Lustborn

The temple had grown quieter since the Rite.

Not truly silent—there were still the echoes of prayers, the rustle of robes, the occasional soft moan carried from hidden chambers—but quieter in a way that felt unnatural. As if something held its breath beneath the walls. Watching. Waiting.

She noticed it first in the eyes of the acolytes. One in particular.

His name was Kael—quiet, composed, always lingering at the edges of things. He was one of the newer initiates, not born into the temple but brought in after showing signs of sensitivity. His presence had always been... still. Grounded. But lately, something in him pulsed with strange urgency.

He'd been watching her.

Not like the others did, not with mild curiosity or judgment. Kael's eyes burned when they landed on her—like he saw something only he could taste.

That night, she couldn't sleep. Not from nightmares, not even from the demon whispering anymore. No—tonight her skin was too warm. Her throat too dry. Her core aching with a need she didn't understand. Like hunger… but deeper.

She stepped out into the marble corridor of the sleeping chambers, feet bare, breath light. The torches were dim, casting a crimson hue across the halls. Her shift clung to her, thin and damp with sweat.

Then she saw him.

Kael. Leaning against one of the pillars, his robe undone at the chest, revealing taut muscle and a dark sigil pulsing faintly beneath the skin above his heart. He wasn't just watching her now.

He was waiting.

"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked, voice soft but trembling with something unspoken.

"No," he said. His voice was different. Lower. Smoother. "There's something in the air. Can you feel it?"

She nodded. Her heart stammered in her chest. Something in her screamed to walk away. But her body—her body moved closer.

Kael reached out, slowly, as though testing her. His fingers brushed her wrist. A bolt of heat shot up her arm, straight to her lungs. Her lips parted slightly, breath hitching.

And then she felt it—the demon.

Not in her this time, but through him. The same dark presence. The same hunger. It had slipped inside Kael, feeding off the desire that pulsed between them.

She took a shaky step back.

"Kael... you need to stop. Something's wrong," she whispered.

But his gaze was glowing now, pupils wide and black. Not entirely his own.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said. But his fingers moved to her waist, gentle but firm. "But I can't stop this either."

She gasped as he pulled her against him. Their bodies pressed tight, and she could feel his need as if it were her own. The line between them blurred. Her mind screamed for clarity—but her body betrayed her.

She wanted him.

No—she wanted this. The sensation. The surrender. The lust.

"You feel it too," he murmured. "Don't lie to yourself. It's in both of us now."

His lips were at her neck, breath hot. And for a moment, she let go. Her head fell back, fingers curling into his robe. She felt everything. The ache. The fear. The raw pleasure inching closer.

But the moment stretched—and something inside her snapped.

She pulled back, chest heaving. "No," she breathed. "This isn't real. This isn't us."

Kael blinked. Something flickered in his eyes. Confusion. Pain. And then—the demon shrieked, a silent, invisible sound that tore through the space between them.

Kael dropped to his knees, clutching his head. "Get it out... get it out—!"

She knelt beside him, gripping his shoulders. "Fight it," she said, voice steady despite the storm inside her. "You're not alone. I know what it's like."

The glow in his eyes dimmed. Sweat rolled down his temples. And just like that, the presence retreated—leaving them both trembling, undone, hollow.

They sat on the floor of the corridor, tangled in silence and candlelight.

"I'm sorry," he said eventually, voice hoarse. "I didn't want to—"

"I know," she interrupted gently. "It's not your fault. It's him. He's spreading."

Kael nodded. "He used me… because I already wanted you."

Her breath caught. She didn't respond. She didn't need to.

They sat in silence again, two souls fractured by desire, by possession, by something deeper than either of them fully understood.

And somewhere in the shadows, the demon smiled.