The Devil's obsession with the Heiress

[Music recommendation: Andrea Vanzo - Courage to Change]

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"Aliana."

The moment she heard her name on his lips, Aliana didn’t realise when her feet began to move on their own. Her lips trembled, but no words came out. All she knew was that one moment she had been pinned against the cold wall, and the next, she was running towards him as if he were the only thing anchoring her to this world.

Without a single thought, without any restraint to stop her, she closed the distance. She crashed into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding onto him like a lifeline.

Gavriel, who had been consumed by anger only seconds ago, whose body burned beyond control and whose power still leaked at a dangerously high level, had not expected this.

The very woman he had saved without even lifting a finger was now clinging to him with a desperate, crushing grip.

His eyes, flickering between blue and red, widened the moment her body collided with his, and he went completely rigid.

For a long moment, he did nothing.

He didn’t push her away or return her embrace.

He simply stood there, his body caught in a rare, unfamiliar state of shock.

He didn’t fully understand how he had arrived here, but he hadn’t missed the way she screamed his name. The sound of it had stirred something so primal within him....something that had only fuelled the bloodlust still thrumming through his veins.

But most shocking of all, he hadn’t expected to be held by her out in the open while the full moon was still high, rather than withering away in the dungeon where he had been only moments ago.

He didn’t remember the moment he moved, nor when his body had shattered the shackles. He only knew that he had vanished from that cell and reappeared at the hotel courtyard, not caring who might witness his presence.

When he saw her pressed so helplessly against the wall with those filthy hands upon her, something predatory flared within him. Before he could even lift a finger, his darkness reacted, wiping them out in a single, violent outburst.

’How...’

Before he could even complete the question in his head, a broken, fragile sound reached his ears.

When he blinked, it came again, softer yet unmistakeable, and this time it struck him with clarity...it was a sob.

Realisation crept in, piece by piece.

The slender, delicate form clinging to him so desperately was... trembling. The fear radiating from her was dense, coating the air between them until he could nearly taste it.

And he did.

Yet, for the first time, the sensation did not please him.

For a being who thrived on such emotions, who savoured them, he found himself unsettled by the involuntary way he was consuming hers.

A faint frown formed on his gorgeous face as his gaze dropped to her.

She had buried her face against his neck, as though seeking refuge, and he became acutely aware of her warm, uneven breaths brushing against his skin.

With the full moon still on the rise, he knew exactly how dangerous this situation was... for her.

Because his body had began to burn with renewed intensity.

The dark desires that had momentarily retreated resurfaced, fueled by the warmth of her body against his.

His hands, which had been hanging at his sides, twitched before lifting up... as if he no longer possessed the will to control them. Her scent was so intoxicating that Gavriel felt high on it that he wanted nothing more... than to drown in the fragrance... to drown in her.

He wanted to consume her completely.... and at that thought, his darkness hissed with excitement, ’Yes... take her.’

The voice slithered through his mind, and his eyes turned blood red, slits cutting through them as the beast within him awakened. With that, his warm, powerful arms finally wrapped around her.

Just as he did, he felt Aliana’s grip tighten around his neck. Her reaction to his touch only pleased him immensely, feeding the dark desires that were beginning to take deeper root within him under the pull of the full moon.

Before he could stop himself, he leaned into her, burying his nose in her hair as he drew in a deep breath of her scent for the first time at such close proximity.

The moment he did, a low hum resonated through his entire being and something unexpected happened.

His body, which had been burning, began to cool slightly, and the darkness that had been leaking out of him uncontrollably started to feel... satiated.

’What is this... this euphoric feeling?’ Gavriel’s mind whispered. Almost unconsciously, his grip around her tightened, drawing a soft shudder from her.

Lost in the moment, as his hands trailed up her back to weave into her silken, soft hair he had always wanted to touch but he stilled upon hearing her quivering, low voice.

"Y-you... came."

"I... knew it... I knew... only you... only you could save me. I was... right."

The fear and quivering in her voice acted like a jolt of electricity, snapping him out of his hazy state making Gavriel freeze for a couple of seconds.

Then, closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath of her scent, forcing himself to regain control over both his mind and the situation he found himself in. Suppressing every dark urge that invoked within him at her closeness, he slowly opened his eyes, their colour returning to an icy blue.

His hands, which had stilled against her back, finally moved to her shoulders as he gently tried to ease her away from him.

But at his movement, her grip tightened around him instead.

A desperate whisper filled the air, "Please... don’t. I can’t..."

"Aliana."

Gavriel finally found his voice, speaking softer than he ever had to anyone in his life. "You need to let me go."

He felt her head shake in defiance, her whisper growing more frantic. "No... they will come for me! I can’t... please."

It was then he realized that this feisty little rose, who always presented him with a strong front, was actually frightened out of her wits. She was so terrified that she didn’t even realize that in escaping one danger, she was embracing another.

Letting go of her trembling shoulders, Gavriel instead curled his warm fingers around her hands, which were locked tightly around his neck, and gently began to untangle them.

"No one is going to come, Aliana," he said, his voice firm despite its softness. "You need to let go... now."

At the quiet command in his tone, she finally loosened her grip, allowing him to free her hands, only for him to realise just how ice-cold they were.

It was then, in the darkness, with moonlight spilling over her, that she lifted her head and finally met his eyes. Only then did he notice how pale she looked, her beguiling light grey eyes glistening with tears that continued to stream down her cheeks.

His brows creased further at the sight of her when he felt her slowly pull her hands away from his grip.

With a hint of reluctance, he let go, expecting her to finally step back.

But to his surprise, she reached for him again, her fingers clutching the front of his black overcoat, the fine fabric crumpling tightly in her grasp.

Her trembling lips parted as she pleadingly whispered, "Don’t... leave me alone... please."