Page 32 of Unholy Fate

Lost in thoughts of Evelyn, I barely registered the heavy hand that landed on my shoulder. I turned just in time to catch Aziz’s fist colliding with my jaw.

Pain exploded through my face as I staggered back, caught off guard by the sudden attack. Aziz stood over me, his dark eyes blazing with fury.

“What the hell was that for?” I tasted blood on my split lip.

Aziz said, “You know exactly what that was for. That was for fucking her first, Astaroth. Though you’ll only ever have her in her dreams.”

I laughed, the sound harsh and mocking. “You’re jealous?”

But Aziz just shook his head. “Hardly. Just keeping you in line.”

I laughed out loud. My attempts at flirting in human guise may not have gone perfectly, but this was just the beginning. She knew me. She remembered the dream. I’d savored the flicker of recognition and the flush of shame that had colored her perfect skin. I inhaled again and savored the residual traces of Evelyn’s arousal in the air. The sweet, intoxicating scent filled my nostrils. She knew exactly who I was, and she’d be seeing me again.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

EVELYN

My surroundings swaminto focus as the fog in my mind dissipated. The familiar office took shape around me, leather couch beneath me, clock ticking softly on the wall. And there, across from me, sat Ian. I began to panic, but then something calmed me.

Everything is fine. You have no reason to be upset.In the back of my mind, my conscience told me to run, to panic, but there was no need, really.Ian is your therapist, your safe space.

Um, that wasn’t my voice. Was it?

His posture was relaxed, but his dark eyes bored into me with unsettling intensity.

Oh, I knew what it was that was bothering me. It was him, the man from the shelter. The therapist from my dreams. How was this possible? I’d never laid eyes on him before that strange dream, yet the connection was undeniable.

Not this time. The desire to control this situation made me clench my fists. This was my dream, damn it. I glared at him commandingly. “Let’s switch things up, shall we?”

Ian quirked an eyebrow, looking intrigued. “Switch things up how?”

“Let’s talk aboutyoufor once.” I leaned forward. “Who are you really? What are you doing here? Are you even real, or am I just losing my mind?”

A sly grin spread across his angular face. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises tonight.”

He paused, seeming to ponder his next words carefully. “My name is Ian, as you already know. But as for what I am...that’s a bit more complicated.”

Frustration welled up inside me. “Cut the cryptic crap. What are you? A figment of my subconscious? A ghost? A…a demon?” The last word caught in my throat. It sounded insane saying it out loud, yet a part of me already knew...

Ian chuckled, a low, rich sound that reverberated through me. “Would you believe me if I told you I was real? As real as you are, sitting here right now?”

The more Ian spoke, the more my anger rose like a tide. “You think you can just show up in my head, hijack my dreams, rape me and then expect me to be okay with it?”

Ian’s expression remained calm, though I caught a flicker of something darker in his eyes. “It’s good you’re showing a spine, Evelyn. There’s a whole wide world out there, a world of fun, of pleasure, of things you’ve been denying yourself. Take that backbone and grab life with both hands.”

“Fun?” I said. “What do you even mean?”

“You’ve built a cage around yourself, Evelyn. A cage made of rules and guilt and shame. A cage forged with the fires of pietyand quenched in sanctitude. But there’s so much more out there. Things you’ve never even allowed yourself to imagine. There are so many delights I can show you.”

His words hit too close to home, and my anger morphed into something more dangerous. Fear. “You’re lying,” I said. “The world is what it is. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Ian’s serene expression faded, and his form shifted, growing larger—much larger. His skin darkened to a deep, midnight blue, sharp bony ridges emerging along his forehead. His presence suddenly filled the room, oppressive and overwhelming.

I stared up at him, my scream catching in my throat as Ian transformed into a terrifying, demonic version of himself. His skin glistened with an otherworldly sheen, his muscles rippling beneath the surface.

This isn’t real!It’s just like the dreams, nothing more.But the sheer detail of his form, the heat radiating from his body, made it impossible to deny.

Memories of him taking me, the pleasure and pain, stole my words.

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