20: August visitor
20: August visitor
POV – Ava
His grip on my wrist tightened before he let me go, stepping back as if I had struck him.
I opened my mouth, but no words came.
Dante’s expression turned to ice.
“I told you, Ava,” he said, voice dangerously quiet.
“You’re mine.”
Then he turned and walked away.
Leaving me standing there.
Alone.
i let out a shaky breath, my mind racing.
i could feel it.
Something was coming.
And for the first time, i wasn’t sure if Dante was the answer or the problem.
\-------------------
If You Want to Be Free, Let Him Die
Magnus’ words wouldn’t leave me.
I lay in bed, tangled in silk sheets, feeling Dante’s warmth beside me.
His arm was heavy over my waist, his grip possessive even in sleep.
And yet—I felt colder than ever.
Because Magnus had told me the one thing I wasn’t ready to hear.
That I was the key to breaking the curse.
That to free myself… Dante had to die.
I clenched my eyes shut, as if that would banish the thought from my mind.
But deep down, I knew—
Something was coming.
And I wasn’t sure we would survive it.
Dante pov
She was too still.
I could feel it—the way she held her breath, the tension in her muscles.
Ava thought she could hide from me.
She thought I wouldn’t notice the way she was slipping away.
But I did.
And I wouldn’t allow it.
I turned her onto her back, pinning her beneath me, my fingers locking around her wrists.
Her lips parted, her pupils blown wide.
"What did he tell you?" My voice was low, demanding.
She swallowed. "Dante—"
"Say it."
Her throat bobbed. "He told me I could break the curse."
Silence.
Then—a sharp, humorless laugh.
"And you believed him?" I murmured.
Her hesitation fucking burned.
I ripped the silk from her wrists, binding her to the bedpost.
She gasped.
"Dante—"
I cut her off with a slow, punishing kiss, my tongue claiming, demanding.
When I pulled back, I tightened my grip.
"You don’t get to question me." My voice was a promise and a threat.
"Not when you already belong to me."
POV – Ava
I shivered beneath him, my pulse hammering in my throat.
"Say it," he ordered.
I hesitated.
He dragged his teeth down my throat, teasing, threatening.
"Say. It."
I gasped, my body betraying me. "I’m yours."
A satisfied growl rumbled in his chest.
Dante smirked, leaning down, his breath hot against my skin.
"You can fight it all you want, Ava…"
His fingers slid between my legs, teasing me, driving me insane.
"But your body will always know the truth."
I arched under him, lost in him.
He pushed me to the edge, again and again, never letting me fall.
This wasn’t just about pleasure.
This was punishment.
And I craved every second of it.
When I finally shattered, I knew.
I had already chosen him.
Even if it meant sealing my fate.
Even if it meant dying for him.
Because I couldn’t let him go.
I wouldn’t.
\---------------------
Magnus Forces a Choice
POV – Magnus
I didn’t watch from the shadows this time.
I acted.
The moment Ava stepped outside, wrapped in only Dante’s silk robe, I was there.
Her breath caught in her throat, eyes widening as she took a step back.
But I grabbed her wrist, holding her in place.
"Time’s up, little one."
She tried to yank away. "Magnus—"
"You’re making a mistake."
Her jaw clenched. "I’ve already made my choice."
I smiled. "No, you’ve only convinced yourself you have."
I leaned in, voice a whisper against her skin.
"You think you love him. But deep down, you know what he really is."
She shuddered.
I felt it.
And I knew—I was getting to her.
\-------------------
Dante’s Rage
POV – Dante
The second I felt her fear spike, I knew.
I moved like a storm, appearing behind her in an instant.
Ava gasped as I yanked her out of his grasp, shielding her with my body.
My fangs descended. My rage coiled tight.
"You don’t fucking touch her."
Magnus chuckled, as if I were a fool for thinking I could stop him.
"She came to me," he murmured. "And she’ll come again."
I saw red.
I grabbed Magnus by the throat, slamming him against the stone wall.
His smirk never faltered.
"You think you can protect her from fate?" he whispered, voice a blade against my skin.
"She doesn’t need protection," I growled. "She needs to be kept far away from you."
Magnus smiled.
"If only that were possible."
Something inside me snapped.
I reared back and drove my fist into his ribs, savoring the crack of bone.
Magnus groaned, but his smirk never faded.
"Let’s see how long she believes in you," he murmured, blood dripping from his lips.
I released him, shoving him back.
"Stay away from her."
Magnus brushed the blood from his mouth, his eyes glinting with something dark.
"I would," he said. "But we both know she’ll come to me soon enough," then he left.
Ava pov
A sharp knock echoed through the penthouse, splitting the quiet in two.
Dante’s body went rigid.
I felt the shift in him immediately—the way his muscles tensed, the way his breath stilled in his chest.
Whoever was on the other side of that door wasn’t welcome.
I clutched the sheets, my stomach twisting. “Dante?”
He didn’t answer.
Didn’t hesitate.
He moved, fast and deadly, snatching his dagger before striding toward the door.
The air felt… wrong.
Like something ancient had just entered the room without stepping inside.
Dante threw the door open.
And the second he did, I saw it—
The smallest flicker of something I had never seen in his eyes before.
Fear.
And then, the man on the threshold smiled.
“Dante,” he said smoothly. “It’s been too long.”
His gaze shifted to me.
His smile widened.
And then, in a voice that sent a chill racing down my spine, he murmured—
"So it’s true. She really is your downfall."