I woke at dawn, still feeling Lucian's warmth soaked into my bones. I turned in bed looking for him but found only cold sheets and silence. The knife on the floor, covered in something black and viscous, was the first sign that something had gone wrong.
-Lucian? -I whispered, rising slowly.
He was sitting by the window, shirtless and tense. As I approached, I saw new words etched into his skin, phrases in my own handwriting, fragments I had once poured into the journal.
-What does this mean? -I asked softly.
-Every time you write about me, you bind me tighter -he replied without looking at me. -Thorne came back because you remembered him. Every desire you feel feeds him.
-I didn't mean to...
-But you did -he interrupted, turning to me, anguish clouding his eyes.
My breath quickened.
-Where is he?
-Waiting for you -he said bitterly- In your living room.
I stepped out carefully. Thorne stood in front of the closed journal, caressing it with his fingers. His golden eyes rose to meet mine, trapping me in an instant.
-Emma. Finally.
-What do you really want? -I demanded, my voice trembling.
-The same thing Lucian does. But our bond came first. You wrote me before you wrote him.
Guilt and curiosity pierced through me. I instinctively took a step back.
-I can't give you what you want.
-Of course, you can -he said, stepping closer gently -You just must accept it.
Lucian burst in, his gaze sharp.
-Stay away from her, Thorne.
-She gets to decide -Thorne replied calmly.
Lucian moved forward slowly, tension in every muscle.
-She already has.
-Has she? -Thorne smiled. -Or did she just write another fantasy?
I looked at them both, caught in a conflict I couldn't control.
-Emma -Thorne said -you've always had the power to choose.
Lucian stared at me, pain raw in his expression, more vulnerable than I had ever seen him.
-Lucian...
-Don't -he cut me off with a hoarse voice. -Not now.
Thorne stepped back, satisfied with the uncertainty he'd stirred.
-I'll be waiting, Emma -he said, disappearing slowly into the hallway.
I moved toward Lucian. At first, he avoided my touch. Then, slowly, he let me in.
-I can't lose you -he whispered, broken. -I can't.
He kissed me with urgency, lips crashing onto mine in a mix of desperation and need. I clung to him, craving his truth, something real. He carried me back to the bedroom, his hands moving slowly, torturously, claiming every inch of me with absolute possession.
-Tell me you want me -he whispered against my skin. -Only me.
-I want you, Lucian -I gasped- Only you.
Pleasure built; a spiral that threatened to break me open. His breath on my neck, his lips at my collarbone, each touch pulled me deeper into a place I didn't want to escape. My legs trembled. My senses surrendered. But just as I was about to completely fall.
The room shook.
The journal burst open. One word burned across the page:
"Remember."
Lucian froze, horror in his eyes as Thorne's name appeared beside his own.
-You can't choose us both, Emma -he whispered. -Or it'll destroy us.
I said nothing, torn between guilt and desire. I approached the journal, my fingers trembling.
-Show me what I've forgotten- I whispered.
The pages turned themselves, stopping on an old, time-stained line:
"I want him with an intensity that shatters every boundary. And I fear I won't be able to choose."
I closed my eyes. The ink pulsed beneath my fingertips as if alive. I touched another page… and without thinking, wrote:
"If part of me belongs to Lucian… why does my soul tremble when I see Thorne?"
Immediately, an image formed before me. A vision. Me, in a fog-shrouded forest, kissing Thorne under the rain, my dress torn, my legs wrapped around his waist, his breath hot at my ear. So vivid I gasped, stumbling back.
Lucian rushed to my side, grabbing me tightly.
-What did you see?
-Something… from before. A memory.
-It wasn't real. It's a trap from the journal -he said. -He's using you.
-What if he's not? What if it's part of who I am?
Lucian let go, his gaze both wounded and fierce.
-Do you still want him?
-I don't know -I whispered. -But he knows me too… like he once loved me.
Lucian turned away, eyes clenched shut.
-Then go to him. Find out. But don't expect me to wait while you do.
His words cut deep.
-Lucian, I don't want to lose you.
-Then choose. Because if you don't, the journal will do it for you.
And with that, he walked away, leaving me alone with the journal still open, humming with secrets and visions.
I sank to the floor, shaking. The walls felt like they were closing in. I remembered the first time I wrote about Lucian- the dreams, the details, the desire. None of it had been random. I had called something. Or someone.
-What am I to you both? -I murmured. -And who am I without you?
As if in answer, another page turned. Written in dried blood:
"The divided soul cannot survive."
My heart thudded.
For the first time, I understood this triangle wasn't just desire or destiny. It was a curse.
And as I looked up, Thorne stood at the doorway, watching me.
-Ready to know the truth? -he asked softly.
And every hair on my body stood on end.
Because this time… I wasn't sure I wanted to hear it.