Page 47 of Claimed By Midnight

But for the first time, the thought doesn't ache like it used to. Here, between Raven's sharp wit and Koros's quiet strength, I've found something I never had before - people who don't just protect me, but believe in me.

25

URIEL

Through the study's open window, I watch Athena dance across the courtyard, her honey-blonde curls catching the afternoon sun. She's graceless with the wooden practice sword, but her determination makes up for it. Koros towers over her, his massive frame casting long shadows, yet he moves with a gentleness I've never seen from him before.

"Keep your guard up." Koros's deep voice carries across the yard. "An enemy won't hesitate because you're pretty."

"Like this?" Athena adjusts her stance, feet planted wider.

Her laughter rings out as Koros easily deflects her strike. The sound pierces something in me, unfamiliar and sharp. I grip the edge of my desk, the wood creaking under my fingers.

"Fuck." I push away from the papers spread across my workspace, weapons designs forgotten.

My wings twitch with the urge to intervene as Koros steps closer, adjusting her grip on the hilt. His scarred face softens when she beams up at him, proud of the correction. That twist in my chest tightens.

I can't tear my eyes away from the flush on her cheeks, the way her leathers cling to her curves as she moves. She lacks thedeadly grace of demon women, but there's something pure in her enthusiasm, her genuine joy in learning.

"Ha!" She manages to dodge one of Koros's slower strikes. "Did you see that?"

My friend's mismatched eyes flick toward my window, a knowing smirk playing at his lips. "I saw. But you left yourself open, little healer."

The wooden sword taps her ribs, and she pouts. That expression shouldn't be so captivating on a human face. I stretch my wings, gray feathers rustling with agitation. Every laugh, every smile she gives Koros feels like a blade between my ribs.

This possessive hunger for a human is beneath me. Yet here I stand, watching her like some obsessed creature, wanting to snatch her away from my oldest friend's careful instruction.

I knew this would happen. One taste of her and I'm so deep in this addiction I'm drowning. I've been avoiding her so I don't pounce on her again, which I know I would the second I got her alone. Fuck, I may not even wait for everyone to get out of the room if given the opportunity.

I don't know what she thinks of me now, if she hates me more than ever before, but I do know that she is acting like her old self. And that makes it all worth it to me.

Even if I want her beneath me every night. Even if I fuck my fist thinking of her, wanting her. I've never wanted anything in my life like I want her and while I can steal her, keep her here, claim her body as mine…

I can't rip her heart out and keep it like I want. That's something she has to give me.

And I know she never will.

So, I swallow back every raging emotion in me, trying to ignore them. They are a nuisance right now, but I still don't move from my spot by the window.

Raven saunters into the courtyard, her limp barely noticeable as she balances a tray. Her midnight hair catches the breeze, and Athena's face lights up at the sight of her. My jaw clenches.

"Break time!" Raven sets down glasses of fruit nectar and a plate of honey cakes. "You're doing well. Though your form needs work."

Athena drops onto the grass beside them, cheeks flushed. "I know I'm terrible, but at least I'm having fun."

"You're not terrible." Koros settles his bulk next to her, wings spread wide to catch the sun. "Just untrained."

They look so... comfortable. Like a perfect little family. Athena leans against Raven's shoulder as she sips her drink, while Koros steals bits of cake from their plates. Their laughter mingles in the air, and something dark and possessive claws at my insides.

She never relaxes like that around me. Never gives me those easy smiles or casual touches. When she sees me, she tenses, guards herself - and fuck if that doesn't make me want to break down every wall she's built.

I want her sprawled across my bed, yes. Want to mark every inch of her soft skin. But watching her now, I realize I want more. Want her curled against me, sharing those secret smiles. Want her to seek my company, to trust me with her thoughts, her fears.

The need burns through me like molten metal. It's foreign, unsettling. Humans are meant to be beneath us - prey, pets, playthings. Not equals. Not... this.

My wings snap tight against my back as Athena's golden-green eyes meet mine through the window. For a heartbeat, that warmth in her gaze remains - then shutters closed when she recognizes me. She turns away, pressing closer to Raven, and that darkness in me howls.

I've conquered battlefields, crafted legendary weapons, brought demons to their knees. Yet this slip of a human girl holds more power over me than any enemy I've faced.

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