VIOLA


    The forest engulfed me, its branches like claws, snagging my clothes as the distant wail of alarms faded. The air grew dense and dark, the whispering wind mingled with my ragged breaths.


    Suddenly, my foot caught. The world tilted. I was falling, falling—


    The ground rushed up to meet me. Agony flared through my knee as it struck the unforgiving ground. Jagged leaves and shards of bark ripped into my hands. Copper flooded my mouth—blood, I’d bitten my lip.


    With a groan, I forced myself up. My knee protested with every step, the sharp jolt radiating through my leg, but I couldn’t stop. Not now. The same tingling from earlier cascaded through me once more—an energy buzzing deep throughout my entire being.


    My body was a mess of sensations—aching, tingling, burning—but I couldn’t focus on any of it now. The pain in my shoulder was nothing compared to the fear clawing at my chest.


    Then I noticed it—the silence. The loud alarms had faded, leaving only me and the forest. Gnarled roots snaked across the ground, and shadows danced between the trees, forming sinister shapes in the corners of my vision.


    Small animals scurried around me, while leaves rustled overhead as a gentle breeze stirred the branches.


    Drawing in sharp pulls of this heavy air, I winced and regrettably glanced back at the building. The library was now just a faint glow on the horizon, its alarms a distant memory.


    Crack!


    I whirled around, heart leaping into my throat. A small creature – darted across the forest floor, disappearing into the underbrush. I let out a shaky laugh, relief flooding through me.


    "Get it together, Viola," I muttered, running a trembling hand through my hair before my fingers hovered cautiously over the bite marks on my neck.


    Drawing in a sharp breath, I sobbed and wiped at the tears streaking down my face.


    He couldn''t have known I came out this far, I reasoned.


    There was no way he could track me through the dense forest. Granted, he was a Vampyr and could follow the scent of my blood, but he was probably still disoriented and weak.


    Maybe he was still famished? He devoured the librarian and wants more. The moment the thought came to the forefront I wanted to banish it. Maybe he was still trapped in the library''s basement and I don''t even know if he could leave that chamber.


    If someone had trapped him there, like the librarian hinted when he asked me why I freed him, then surely my magik couldn’t be strong enough to release the Vampyr completely. This was insane. My abilities were basic at best, pathetic at worst.


    Yet, as the thought crossed, his fierce crimson eyes came to the forefront. Next were his chilling words, "No one gets to kill you but me, ljubica. Your life is mine now."


    Why did he call me ljubica? Is that who he thought I was?


    Damn it. The Vampyr said I tasted familiar. And when he grabbed me, there was a brief moment—just a flicker—where he felt familiar too. His eyes weren’t crimson then, but a pale sky blue. It was a fleeting memory, or maybe a vision... whatever it was, it vanished almost as quickly as it came.


    Anxiety clawed at my chest, making it hard to breathe, as I considered the implications. What did all of this mean? And more importantly, what was I going to do about it?


    I let out a bitter laugh, swallowed by the dark forest. No witch, warlock, or munadi had ever wanted me, passed over again and again.


    What could I do anyway—change his hair color?


    My fingers traced the rough bark of a nearby tree, grounding me in the present. How many times had I been told I was worthless? That my magik was a joke? The memories stung, salt in wounds that had never fully healed.


    Yet, the visions and whispers had beckoned me, compelling me to act. I had repeated an incantation, and somehow, the Vampyr was free. But it can’t be that simple.


    From what I''d learned over the years, any witch can recite a spell, but manifesting it? That''s a different story entirely. It takes practice, power, and skill to breathe life into words, to pull an incantation from the realm of thought into physical reality.


    Some spells demand years of experience and reserves of power I couldn''t even dream of possessing.


    I''d heard tales of witches who practiced until they were unstoppable, and able to simply will their desires into existence. Their thoughts becoming reality without so much as a whispered spell.


    Powers, spells, incantations – they all varied based on countless factors: bloodline, training, innate talent. But one thing remained constant across all of witchcraft: a weak, basic witch cannot undo a far more potent spell. It was as fundamental as gravity, an immutable law of magik.


    And if there was one thing I knew with absolute certainty, it was that I was the definition of a weak, basic witch.


    Was this all a fluke? The thought was rational. The spell dissolving, the guard appearing, the Vampyr recognizing something in me…


    Even if all of this was just a coincidence, why had the librarian tried to kill me?


    He’d saved me once. Did he really believe that killing me would undo what I’d done?


    If I look at the facts and what had happened, that would mean none of this was a coincidence—I did release the Vampyr. And in the librarian’s mind, my death was the only way to stop him.  Reverse the release?


    I cursed, and shook my head, refusing to follow that train of thought. I didn’t want it to make sense because I couldn''t possibly be at the center of something this monumental.


    My fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palms, but something else stirred beneath the surface—an unfamiliar warmth, subtle yet growing, like embers beneath ash.


    Could that be… my magik?


    No. It couldn’t be.


    The forest whispered around me, the rustling leaves almost mocking. With scattered emotions, I peered into the darkness. Branches stretched, and my legs itched to run.


    My heart raced as I fixed my gaze on the distant glow of the library. If I could just pinpoint the front, I’d find the road, and then the bus… back to Toronto, back to normal. I needed to get out of here. Now.


    There! Noticing the front of the distant building, I started toward that direction.


    I limped forward, each step sending a sharp throb through my knee. Panic surged as a branch snapped behind me. Before I could react, he materialized from the shadows, summoned by the night itself.


    I froze.


    I knew Vampyrs well enough to know they possessed inhuman speed, but he’d been locked away for gods know how long. He should have been weak, starved, feral. He was two out of the three and here he stood—his movements too quick, too precise.


    The Vampyr stood naked, his skin glowing under the moon, streaked with the librarian''s blood. Those crimson eyes locked onto mine, burning with an intensity that rooted me to the spot. I felt exposed, vulnerable, acutely aware of how little space separated us.


    I tried to run, but it was futile. In a flash, he was on me. His hand fisted in my hair, from behind and yanked my head back sharply. “Ow, you’re hurting me!” Pain flared, sharp and blinding, but it was swallowed by the heat coursing beneath my skin.


    “You think you can run from me?” His rough voice was hot against the back of my neck. His scent—raw and disturbingly familiar—wrapped around me like suffocating smoke.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    “I didn’t do anything!” I shrieked, twisting against his grip, but his fingers only tightened, digging into my scalp like iron talons.


    Suddenly, he spun me to face him. His eyes burned dangerously and my hands collided with his chest—cool, impossibly hard, yet not smooth. “Don’t lie to me.”


    Tears streamed down my face, “I don’t know what you want from me!”


    Dusting hairs brushed against my palms, soft and deceptive against the rigid muscle beneath. The contrast sent a shiver down my spine, but not the kind born of terror. This was something else, something far more dangerous. Far more consuming.


    “I wasn’t with the librarian!” My voice shook, desperate, pleadin as his rage pressed in on me, suffocating. “I don’t care where you go... but you’re free!”


    This was madness, because not only was he naked but he was unhinged with rage.


    "Free?" His voice dripped with disdain as his knuckles tightened even worse in my hair. "You think this is freedom?" His crimson eyes bored into mine, wild and filled with so much hate.


    For me…


    Tears burned down my cheeks, my voice a fragile whisper. “The world is yours... I—I couldn’t hurt you, even if I wanted to.”


    "Ljubi,” he continued. “You wear a different face, but I know it’s you. You trapped me in that hell, and now I''m cast into a world that no longer belongs to me."


    He jerked me closer, lifting me onto the tips of my toes. His lips hovered near mine, a silent threat of destruction. “It''s all different, the scent of the air and constant noise in the distance…” Heat radiated from him. A cruel, terrifying embrace that dared me to close the distance. My entire body hummed with a pulse that shouldn’t be.


    “You smell just like her," The Vampyr rasped, his lips brushing my neck. "But you feel different... Why do you feel different?"


    “I’m not her.”


    “Oh, such pretty little lies," he purred, his voice dripping with malice. "I’ve waited centuries to taste that power again... to feel it writhe beneath me."


    "Whoever you think I am, I have no power," I whispered, though even to my own ears, the words were fragile


    A flame intensified—a pulse of heat spreading beneath my ribs, growing hotter and fiercer with every heartbeat. My breath caught in my throat as a strange acceptance began to creep over me. It was my magik!


    The Vampyr’s nose grazed my neck, skimming my collarbone as he inhaled deeply, savoring me. I shuddered under the weight of his nearness. “Those fierce eyes,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble against my skin, “They’re hers. Unmistakable.”


    I shook my head, though my voice was barely a whisper. "You’re not listening to me. I’m not her." But even as the words left my mouth, doubt curled inside me, thin and insidious.


    Before I could blink, he moved—faster than I could track, a blur of raw power. My back slammed into the rough bark of a tree, the impact knocking the air from my lungs.


    Pain lanced up my spine, sharp and biting, but I barely registered it. The only thing I felt was his gaze—burning into me, consuming me.


    “Stop lying to me!" The Vampyr’s roar echoed through the forest, vibrating through my chest, and rattled my bones. His grip on my hair loosened only to shift, his hand snapping to my face. His palm clamped over my mouth, his fingers digging into my cheeks with bruising force. I tried to twist away, but it was no use. His strength was overwhelming, his control absolute.


    Around us, the rustling leaves fell silent, the night creatures halted their calls as if the very air cowered under the weight of his fury.


    His eyes darkened,  “Enough games.”


    “I’m not playing any games,” His hand muffled my argument. “And you have the wrong woman.” I glared back at him, even as my heart raced. Even if my words weren’t clear enough.


    The Vampyr snarled, but then, unexpectedly, his grip softened—just for a moment. In that fleeting instant, his wild crimson eyes flickered with a hint of something beyond rage, something maybe…doubt and vulnerability. He wasn’t invincible but just as quickly, it vanished, replaced by the familiar crushing pressure of his hold, suffocating and unyielding.


    I felt a tremor shoot through me—not just from fear, but from something deeper. That pulse of intensity was back. Now, it flickered again, but this time it was sharper, more insistent.


    "Ljubi," he murmured, the endearment dripping with warning, "If you keep denying it, I’ll put that pretty little mouth of yours to better use."


    Oh God. I tried to retreat, but there was nowhere to go—the rough bark of the tree pressed into my back, and the Vampyr was all too close and all too naked, crowding my front. Panic clawed at my chest, stealing my breath and making my head swim. And then I felt it.


    His hardness, unyielding and deliberate, pressed into my lower belly, a stark reminder of just how trapped I was.


    Without thinking, I thrashed against him.


    No, I wasn’t going down like this! My thoughts screamed, frantic and wild, but the more I struggled, the tighter his grip became—unyielding, absolute.


    In a blur of motion, he spun me around. The bark of the tree scraped against my skin as my chest pressed into the rough surface, his bare body flush against mine. His skin was hot, scalding, as if branding me with every inch of contact.


    I thrashed, desperate to break free, but he only pressed closer, closing the space between us. His hardness pushed against me through the thin barrier of my tights, a cruel reminder of just how easily he could take everything from me.


    A dark laugh rumbled from his chest. “Mmm... keep fighting, Ljubi. All you’re doing is making me harder.”


    Tears continued streaming down my face as panic flooded my chest, “Please…” I begged and stopped the fighting but his hand only slid down my side, slow and deliberate, savoring every squirm, every flinch.


    “You can change your face a thousand times, but you’ll always be mine,” he murmured, his voice thick with a twisted blend of affection and menace.


    “Who do you think I am?” I asked sniffling and crying.


    “Katherine," He hissed the name like a curse, venom and longing tangled together. The same name the librarian had uttered, now burning between us.


    This time, upon hearing that name a memory stirred just out of reach. Everything was just fucking out of my reach tonight.


    "You are my wife," he whispered. "We were bound long ago, or have you forgotten?"


    I shook my head, refusing his accusation. Even if I wanted to, the words refused to form on my tongue. They choked on fear and confusion.


    His breath brushed my ear, warm and slow, stirring the fine hairs at my nape. "Have you worn this skin for so long that you forgot who you belong to?"


    The question slithered through the space between us and surely, he didn’t expect me to answer him.


    His teeth scraped my earlobe, a calculated tease that shattered my resolve. My body betrayed me with a helpless shudder, every nerve igniting beneath his touch. "Your body has always been mine, Ljubi," he murmured, his voice dipping into a low, possessive growl. "Even before this life—every breath you take, every inch of you... it belongs to me."


    The Vampyr caressed my thinly covered ass with a rough groan and then he thrusted against my lower back, grinding into me like I was nothing more than an object. The barrier of my tights did nothing to block the heat of him. There was no space between us, no room to breathe—just him, cold and unyielding.


    The damned Vampyr was getting off on this, using my body like it was his right.


    “Why did you do it?” His voice was a low, deadly murmur as he thrust against me again, and again.


    “Do what?” I asked, my voice shaky.


    With a throaty growl, his hand shot out, grabbing my neck from behind in a brutal grip. His fingers tightened around my throat, pulling me back against him. I gasped as he squeezed—just enough to make breathing a struggle.


    Every touch was a warning that he could break me with a thought, a whim—and still, I felt the pull of him, dark and inescapable, wrapping around me like chains.


    Yet, I dared not move to join him.


    This was crazy and he was assaulting me.


    “Betray me,” The Vampyr answered with the promise of destruction with those two simple words.


    I gasped, my pulse pounding in my throat as instinct took over. I clawed at his hand, nails digging into his skin. Desperation surged as I tried to pry his fingers away, to stop the pressure closing in around my windpipe, but it was like trying to tear stone from the earth. He didn’t flinch.


    His grip tightened mercilessly, cutting off my air as he pressed his body against mine, grinding with a brutal, punishing rhythm. Each thrust forced me harder into the rough bark of the tree, scraping against my skin, a cruel reminder of my helplessness.


    My breath hitched, the world narrowing to his unyielding strength and the sickening heat of him, claiming me as if I existed solely for his savage pleasure. My lungs burned, and my body trembled and ached—caught between revulsion and the suffocating weight of his control.


    “I want to feel you,” He growled, hands now pawing at my tights. “Every inch of you, Ljubi. I want to be inside you, to take what’s mine.”


    It dawned on me, this wasn’t just hunger or fucking—it was something far darker. The Vampyr’s rage burned with a primal, twisted desire that went beyond feeding. He didn’t just want my blood; he wanted to consume me, to claim every part of me.


    His gaze, his touch, every word and every thrust—it was possessive, a declaration that I was his, and his alone.


    My nails scraped against his unyielding skin, the fight draining from my limbs as the lack of air made my head spin.


    My strength was obviously no match for him. But then it shifted again, magik. Hot, searing, a pulse of raw power that began to flood my veins like molten fire. It rose from the pit of my soul, demanding to be unleashed.


    The spell teetered on the edge of my mind, sharp and untamed but the crushing weight of his hand at my throat fractured the words, my vision blurring. He was going to strangle me, and then something in the corner of the peripherals caught my eye.


    The air trembled as a beam of light cut through the night, blinding in its brilliance. It struck Matic from behind me, with a force that seemed to shake the very ground beneath us.


    The Vampyr flew back as if he weighed nothing, and the forest erupted into chaos. Trees groaned and leaves rustled violently as his body crashed through the underbrush.


    Unexpectedly, a wave of pain crashed over me, sharp and insistent. I winced, gasping as my legs buckled beneath me, forcing me to my knees.


    A dull, gnawing ache bloomed on my left side—not as intense as the initial blow, but unmistakably familiar. An echo of the same pain from the chamber, when the librarian attacked the Vampyr.


    "What the hell?" I muttered, blinking rapidly.


    Was his pain... connected to mine?


    Before I could process that unsettling thought, movement flickered in the corner of my eye.


    Four dark figures emerged from the forest, their shapes blurring into the shadows. Friend or foe, I couldn’t tell. My trust was shattered, the lines between savior and enemy too blurred—after all, the librarian had saved me, then tried to kill me.


    I tensed, forcing myself upright, every muscle poised to run if it came to that.