<h4>Chapter 186: Dark Dark Desires</h4>
<strong>Dean’s POV</strong>
The walk back to the cottage was silent. Not thefortable kind of silence, but the heavy, suffocating kind that came when both of us knew exactly what was at stake and neither wanted to say it out loud.
Kane walked beside me, his posture tense, his mind clearly running a thousand miles an hour. I wasn’t any better. The witches had left us with a choice that wasn’t really a choice at all—either Kane overwhelmed the darkness inside Elena, or he ended up like Ace. Dead. And if he seeded, I had to absorb it, knowing it would end me.
A fucking death sentence, wrapped up in some poetic witchcraft bullshit.
But what other choice did we have?
Elena was running out of time.
And the longer she stayed like this, the more we risked her beingpletely consumed by whatever dark voodoo had taken root inside her.
The sound of our boots crunching against the dirt path was the only noise between us. The air was thick with tension, an eerie stillness settling over the forest as the sun had long since disappeared, leaving only the silver glow of the moon.
Then Kane spoke, his voice low. "Do you think she’ll survive it?"
I didn’t answer right away.
Because I didn’t know.
I wanted to say yes. Wanted to tell him that Elena was strong enough toe out of this alive, that she’d fight, that we’d find a way to keep her here.
But that would be a lie.
And Kane didn’t need a lie.
So instead, I sighed. "She has to."
Because the alternative?
Losing her?
Not fucking happening.
Kane clenched his jaw. "We shouldn’t have left her alone."
"We didn’t have a choice," I reminded him. "We needed answers."
He let out a bitter chuckle. "Yeah, well, now we have them, and they’re absolute shit."
Couldn’t argue with that.
As the cottage came into view, a feeling of unease curled in my gut.
Something was off.
The moment we stepped closer, Kane stiffened beside me, his nose ring. "Something’s—"
Then we heard it.
A low, breathy moan.
A woman’s moan.
Elena.
Kane’s eyes turned sharp as he lunged forward, throwing the door open without hesitation.
And what we found inside...
Fucking hell.
Ste was on the bed,pletely naked, her legs spread wide, and straddling her, just as equally bare, was Elena.
Their bodies were pressed together, grinding against each other, their moans mixing in a sinful, erotic melody.
Elena’s ck eyes flickered toward us, but there was no shame, no hesitation. Only hunger.
A cruel, knowing smirk yed on her lips as she ran her hands down Ste’s trembling body, nails dragging down flushed skin.
"Boys," she purred. "You’re back."
Kane growled, his entire body vibrating with fury. "What the actual fuck is going on?"
Elena let out a breathy sigh, rolling her hips against Ste’s, making the woman whimper. "You left me alone," she used, her voiceced with something dark, something unnatural. "I needed something to do."
"Something to do?" Kane snapped, his golden eyes glowing dangerously.
I didn’t speak.
I couldn’t.
I was too busy staring.
At her.
At them.
Because even though I knew this wasn’t truly her, even though I knew this was the darkness inside of her twisting her, turning her into something insatiable...
Fuck.
She was temptation itself.
And she fucking knew it.
Elena shifted, slowly, deliberately, her gaze locked on mine as she leaned down, licking a slow, teasing line along Ste’s neck before biting down—not hard enough to break skin, but enough to leave a mark.
Kane lost it.
His growl shook the walls, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Get the fuck off her."
Elenaughed. A sweet, wicked sound that sent a chill down my spine. "Why?" she asked, tilting her head. "Jealous?"
Kane took a step forward, but I threw an arm out, stopping him. Not yet.
We had to y this carefully.
"She’s not yours to y with," I said instead, my voice low, dangerous. "And you know it."
Elena hummed. "No, she’s not." She shifted again, her hips rolling against Ste’s in a way that made the poor woman gasp. "But she’s so eager, so easy to mold. Like a doll."
Ste whimpered beneath her, her body betraying her even as tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
She wasn’t in control.
She was under Elena’s spell.
Fuck.
"Elena," I said carefully, stepping closer. "You don’t want this."
She arched a brow. "Don’t I?"
"No," I said firmly. "This isn’t you."
Something flickered in her eyes. A brief hesitation. A sliver of something... real.
But then, just as quickly, it was gone.
She licked her lips, her nails dragging down Ste’s trembling thighs. "You should join us," she whispered, her voice like silk. "I know you want to."
My throat tightened.
She was ying a dangerous game.
And Kane?
He wasn’t ying.
With a sudden, snarling growl, he moved.
Fast.
One second he was standing beside me, the next, he was ripping Elena off of Ste, tossing her onto the bed with enough force to make the mattress groan.
She hissed, eyes shing. "Kane—"
"Enough," he snarled.
Ste scrambled off the bed, panting, her hands shaking as she clutched the sheets to her chest.
Elena sat up slowly, tilting her head, her ck eyes gleaming. "You’re no fun."
Kane was breathing hard, his fists still clenched at his sides.
I took a step forward, keeping my voice calm, measured. "We’re done ying, Elena."
She pouted, running her tongue along her lips. "That’s a shame."
I exhaled. "We found a way to help you."
Her expression didn’t change. "Oh?"
"It’s risky," I admitted. "But it’ll work."
Her smirk widened. "And let me guess. It involves fucking me?"
I didn’t answer.
Didn’t need to.
She knew.
And from the way her eyes darkened, from the way she sighed in pleasure, she was looking forward to it.
But she had no fucking clue what this meant for me and Kane.
That one of us—maybe both—wouldn’t survive it.
And as sheid back on the bed, spreading her legs, her voice dropping to a purr, I felt the weight of what wasing next settle deep in my chest.
"Then what are you waiting for?"