Aeon : The Rebirth Of Void And Light!!!

The air of the planet Zurich was a poison meant for strong supernatural beings. Even the most resilient werewolves and immortal vampires couldn't handle the atmospheric pressure without a mate-bond marking, let alone a fragile human. Astraeus lay broken on the massive, king-sized bed, his lungs seizing as his body violently rejected the alien world. His vision was tunneling, the edges of his consciousness fraying into a cold, terrifying grey. He looked like a wilting flower in a frost, his pale face was slowly turning a haunting shade of blue. Standing over him, Vane the Zurich Prince and a hybrid born of a Zurich King and a werewolf Alpha, felt his own heart stutter in his chest. Seeing his mate reduced to a gasping shadow of himself made Vane’s blood run cold. He clenched his jaw so hard his muscles jumped, and he gritted his teeth against a roar of pure agony. His palms balled into tight fists, his knuckles turning white as the doctor’s words echoed in his mind like a death knell. ‘Twenty-four hours. His human body is declining in this air. The air of Zurich is a poison for him which has already corroded his fragile frame. Now, taking him back to Earth won't work. You only have one choice. Either Mark him, or watch him die.’ But Vane couldn't let go. He stared at Astraeus, who was trembling against the silk sheets, his breath coming in shallow, terrifying hitches that sounded like paper tearing. Vane’s wolf, Amarok, was pacing frantically in the back of his mind, claws metaphorically digging into his heart, while his alien soul, Zeehan, calculated the only remaining tether, a soul-bond. A total, physical claim. The room felt small, pressurized by the weight of Vane’s agonizing choice. Astraeus lay there, a fragile streak of white against the dark midnight-blue sheets. Seeing his precious little human mate’s gasps becoming more rhythmic and terrifying, Vane closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He let the weight of the decision settle into his bones before he finally moved. He climbed onto the bed, his heavy, muscular frame hovering over Astraeus, pinning the fragile, angelic human into the soft mattress. "I am sorry, sweetheart!!!" Vane whispered, looking into those teary, innocent ocean-blue eyes with his own midnight-black ones. His voice was thick with a dark, suffocating devotion, his jaw tight as he fought back the urge to howl in grief. He reached out with a huge, rough palm, gently caressing the pale, milky-white face of the boy who had become his entire universe. "I have to do this. Because I am too selfish to let go of you. I can’t live without you." He spoke with a raw grief that vibrated in the air. The sound of his voice and the sheer heat radiating from his body seemed to clear the fog from Astraeus’s mind for a split second. The human, who had been on the verge of passing out, suddenly jolted alert. His eyes went wide as he saw Vane’s fingers moving to the front buttons of his white shirt. A primal fear spiked in Astraeus's chest, and he yelped out a panicked question. "What are you doing?" He panicked, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Even though his vision was slightly clearer, the world was still a cloudy mess of indigo and gold. His usually melodious, chirpy voice was nothing more than a ghost of a sound. Vane heard the fear, and it cut him deeper than any blade. He clenched his fist tightly around the fabric of his shirt and swallowed hard, bracing himself for the hatred he was about to earn. "Doing something which you might not like, my love!!!" Vane replied. As he spoke, his midnight-black eyes began to pulse with a fierce, unnatural glow. His hands, large and trembling with the effort of restraining his power, moved down to Astraeus’s shirt, opening all of his shirt buttons one by one. "Maybe after this, you are going to hate me..." "Stop!!!!" Astraeus pleaded, his voice breaking. He reached up, his fingers curling weakly into Vane’s broad shoulders, trying to push the mountain of muscle away, but his strength was nothing compared to the Zurich Prince. Seeing it, Vane's eyes softened and with a guilty conscience he apologized to his beautiful mate. "Please forgive me for doing something which you don't want. For not asking your consent. But I don't have a choice!!!!" Vane growled, his wolf Amarok and Alin Zeehan, surging to the surface, demanding the claim to save their mate’s life. He began to lean in, his face closing the distance until their breaths mingled. Astraeus felt the sheer, predatory weight of the man above him and sobbed, his dignity fraying. "Stay the f**k away from me, you monster!!!!" Astraeus wailed, but Vane was a force of nature, part devil, part beast, and entirely obsessed. "Try to understand, sweetheart, I am doing this for you. For us." Vane’s heat was blistering. He forced himself between Astraeus’s thighs, his massive, calloused hands seizing the human’s fragile wrists. He pinned them to the silk pillows with a force that made the headboard groan, locking them above Astraeus’s head. Despite the power, he held him with a strange, desperate care, ensuring he wouldn't bruise the delicate skin more than necessary. It made Astraeus' heart shudder in his chest, feeling dread. "You can't do this to me… No, no, you can't!!!!" Astraeus cried as his words registered in his mind. "Sweetheart, listen to me…." Vane rasped, his breath hot against Astraeus’s trembling lips. His heart was breaking, but his resolve was iron. "This is something which is eventually going to happen one day or another. Let me take care of you. Let me sink into you so deep that the air of this planet recognizes you as their Queen." He tried to reason to make him understand but Astraeus wasn't ready to listen to any of it. "No... no... no..." Astraeus’s protest was cut short as Vane’s mouth crashed onto his. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a total conquest. Vane’s tongue invaded, tasting the fading divinity of the human, while his body pressed down with a crushing, carnal weight that stole Astraeus's breath. “Mmphhhh!!!” Astraeus tried to fight the kiss, but his body, starved for the energy Vane was radiating, began to betray him, melting into the Prince’s arms. Astraeus kept his lips shut tight in a final, stubborn act of defiance. Seeing this, Vane shifted his grip, using one hand to hold both of the boy's wrists while the other hand moved to Astraeus's waist. He gave a sharp pinch to the sensitive skin, making Astraeus gasp in surprise. Taking immediate advantage of the opening, Vane slid his tongue inside, exploring the sweetness of the human’s mouth. Astraeus didn't realize when he got lost in the heat. While the human was dazed by the kiss, Vane reached for the ice bags he had prepared on the nightstand. He placed them on both sides of Astraeus’s nape, the cold shock making the boy shiver. He waited, kissing him hungrily to keep him distracted while the skin numbed. Finally, Vane broke the kiss and tossed the ice bags onto the floor. Astraeus lay there gasping, his eyes fluttering shut. At that moment, Vane let Amarok take full control. When he opened his eyes again, the midnight black had been replaced by a glowing, bioluminescent gold. “Our beautiful mate!!!” The wolf grumbled through Vane’s throat. He leaned down, kissing Astraeus senseless one more time before trailing his lips down to the boy's nape. He swirled his tongue over the junction where the neck met the shoulder, tasting the salt of his skin. "Mphhh!!!!!" Astraeus let out a low, involuntary moan as Vane’s teeth grazed his skin. The sound was so sweet it made Vane’s own desire stir violently. Slowly, his fangs began to elongate, sharp and lethal. Amarok’s touch became more demanding, his hands roaming over Astraeus’s trembling body with a hunger that had been suppressed for eons. He marked every inch of skin with feather-light kisses, his scent of ozone, pine, and musk overwhelming the human’s senses. "I promise, Mate…." Amarok groaned against the skin of his neck, the vibration rattling Astraeus’s bones. He nipped at the earlobe, his voice a possessive hum. "I will try to be gentle... but you are mine now. Forever. And I’m never letting you go, my sweet Mate.” With a low, possessive growl, the wolf made the final, life-saving strike. He bit down hard on Astraeus’s nape, sinking his long fangs deep into the skin and releasing his wolf blood directly into the human’s bloodstream. "Ahhh!" Astraeus screamed as the fangs sank in. His back arched off the bed as a violent surge of dark, wild, and ancient energy flooded his veins. The power pulsed through him, forcing his human cells to adapt and survive. "Shhh, it's okay, sweetheart!!!!" Vane murmured, his voice returning as he licked the fresh mark, trying to soothe the stinging pain. Amarok had given him back the control after marking, knowing their mate needs a gentle Vane more than the beast inside him, who can't understand his feelings better than Vane. Vane could feel Astraeus’s heart racing against his own. “Just one more time!!!” Vane’s voice was husky and velvety now, the growl of the alien receding. “Please bear with it, sweetheart!!!” Vane requested before he stepped back slightly, his eyes shifting again, this time glowing a deep, forest green as his Alien Soul, Zeehan, took the lead. “Mate gorgeous…” Zeehan complimented him, pecking Astraeus’s lips softly. “Zeehan loves Mate!!!!” He looked deep into Astraeus’s eyes with an intensity that made the human tremble. “Zeehan wants to mark, mate!!! Claim Mate!!!” The alien soul’s voice was a low, vibrating thrum that seemed to command the very molecules in the air. Seeing the terror in Astraeus’s eyes, Zeehan pecked his lips again. “Don't worry, Mate. Zeehan will be quick.” Zeehan promised and hearing it, Astraeus tried to wiggle away, his mind screaming in protest, but Zeehan held him in place with effortless strength. “I’m not letting you go, Mate." Zeehan stated and Astraeus, still gasping from the shock of Amarok’s mark on the left side of his neck, tried to scramble backward. "Stop!!! What are you ...." Before he could finish, his breath hitched. He saw Zeehan’s fangs elongate. Before he could process the danger, they sank deep into the right side of his neck as with a low, possessive growl, the alien made the final strike. He bit down hard on Astraeus’s right, unmarked nape, burying his long fangs deep into the skin and releasing his alien blood directly into the human’s bloodstream. “Ahhhhh!!! It hurts!!! It hurts!!! It hurts!!!” Astraeus sobbed, his chest heaving as the new, heavy energy of the bond began to circulate through his heart. He felt violated, his body no longer feeling like his own, but Zeehan didn't budge. The alien soul was mesmerized by the glowing brand he had left behind. Astraeus thrashed his head against the pillow in a mess of pain and pure panic, his blonde hair damp with sweat and tears. Seeing the distress, Zeehan felt a surge of alien worry, he didn't want to break the treasure he had just claimed. He retreated his fangs the second the marking was done. To soothe the stinging heat, Zeehan swirled his long, cool tongue over the fresh mark. The touch was hypnotic, and Astraeus slowly stopped thrashing, his muscles turning to lead, though he still let out low, broken sobs that tore through the silence of the room. Seeing the absolute wreckage of the boy’s spirit, Vane felt a sharp pain in his own chest. He forced Zeehan to retreat, pulling his consciousness back to the front until he finally took full control of his body once more. His eyes returned to their intimidating, midnight-black depths, though now they were softened by a look of desperate regret. Vane watched the jagged, pulsing marks on Astraeus’s neck one from the wolf, one from the alien and felt a wave of crushing guilt war with his primal satisfaction. The deed was done. The human was anchored to the world, but the cost was etched in the tears streaming down Astraeus’s pale face. He loosened his grip on Astraeus’s wrists and immediately pulled the trembling human into his massive chest, wrapping his muscular arms around him in a suffocatingly protective hold. “Shhh!!!! Don't cry, don't cry Sweetheart!!! It's fine!!! It's over now!!!” Vane whispered into his hair, his voice cracking with emotion. He pressed a firm, lingering kiss to Astraeus’s forehead, his large hand coming up to cup the back of the boy’s head, forcing him to stay tucked against the hollow of his neck. Astraeus couldn't even find the strength to push him away. He just lay there, a broken bird in a golden cage, listening to the heavy, thunderous heartbeat of the monster who had just stolen his soul to save his life. The marks on Astraeus’s neck were stinging, a fresh, raw, and pulsing brand of joined fate which hummed with a strange, bioluminescent light. The human could finally breathe. The Zurich air was being filtered by the new power in his blood, but the oxygen felt like fire. He was alive, but he was trapped with a monster.