Chapter 72: I'll Protect You - Riven's POV

I sagged against the headboard, gripping the edge of my bed as if it could anchor me here. My chest burned from the constant struggle, each inhale jagged, and each exhale shallow. The demon’s words echoed in my mind.

No, I would never let her accept that. Not her. Not anyone.

The bond pulsed again, warmer this time. Callista was still there, still reaching for me, though I didn’t hear her. I focused on her, letting her faint warmth touch me and reminding me why I was fighting so hard.

She trusts me, I reminded myself. And I won’t betray that.

A flicker of amusement stirred in the demon’s presence. Cute. She trusts me. How… naïve.

I gritted my teeth, ignoring the coldness that slid down our bond. “She’s not naïve. She’s brave and stronger than you know. You won’t win.”

The demon went silent, but the pressure in my head shifted again. It was as if a hand were sliding across my thoughts, testing to see what it could do. I felt my frustration and fear soar through my veins. I clenched my fists tighter, driving all of it down into something sharp.

Oh, I’ll break you, I thought, though it was less a threat and more a promise.

Another pulse of cold energy swept through the bond. This time, it lingered and curled into my chest like ice. Callista recoiled, taking her warmth with her. I winced at the sudden abruptness.

“Enough!” I shouted, voice cracking and raw with frustration. “You’re not touching her.”

A faint ripple of surprise swept through the demon’s presence. Defiant… and yet you falter. I’ve seen it. I can push. I can pull. One wrong move and you’ll lose her, anyway.

I pressed my palms to my eyes, trying to shut him out, but he wasn’t going anywhere.

You can’t protect her. You’re just a boy trying to play king while the real one waits.

I forced my head up, looking at the room with wild, burning eyes. “I’m not just a boy,” I growled, the words almost a whisper. “And I’m not playing at anything. She will be safe.”

For a moment, I sat there, trying to focus on getting a grip, but I was losing little by little. My body was becoming more his than my own. After a few more minutes, I stood and walked to the door.

I just had to see her. Just a few seconds. I had to know that she was okay.

I crept into the hallway, then went to her room. The door creaked as it opened. I gritted my teeth as I heard the noise and hoped it hadn’t woken her up. But when I peered around the edge, she was sound asleep on the bed.

A smile spread across my face as I watched her. Her scent was thick in the air, which I was growing used to and enjoying. I stayed in the doorway, watching her chest rise and fall. The steady rhythm of her breathing grounded me more than anything else had. The bond throbbed faintly in my chest, and for the first time since it began, I let myself breathe. The demon’s whispers had faded, but only slightly.

Her hair spilled across the pillow, soft and dark against the pale sheets, and I swallowed hard. For all the chaos clawing at my mind, this was still mine to protect. I wouldn’t let that change.

I edged closer, careful not to make a sound and letting the floorboards carry me in silence. Every step was a battle, as every pulse in the bond reminded me of the threat still lingering.

But still, she didn’t stir. Her trust in me, even unconscious, was a tether I clung to.

“I’m here,” I whispered softly. My words slipped across the bond like a thread of warmth meant only for her.

The demon hissed at the edges of my mind.

But she didn’t stir. Her trust in me, even unconscious, was a tether I clung to.

Callista shifted slightly in her sleep, murmuring something incoherent, and I felt my chest tighten with a mix of relief and something sharper. The darkness in me wanted to lash out at the demon for daring to touch her, but I swallowed it down, holding the line inside myself. Control wasn’t just about brute force. It was about holding steady.

I sat on the edge of her bed, careful to stay at a respectful distance, but it was getting harder to stay away. My hand hovered over the blanket, not touching or feeling, but I wanted to.

You can’t keep her safe forever, the demon whispered, curling around the edges of my thoughts like smoke. One day she’ll see the truth. She’ll know.

I clenched my jaw, keeping my eyes fixed on her sleeping face. No, I’ll keep her safe as long as I draw breath. And if you think you can touch her while I’m still standing, you’re sorely mistaken.

The darkness retreated, though I knew he wasn’t gone permanently.

Slowly, I lay down across the foot of her bed and left my hand on the top of the blankets over her feet. Though I wasn’t technically touching her, it was knowing that she was right there beneath the blankets that helped me.

“Keep sleeping,” I whispered. “I’ll make sure you’re safe.”

My muscles slackened before I realized it, the tension of the fight draining out of me as the mere closeness pulled at something deeper than thought or will. I tried to sit up and tell myself I shouldn’t be falling asleep in her room, but I couldn’t bring myself to move.

The world softened at the edges and blurred into a haze that made my eyelids droop. I didn’t resist the pull and let it drag me under.

For the first time in a long while, I didn’t dream. I didn’t hear the demon’s taunting voice. Everything was quiet.

By the time I woke, light was streaming in through the window and I realized I never made it back to my room.