Berlin

I couldn't believe my eyes. 

Max continued to stare down at me emotionlessly as his apparent... boyfriend pushed me to the ground. My tears of happiness quickly turned in to tears of pain and betrayal as I realized that Max was paying no attention to me whatsoever, instead wrapping his arms that once held me around this imposter. 

"W-wha-" my words were cut short by a feral growl and the feeling of Osias's muscular arms wrapping around my waist, pulling me up from the ground and slipping around my waist. I melted into his chest, desperate for some kind of support, unable to hold back the ocean of tears that plagued me as I stared at the ground in a state of complete and utter shock.

Why? 

I thought that he loved me...

I thought that he was coming back for me...

Osias held me in his iron grip, and I could feel his heart beating frantically in his chest as I pressed my cheek against it.

"Who the fuck are you two!?" Osias snapped, baring his teeth in a protective manner. I could see his pupils dilate in pure rage as he scanned over the Max and the man next to him, the deadly look in his eyes indicating that he was ready to snap someone's neck. 

I turned in Osias's arms, seeing past my tears enough to see the small man jump towards to Max, hiding behind him as he gripped his hand again, obviously intimidated by the hulking figure that is Osias. Max may be large, but compared to Osias he looked a bit lacking in the muscles department. Regardless, Max cleared his throat, flicking his eyes up to Osias's and standing firm.

"Maxwell Spencer." he introduced himself before gesturing to the small man behind him who was still cowering away. "And this is my... Partner. Gus." I whimpered in pain at the sound of his voice.

Gus. That's an ugly name.

I flinched, catching Gus's eyes as he looked at me with a scowl. I stuck my tongue out at him in retaliation before burying myself back into the protective arc of Osias's arms. For the first time, I didn't want to move away, but instead found shelter and comfort in his embrace. 

"And may I ask why you decided to assault my mate?!" Osias raged, his eyes swirling with gold as he attempted to hold his wolf back from tearing into the couple. Max simply chuckled to himself in a humorless manner before flickering his eyes over to me. I held his gaze for less than a second before tearing my eyes away. 

It's nearly impossible to look an Alpha in the eyes for more than a few moments unless they are your mate or you are of an extremely high rank. With me being an Omega, and with the blank, emotionless looks he was directing towards me despite also being his mate, I could barely stand to look in his eyes at all. 

"He was just playing, that's all." Max attempted to negate the situation, playing it off as if nothing was wrong. "Maybe you should teach your little mutt to mind his own business." he continued. I didn't miss the dark look that came across his features as his lips tilted into a cocky smirk, twisting the features of the face that I used to find so handsome.

He looked like a completely different person. 

"You said you were coming back for me!" I suddenly blurted out, slipping out of my hiding space but still remaining wrapped up in Osias's comfortable arms. I felt my bottom lip tremble as I stared at him, locking eyes and refusing to let myself back down. "But all of a sudden you're in California? With another man? You told me you'd be back... You told me..." I choked out, falling to my knees and sobbing heavily into my hands as my body shook with pain. 

If he's here with another man then what was that dream?

If he's here with another man then what about us being together again?

I heard Max chuckle once again at my words, but to my ears it sounded like an evil cackle more than anything. 

"You're the guy?..." I heard Osias grunt out, picking me up off of the floor and holding me on his hip as if I was a young child while I cried into his neck. Although usually I would complain about his action, this time I embraced the comfort of his large body against my much smaller one. It was like a blanket of pure muscle and warmth, and with the multitude of emotions I was experiencing at that moment, it was welcomed with open arms. 

"Yeah, yeah. Well... Not exactly." Max rolled his eyes at Osias's question dismissively, thoughtlessly tossing his coffee cup away in the trash "He sure was a cute one, huh?" he laughed aloud at that as if it was some kind of joke as he touched his face, exploring it with his fingers as if it was foreign to him. At this point, the barista behind the counter was staring at us with an alarmed expression, but with a particularly harsh glare from Max, she scurried away quickly, leaving us alone in the small store.

"Shame that he was so stubborn. The Goddess tried to warn him, there's no coming back from the other side, but he simply didn't want to listen. Now, he's really gone. His loss." Max shrugged, the crooked smirk still lingering on his face as he continued. "It was too easy to convince him that I could bring him back, his soul was so willing to give up, all for his little fairy of a mate." He chuckled once again, the timbre now sounding demonic to my ears. 

"But I couldn't care less, honestly. I've accomplished my goal. I don't need you." he finished with a shrug of his shoulders and the same, evil smirk plastered on his lips. Gus giggled behind him and kissed his cheek at the last words.

This was not Max. This was someone else entirely, wearing Max's previous existence like a costume. 

"W-who are you?" I choked out behind my incessant tears that hadn't stopped flowing since we'd entered the shop. 

Max - no, the man who'd stolen him - grinned even wider, black overtaking the sclera of his eyes as he took a step forward. A pitch black aura danced around him, sickly black tendrils caressing his face and curling around his arms. Gus fell to his knees in front of him, staring up at him, mouth agape as if he was gazing upon the most gorgeous being he'd ever seen.

"Us Incubi do not reveal our names. But it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." 

I felt it all over again. My heart felt as if it was going to explode and my lungs closed up, causing me to sputter and cough out in agony. As little, black dots closed in on my vision, all that I remember is the feeling of Osias's arms as he rushed me out of the Cafe and into the warm, Californian air outside before I blacked out.

❦

I woke in a fluffy bed, curled up underneath a thick duvet. The light streaming through the sheer curtains of the window was tinted a light blue, signaling the setting of the sun. The air was slightly damp, but relaxingly so as the scent of the ocean was accompanied by it. I knew that we were in the vacation home, as the sounds of waves also drifted into the room. 

How long was I asleep?

I felt that Osias was not in the room with me, and I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me as the memories flooded back, corrupting my tranquil state of mind. 

He was gone. 

For the second time.

And this time, I sensed he wasn't coming back.

My last thought brought the tears back full-force. My body was wracked with sobs, and I shook silently underneath the soft covers. As if sensing my distress, I heard the door to the room creak open and the scent of all that is Osias filled the space between us almost instantly. It calmed me enough to the point where I was only hyperventilating, choking slightly as I took deep gulps of the fresh air that entered the room through the window.

"Oh kitten..." I heard Osias mumble sweetly before I felt the bed dip down beside me. Arms roped with thick muscle wrapped around me, pulling me tightly against his incredibly broad chest. I didn't fight it, melting against his body as my thoughts carried me away.

I couldn't help replaying the thought of that... demon devouring Max's soul, tricking him with the promise of a second chance at life. 

Demons were considered the scum of the supernatural world, lowly scavengers that lived off of the death and destruction of others. Incubi were particularly rare but exceptionally malicious and manipulative creatures, luring in their victims with promises of grandeur before devouring their souls, for them to never to frolic in the Goddess's lush gardens ever again. 

"Baby..." Osias whispered against the back of my neck, trailing his lips along the soft skin there. "I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry that I couldn't just take away all of your pain and suffering..." he choked out, sounding as if he was in physical pain from seeing me in such distress.

I turned around to face him in his arms, my eyes drooping from my long nap as I trailed my thin fingers along his pecs slowly, drinking in every word of what he said. I savored the tingles that shot up my arm, a welcome distraction from the dull pain that throbbed throughout my body with each beat of my heart. 

"I wish that I could change fate for you." Osias spoke gently, a surprising contrast to his usually rough and demanding voice that made people scuttle away from him with fear. "Hell, I would even fight the Goddess for you if it came down to it." I went to protest his words, but he shot me a 'don't question me' expression, pressing a finger gently against my lips. His finger burned hot against my lips, which were slightly chapped from crying, effectively silencing me when I remembered the way Max used to do the same. 

"I promise to protect you." his finger trailed along my jawline until he was cupping my cheek, pulling me ever closer. "Even if it means my life."

I looked into his eyes as I felt my resolve fall at the sincerity of his words. This man had been nothing but kind and sweet to me, even if he was a bit of an ass at times due to his tendency to let his anger get the best of him. But just like me, he was a work in progress. 

I felt myself giving in as I moved closer, seeking the addictive touch of this man that practically offered me his heart on a silver platter. Although the loss of Max tugged heavily at my heart, I felt the weight of the immense pain I'd carried on my shoulders for moths miraculously begin to lift as he held me. 

I moved ever closer, sighing softly as our lips touched, moving together in a rhythm that spoke volumes without the need for words. It was a searing kiss, one that scorches your body with sweet flames until you're left to sizzle in the aftermath of the heat. His calloused hands roamed my body with care, moving in slow motion almost as if to ask permission before they moved to another part of my body. His roaming hands took with them all of the pain that previously left me stuck in one point in time. He took it all, leaving me only with the searing hot pleasure of the his touch. In that moment I felt feather-light, like I would float away if he wasn't keeping me anchored down to reality. 

As our kiss broke off, our bodies were tangled together on the soft mattress, I felt calm. More calm than I have felt in the past six and a half months.

We laid in comfortable silence. Osias begin to drift off beside me, but I remained wide awake as I steeled my resolution deep into my mind.

It's time to go out with the old and come in with the new. I would never forget Max, but it was time for me to move on.

Finally.