Page 48 of Claimed By Midnight

And the worst part? Some twisted piece of me loves it.

Eventually, I manage to drag myself away from the window. I lie to myself and say it's because I need to get work done. Not because I saw Athena leaving the courtyard and I no longer have her to stare at.

But my work holds little interest for me right now. I'm sketching modifications to a blade design when I hear the door open. I hate how I look up, expecting Athena, only to be hit with a stab of disappointment when it isn't her.

Raven's distinctive uneven gait echoes through the workshop. My jaw tightens. She only comes to my study when she wants to meddle.

"Brooding alone?" She perches on the edge of my desk, violet eyes gleaming. "How predictable."

I work my jaw. "What do you want?"

"To discuss your obsession with your little human." Her fingers drum against the wood. "The one you can't stop staring at through windows like some lovesick stalker."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The pencil snaps in my grip.

"No?" Raven's smile turns sharp. "Then you weren't watching her train all afternoon? Weren't ready to tear Koros apart for touching her?"

Heat floods my wings, feathers bristling. "She's just a worker. Nothing more."

"Funny. That's exactly what she heard you tell Lord Vassago last week." Raven's voice drops, all playfulness gone. "And it clearly broke her spirit."

Ice replaces the fire in my veins. The memory hits hard - Vassago's staring after her, the words I'd spat to make her seem less interesting to him.Just a human worker.

"I thought you'd want to know." Raven's knowing gaze pins me. "And maybe, just for once, Uriel, talk to her. Tell her what you are really thinking instead of this game you are both playing." Her expression softens. "You are both going to get hurt."

I force a dismissive shrug, though guilt claws at my insides. "What does it matter? Sheishuman."

"Keep lying to yourself." She slides off the desk. "But I see how you look at her. You're not fooling anyone but yourself."

My wings snap out, nearly knocking over a lamp. "Get out."

Raven's smile is pure victory as she limps to the door. "As you wish. But remember - humans may be fragile, but they feel everything just as deeply as we do. Perhaps more."

The silence of my study feels oppressive now that Raven's gone. Her words echo in my mind, refusing to be silenced. I shift back in my chair, my eyes going to the empty courtyard in the dying light.

My hands itch to craft, to lose myself in metal and magic, but even that won't quiet these thoughts. The truth claws its way up my throat like acid.

I want Athena.

Not just beneath me, writhing in pleasure. Not just marked as mine, claimed and collared. No, I want her smiles - the real ones she gives to others but never to me. Want her trust, her laughter, her gentle touch freely given.

How can I, though?

I'm a warrior, a weapon-maker. I've bathed battlefields in blood, broken bodies and spirits with equal ease. Yet this soft, fragile human has somehow wormed her way past every defense, every wall I've built.

The realization hits like a physical blow - I want her heart. Want her to look at me the way she looks at Koros and Raven. Want her to choose me, not because I've forced her, but because she wants me too.

My wings shudder, feathers bristling with agitation. This isn't how it's supposed to be. I took her because I thought she would be entertaining. She shouldn't inspire this... this desperate yearning that makes me want to tear apart anyone who touches her.

And now that I know I was the one who hurt her… It's gutting me. I've never cared before about a human's feelings. Never wanted more than their submission, my power.

But Athena... sweet, fierce Athena with her healing hands and stubborn heart. She's become my obsession, my addiction. And for the first time in my immortal life, I'm terrified.

Because I don't know how to win a heart without breaking it first.

26

ATHENA

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