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SWEETER THAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

AURA

I couldn’t remember ever feeling such fear in my life. Fear of being caught, fear of destroying the people I cared about. Fear of completely losing my mind. But I could feel it encroaching on me like a poison. Each moment of clarity was growing farther away, and I was trying to grasp it, to hold onto it with what little control I had left.

Everything ached as we walked. The shoes Sylvan had loaned me were a little too tight, but I was grateful I didn’t have to trudge through dirt and wild grasses with bare feet.

It was silent as we walked beneath the cover of night. Sylvan’s scent continuously shrouded my senses, his blood growing more desirable by the moment. As the very first light of the morning bathed the tops of the trees in golden light, I found myself glancing at him with increasing frequency.

His heartbeat was thundering in my ears. Taunting. The scent so sweet I wanted to bottle it. He came to a stop, his gaze calculating, and my eyes dipped to his throat. My mouth watered before I tore my focus away

“You’re thirsty,” said Sylvan.

“I’m fine. Pretty sure I had a rabbit or something in wolf form.” I shuddered at the thought.

“You’re not fine,” he said. “I can smell your thirst. I should’ve asked Magdalena to pack some blood. I didn’t think.”

“Don’t blame yourself for shit,” I said. “Please. I’m lucid now, and the last thing I want to hear is your pitiful whining for nothing.”

He let out a laugh. “It’s nice to hear your snark again. Let’s pause. We’ve been walking for hours. I don’t know about you, but my feet hurt.”

“Everything hurts,” I admitted. The familiar fog started to ghost over my senses again, the bone-deep pain and overall feeling of malaise following behind. “I need another draft.”

“Already?”

“Yes, it won’t be long before they stop working altogether, but for now, they just wear off very quickly.”

He swallowed loudly, and I stared at his throat. His blood. So. Fucking. Sweet. Better than any blood I’d ever smelled. Sweeter than chocolate cake. My gods. I wiped the corner of my lips with embarrassment as drool leaked from my mouth.

“Aura,” he said, firmly.

“I’m fine.”

“We’re still hours from Magdalena’s place.”

I shrugged, and we continued walking. Eventually I started to stumble, my head growing woozy. Out of desperation, I sipped water from the canteen, but it did nothing to quell my thirst. Of course it didn’t.

“Alright, let’s stop and get that draft in you, then you need to drink. Do you want me to find an animal to⁠—”

“Gods, no,” I said, firmly. I’m sure my face was twisted in disgust because he laughed.

“Ah, so animal blood is below Aurelia Nygaard. Noted.”

“I dislike the taste. And I’ve tried different kinds.”

“What about a shifter’s blood?” he asked.

I frowned at him before I noticed the small spark in his eyes. “No,” I said, harshly. “I can wait.”

“You’re already lacking energy from the Lobofebris as it is,” he said. “Or do you just prefer not to drink from a lycan?”

“I obviously never have before, so I can’t judge,” I said. “But in case you didn’t realize, my condition is deteriorating quickly. Who’s to say I won’t completely lose control and drain you?”

“You won’t.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence, but you don’t know that.”

“I do.”