Noir
Chapter 22

**NOIR**

When Lyra placed her hand on my shoulder, I closed my eyes, as tipping my head up, I stared at the treetops, praying for strength. Sweet merciful Heaven but I was in trouble. I should have never let her get in the water with me. However, I'd quickly found myself standing as though paralyzed, unable to look away and like a damn fool, I'd invited her to join me. As she'd taken her first step, my eyes had greedily taken in the full roundness of her breast straining against her t-shirt. It had been all I could see, and I knew then that I was doomed.

My cock had hardened at the vision, a surge of desire swamping through my system that had nearly overwhelmed me at how strong it was. With effort I'd quailed what my body had screamed so blatantly for me to take; to give into the darkness that I really was. But I knew, if I ever had her again, I wouldn't just stop at taking her body, I take her blood-all of it, making her mine.

With a vile curse, I jerked away from her hand, and reaching out to Thorin, as I stepped out of the water, I ordered him to come watch over her. Afterward, I stepped into the treeline, putting distance between myself and further temptation until I could push aside the thoughts that ate away at my sanity, the red-haze that swam within my brain, blocking out everything else.

I stumbled through the dense forest, my feet guiding me along an uncertain path. The towering trees cast shadows that danced eerily in the light of the moon. I had lost track of how far I had strayed from the camp, consumed by the desperate need to escape the demon inside of me.

A surge of pain coursed through my body, bringing me to my knees. The agony was familiar, a reminder of the power stirring within me. Symbols and words began to etch themselves onto my skin, weaving a tapestry of ancient markings - the mark of the eldest Cyprian. The inky black threads slowly transformed into shimmering silver, before fading seamlessly into my flesh. The excruciating transformation elicited a scream of anguish from my lips. The spell that had imprisoned the monster within me for centuries had been shattered, leaving me vulnerable to its dark influence.

Desperation seized me as I realized the imminent threat of succumbing to the darkness. We had to reach the ancestral grounds before it consumed me entirely. Failure meant the end of everything. This was a secret I had concealed from my brothers, from everyone. I, unbeknownst to them, was the oldest Cyprian, and the awakening of my true nature did not require the blood of an Eton Witch, but the discovery of my destined mate.

The moment Lyra had joined me in the water, destiny had taken hold, and there was no turning back. I had fought against it, attempting to push her away and deny the undeniable truth. But my body had betrayed me, and now I could no longer deny that she was my mate. Only she could perceive the invisible sleeves of my Hierarchy that adorned my arms. My senses had sharpened to an extraordinary degree, allowing me to feel the rhythm of Lyra's heartbeat. I sensed her return to camp.

Yet, as much as I longed for her, as fervently as I craved her blood, I had to resist. The fate of the world depended on my ability to deny myself, to restrain the darkness within.

I forced myself to my feet, wincing at the pain that shot through my body, and took a shaky breath. I had to replace a way to control the hunger that was building inside me, to master the darkness that threatened to consume me. I knew that if I didn't, if I gave in even for a moment, there would be no going back. The warlock, Noir, had been clear, if I transformed, it was over, death would lay claim to every species by the Cyprians. For if I transformed, I would raise the rest of the elders. The thought drove me forward and I pushed through the trees, ignoring the ache in my bones. I needed to replace a way to control this, to keep myself from fulfilling the other part of the prophecy; the one in which stated that if Lyra failed to prevent the end of the world, I would bring it about.

~~

**LYRA**

After the abrupt snub from Noir, I'd stared after him, my brow heavy in a frown. *What the fuck was his problem*? I thought scathingly. One minute we had been having a conversation, and the next, he was shaking my hand off his shoulder and hightailing his ass away from me like I'd turned into Medusa and had snakes crawling out of my head. Anger and confusion both held me in its grip, but mostly confusion.

When I could no longer see him as he disappeared into the trees, I'd shaken my head and began making my way back to camp. My boots made squishy sounds with each step I took. Their sopping wet condition didn't bother me as I'd dry them out by the campfire later.

As I'd arrived back at camp, I'd gone straight to my tent, and now, as I toed off my boots and stripped out of my wet t-shirt, I made a disgusted sound. Tossing the shirt toward the corner of the tent, I turned my attention to the button of my Kaki's. *What in the world possessed me to go in the water with my clothes on?* I grumbled.

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With a shrug, I finished pushing out of my jeans and tossed them in the same general direction as I had the shirt. A sudden loud squeal had my head jerking up and I jumped, giving a startled yelp.

Peering toward the corner where the sound had come from, I took in the appearance of a pissed off Atomic. I'd forgotten I'd allowed him the run of the tent after I had gotten it set up. And now he stared at me, his whiskers twitching as he raised a paw and swiped at his ear, smoothing his ruffled coat where I had disturbed it with my careless actions.

I'd never figured out how old Atomic was, but I'd had him for ten years, a much longer lifespan than any ordinary rodent that I'd ever heard of, so I knew he was some type of special creature, I just hadn't figured out what.

Upon seeing Atomic was unharmed, other than a horrible hairdo as his fur stood up in wet spikes all over the top of his head and around his ears, I put on dry clothing then stood unmoving. I really wasn't much in the mood to join the others, but I wasn't into smothering in my tent, either. Making a decision, I pushed back the flap, and stepped out into the night, gazing at the figures sitting around the fire.

Even though I felt I had chosen the lesser of two evils, I nonetheless expelled a breath, my sixth sense kicking in and making me aware of Noir's presence. Glancing up, I uttered a low groan at seeing him coming in my direction. His smooth, feline grace drew him ever closer with each step he took, until coming up beside me, he kept moving, never even acknowledging my presence. Again I felt a sense of indignation that he could so easily ignore my presence. Something within me snapped and shattered, then slithered to the ground as it died a slow painstaking death; suddenly I just wanted to go home, away from the jungle, away from Noir and away from this whole crazy mess!