my horror, she turns and runs her long tongue over his cheek.

His eyes flutter closed, and a satisfied sigh escapes his lips. He doesn’t look like the demon who has ravaged me with his shadows. There’s none of that violence when she licks him. He looks like he enjoys it more than he ever did with me, like he’s letting her take the lead.

No, that’s not it. He’d never give up control like this. He’s just doing this to taunt me, to show me how much more he prefers her over me.

“Is that right?” he drawls. Before I can react, shadows snake around my ankles, wrists, and waist, pulling me taut against the cold wooden wall. He’s tying me up. Again. “And what would you like to offer me that I don’t already have?”

He turns to the demonic Claire, her eyes gleaming with a twisted delight, a grin spreading across her face. His hands move over her body with a familiarity that makes my stomach churn. She responds eagerly, pressing herself tightly against him.

“No! Stop!” I scream, the words bursting out before I can even think.

Jealousy takes root deep in my belly, winding its way through me, tightening with every second. My eyes are glued to them, unable to look away. More than that, I need them to stop touching each other. I can’t handle it.

He can’t be serious… He can’t like her. He can’t want her. He just can’t.

But the truth hits me hard. He can, and he does.

“You came all this way to find me,” Echo says, his eyes locking onto mine with an intensity that makes my blood run cold. “So, how about I show you something you’ll never forget?”

Bad Claire’s unnaturally long tongue traces a line up his neck, savoring his taste. She licks her lips, her eyes rolling back in pleasure. Her hips grind shamelessly against his leg, animalistic groans escaping her mouth. When he wraps his hand around her hair and pulls hard, she cries out. His eyes flutter closed, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips

“So fucking wild,” he groans.

He used to tell me I was perfect, gazing into my eyes as he made love to me under the stars. His fingers would weave through my hair, just like they do with hers now. But I never saw that same wonder in his eyes. I never saw the truth. I was always the opposite of what he truly wanted.

His cock strains against the tight, slick black leather of his pants, the bulge unmistakable and eager. I can see it twitch, practically begging for attention. I’m not the only one who notices. The other Claire slides her clawed hand over it, rubbing through the leather and letting out a low groan of pleasure.

I can only imagine it’s hot and swollen under her hand. It must make her salivate, satisfying something deep inside her. I know, because it did for me when it was me who touched him.

Jealousy grows thicker inside me. It spreads its filthy roots and stabs my organs one by one. It doesn’t help that Echo’s shadow is curling over my thigh. I don’t care about how it’s starting to caress me slowly, messing with me more and more. It’s aiming for my pussy again. But all I can focus on is how the other Claire is writhing against the demon. My demon.

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