Page 34 of A Kiss of Deception

He takes a step towards me, hands outstretched. I back away, clutching the ring tightly.

"Meetha, please," Milkor's voice softens. "I need that ring. It's my only chance to break this curse, to return home."

For a moment, I waver. The desperation in his eyes tugs at something deep inside me. But then I remember the feel of his fingers trying to take what's mine.

"No," I say, my voice steel. "I've had enough of your games, Milkor."

17

MILKOR

Meetha shoves me back, her eyes flashing with defiance. Before I can react, she slips the ring onto her finger.

Power surges through the room, a palpable force that sets my teeth on edge. The air crackles with energy, and I feel my elven form recoil instinctively.

"What have you done?" I snarl, but my words are drowned out by the deafening hum that fills the space.

Meetha's skin begins to glow, a radiant light emanating from within. Her dark eyes turn luminous, and her hair floats around her face as if suspended in water. The transformation is mesmerizing, terrifying.

No. It can't be.

Recognition hits me like a punch to the gut.

"You're a purna," I whisper, the words tasting like ash in my mouth.

Meetha smiles, and it's no longer the coy grin of a seductress. It's ancient, knowing, powerful.

"Surprise," she says, her voice echoing with otherworldly resonance.

I take a step back, my mind reeling. How did I not sense it? How did I let myself be played by this... creature?

"You tricked me," I growl, feeling the demon inside me strain against its elven prison.

Meetha - or whatever she truly is - laughs. "Oh, Milkor. You were so easy to manipulate. So desperate for power, for freedom. Did you really think a simple human girl could resist you so easily?"

I lunge at her, my fingers itching to wrap around her throat. But she raises a hand, and I'm frozen in place, unable to move.

"Now, now," she tuts. "Is that any way to treat the one who holds your fate in her hands?"

Rage burns through me, hot and fierce.

“You were such a pleasure to curse the first time.” Meetha's smile widens, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light. "Though I must say, you've made quite an entertaining pet these past few days."

I snarl, lunging at her again. My fingers brush her throat before an invisible force slams me back against the wall.

"Tsk tsk," she chides. "Still so impulsive. You haven't learned a thing, have you?"

"Release me!" I roar, struggling against her hold.

Meetha approaches, trailing her fingers along my jaw. "Oh, but we've only just begun, my dear demon. There's so much more I have planned for you."

Her touch burns, and I jerk away. "I'll kill you for this."

She laughs, the sound like tinkling bells. "You're welcome to try. But first, let me show you my true home."

With a wave of her hand, reality tears open beside us. A shimmering portal swirls into existence, its edges crackling with energy.

"After you," Meetha says, gesturing toward the portal.

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