Chapter Five - Taste of Temptation
1215 Words
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❖ Midnight – Magnus’ Apartment
Evelyn jolted awake again—sweat clinging to her skin, her heartbeat hammering in her chest.
The scream had died in her throat this time.
The dream was the same.
Fire. Bone. A crown of shadows on Magnus’ head. A creature rising behind Lilith, eyes glowing like a sun burning out.
She sat up in the bed Magnus had given her—his bed—but he hadn’t shared it since she returned. He slept on the chaise near the window, if he slept at all.
He was gone now.
Again.
Just silence, shadows, and her own trembling hands.
Evelyn hugged her knees to her chest.
> I can't tell him.
He’d already been battling his hunger, pushing her away to protect her. If she told him the dreams were getting worse, he’d shut down completely.
And she needed him to open up.
She needed answers.
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❖ Morning – Magnus’ Study
Magnus sat stiffly at the edge of a leather armchair, fingers locked tight, jaw clenched. He hadn’t fed. Again.
Her scent was in every room.
Every breath was agony.
Her blood called to him louder with each passing day.
And yet, when he looked at her—eyes full of confusion and longing—he knew he couldn’t touch her.
Not yet.
She was fragile. His curse. His salvation. His end.
> She’s already waking up screaming. If I give in to this bond, I might break her completely.
Arnold walked in, tossing keys in the air. “I’ll drive her to school.”
Magnus nodded silently.
Arnold gave him a long look.
“You look like hell.”
“I feel worse.”
“Maybe because you’re starving yourself while pretending you’re noble.”
“I won’t lose control.”
Arnold snorted. “You already are.”
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❖ Silverthorne University – School Grounds
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Evelyn confessed softly as Arnold pulled the car to a stop by the fountain.
Ivy waved from the steps, but Evelyn didn’t move.
“I can’t concentrate. I flinch at every shadow. And Magnus—he’s drifting further away again. I thought bringing me back would help.”
Arnold studied her.
“You’re dreaming again, aren’t you?”
Her silence was answer enough.
“And you haven’t told him?”
“He’s already suffering.”
Arnold sighed. “So are you.”
She looked at him. “Then help me.”
“…Help you do what?”
“Get closer. Make him stop pulling away.”
Arnold blinked, then raised a brow. “You mean… seduce him?”
Evelyn turned bright red. “N-not like that! I mean—if I get close enough… maybe I can make him lose control. If he wants me, maybe he'll finally face the truth.”
Arnold’s smirk returned. “Dangerous game, Evelyn.”
“I need to know what I am. What he is to me.”
Arnold leaned closer over the console, golden eyes gleaming. “Then listen carefully. Hunger and arousal are connected for our kind. If you want him to touch, to need, all you have to do… is tempt him.”
Evelyn swallowed.
“Touch him. Breathe close. Make him ache.”
“I don’t even know how to—”
Arnold laughed. “You’re already doing it. Trust me.”
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❖ Later That Day – Magnus’ Apartment
Magnus stood frozen in the doorway.
Evelyn was waiting.
But this time she wore one of his black shirts—just the shirt—bare legs curled beneath her on the velvet couch, reading a book, hair down, lips slightly parted.
He couldn’t look away.
She looked up slowly, catching his stare.
“You’re home early,” she said innocently.
He cleared his throat. “Arnold texted. Class ended.”
“Didn’t feel like staying long.” She stood, padding barefoot toward him. “Too many stares. Too much noise.”
His eyes darkened, flicking over her figure.
She stepped closer. Her fingers brushed his wrist.
“I missed your voice.”
He stiffened.
She tilted her head. “You’re cold again.”
“Evelyn…”
“I know you’re hungry.”
“You need to stop.”
“Then make me.”
That broke something.
Magnus backed away quickly, nearly hitting the doorframe.
“You’re playing a dangerous game,” he warned.
“I know,” she whispered, stepping even closer.
“I won’t touch you.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’ll drink you dry.”
He turned and vanished into the shadows before she could reply.
But the heat between them didn’t fade.
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❖ Elsewhere – Lilith’s Sanctuary
Lilith stood before the coffin again.
Only this time, she wasn’t alone.
A figure stepped from the shadows—tall, dark-haired, with violet eyes like hers, but colder.
He wore crimson robes, ancient runes etched into his bare arms.
Darius Vaelora. Her older brother.
“You shouldn’t have opened it,” he said.
“I had to.”
“He’s still too weak. You risk destroying the balance.”
She turned to face him. “Balance was broken the moment Magnus tasted her blood.”
Darius studied her. “So you still intend to use the girl?”
“She’s not just his mate,” Lilith whispered. “She’s the lock. And I’ve found the key.”
“What key?”
She smiled.
“You.”
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❖ Magnus’ Bedroom – Midnight
The door creaked open.
Evelyn stepped inside quietly.
Magnus sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, his back to her—tense, trembling. His breath came in short, painful gasps.
She walked up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.
He flinched.
“Don’t.”
“Please.”
“I can’t take much more.”
She leaned down, pressing her forehead to his back. “Then don’t. Just let go.”
He turned suddenly, grabbing her wrists—but not to hurt her. Just to stop her. His eyes were blazing red.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing.”
“I want to.”
“Then stop playing innocent.”
“I’m not. I just want you to stop hurting.”
He lowered his head to her neck. She didn’t move. She held her breath.
But instead of biting, he trembled.
And pulled away.
“No,” he growled. “I won’t take from you like that.”
She stepped back, voice shaking. “Why does it feel like you want me to disappear?”
“Because if you stay, I’ll consume you.”
“You already are.”
He looked at her then—truly looked.
And for once, didn’t run.
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❖ End Scene – The Mirror
Lilith stood before the ancient mirror again.
Darius beside her.
The reflection flickered. Then shifted.
In it: Magnus, fangs bared, Evelyn pinned beneath him, his hands trembling against her skin… but holding back.
Lilith’s smile widened.
“Soon,” she whispered.
“Soon, he’ll have no choice.”
Darius didn’t smile.
His hand twitched toward the sword at his back.
“He won’t give her up easily.”
Lilith’s gaze turned cruel.
“Then we take her blood… or we take her soul.”
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- Writer
