Page 27 of Body and Soul

There was a sudden, sharp pressure building behind my eyes, a telltale sign of Keres trying to push his way to the surface. My alter's presence had grown increasingly insistent since Eli's arrival, like a predator catching the scent of wounded prey.

I gripped the edge of the counter harder, my knuckles turning white as I fought to maintain control. Keres was relentless, battering against the mental walls I had erected to keep him contained. His primal hunger swirled in my chest, a ravenous need to claim and possess.

He’s ours,Keres growled,voice dark and insistent. Let me have him.

I shook my head, jaw clenched tight. “No,” I gritted out, the word feeling like broken glass in my throat. “It’s too soon. It will only hurt him now.”

Keres snarled, a sound of pure frustration.He's stronger than you think. I can smell it on him, the need, the desperation. He wants to be claimed, to be conquered. To surrender.

Images flashed through my mind, vivid and visceral. Eli on his knees, those haunting eyes glazed with desire. Eli spread out on my bed, pale skin flushed and glistening with sweat.

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, trying to block out the tantalizing visions Keres was flooding my mind with. Hunger surged, almost palpable—a scorching heat, an ache pulsing at the edge of my control.

“Not yet,” I ground out, my voice strained with the effort of holding Keres back. “He's been through too much. We have to be careful with him, take things slow.”

You want him,Keres hissed.I can feel it. The way you ache to bury yourself inside him.

I couldn't deny the truth of Keres' words. The desire to possess Eli, to claim him wholly and irrevocably, was like a living thing inside me, clawing at my insides, desperate for release. But I knew I had to be stronger than that base instinct. For Eli's sake, if not my own.

“Of course I want him,” I admitted, my voice rough.

But Keres’ hunger was there too, woven into my thoughts, pressing insistently.Take him. Claim him. His spirit is stronger than you think.

I shook my head, silently pushing back the urge. “Not like this. Not yet.” Eli’s fragility demanded restraint. We had to be patient. For now.

Keres fell silent for a moment, a tense stillness filling my mind. But then I sensed a subtle shift, a begrudging acceptance in the air.

Fine, Keres finally replied, his voice more measured, the growl tempered.I’ll behave—for now. But don’t think for a second that I’ll be content to sit on the sidelines forever.

Relief washed over me, but it was quickly tempered by the awareness of Keres’ underlying threat. “I know,” I replied, my voice steadying. “And I appreciate your understanding. We’ll have our time, but we need to build a foundation first.”

Another pause lingered, the tension easing but still present, a silent agreement between us. I would have to tread carefully, balancing my needs with the fragile trust Eli was beginning to show.

As I opened my eyes and took a deep breath, the weight of Keres’ presence shifted slightly, though I could still sense his eagerness lurking beneath the surface. But I had control. For now.

I crouched in thethick shadows that clung to the edge of the McHappy's parking lot. The heat from the pavement lingered, radiating up in waves even at three in the morning. The moon sat high and cold in the sky, casting a silvery glow on empty spaces. It was perfect hunting weather.

Brett Mayson, shift manager and coward, fumbled with his keys as he locked the restaurant’s back door, each movement sluggish and uncertain. Sweat beaded on his balding head, leaving dark, sticky stains down his uniform shirt. The heavy stench of stale grease clung to him, mixed with a thick, acrid sweat that soured the air.

I remembered seeing Eli through Shepherd’s eyes, vulnerable and alone, curled up on the office couch. His platinum hair was matted to his face, tear-streaked and red-eyed after this pathetic excuse for a man had fired him.

Eli was mine. Or ours, I supposed, since Shepherd was interested too, but I wasn’t civilized like him. I didn’t need his plans and patience. I needed vengeance.

Starting with this animal who’d made my mate cry.

A feral snarl built low in my chest as I watched Brett turn to waddle toward his car, completely oblivious to my presence mere feet away. Did he think he could hurt what was mine without consequences?

My muscles coiled, every sense heightened, adrenaline spiking in my veins like an electric current. I waited for the perfect moment as Brett fumbled in his pockets for his car keys.

Without warning, every light on the block cut out, leaving the parking lot in pitch darkness. Brett froze, his hand halfway to his pocket, and for a second, even his breathing stopped. Then, the toe of his shoe caught on a crack in the asphalt, and he stumbled, his keys clattering to the ground in the silence.

“Shit,” he muttered, with a soft grunt of effort.

Now. I lunged forward, a shadow made flesh. Before he could even process what was happening, I had him pinned against the car, one hand clamped like a vice around his neck, the other twisting his arm up behind his back until he yelped in pain.

“Hello, Brett,” I murmured, letting the words crawl up his spine. I could smell the sharp tang of his fear, feel the wild beat of his pulse under my fingertips. It was…intoxicating.

“Wh-who are you? What do you want?” A dark stain spread across the front of his khakis as his bladder released. The pungent odor of urine mingled with his fear. I inhaled deeply, savoring it.

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