Josh

Drunk. That was the only way to describe the sensation the moment Isaac’s eyes fluttered shut. The darkness clouded my judgment. It oozed into my head, making it impossible to think. His body heat poured into me, warming my skin at first, then sinking deeper, twisting into something primal.

But I needed more. Craved it like a man starved—his pain, his fears, everything that made him tremble. I wanted to absorb his suffering until nothing remained but us.

A soft whimper escaped Isaac, weak but potent enough to fog my mind. The heat should’ve been unbearable, but it wasn’t. It was… intoxicating. Like I could lose myself in it forever.

I adjusted my position, edging forward to give him more space, guiding him to sit more comfortably on my lap. His legs wrapped around my waist, fitting against me as though he belonged there.

My gaze drifted down the side of his face, tracing the curve of his jaw, the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed weakly. He felt… delicate. Breakable. My fingers flexed again, wanting—No. I clenched my jaw, biting back the urge to touch more, to feel more of him.

But my body didn’t seem to care.

Isaac’s skin was soft, almost sinful, under my touch. I trailed my fingers down the length of his spine, slow and deliberate, feeling the faint shudder that followed. His back arched slightly, and the needy gasp that slipped from his lips was the most delicious thing I’d ever heard.

I was done for.

Leaning back, I held him more firmly by the waist, the last shred of my self-control barely holding on. Even in the dark that enveloped us, my eyes roamed over every inch of him. His face was flushed, heat radiating off him in waves as the fever raged. Isaac shifted, unintentionally pressing against my groin, igniting a fire deep in my stomach that spread rapidly to my chest and lower, to my dick.

Isaac’s hands flew to his face, trying to shield himself from me. His lips parted as he shook his head, a slurred protest on his lips. “Don’t look at me.”

I grabbed his wrists, applying just enough pressure to pry them away from his face. “Let me see you.”

He shook his head again, resisting. His pulse hammered beneath my thumb, digging against his smooth skin.

I leaned in, resting my forehead against his. “I won’t force you to do anything,” I murmured, my breath brushing his skin. “But I think if we stay close, your fever will break. Like it did before. Like when you almost…”

I swallowed hard, the memory was still fresh. “When you were about to be torn apart.”

Isaac’s breath stuttered, and his voice, muffled behind his hands, was fragile. “I’m scared of the dark. It terrifies me… Black… Black is death… and when everything falls apart.”

Ah. It made sense now. He wasn’t afraid of himself. A selfish part of me felt relief that he wasn’t scared of me either.

It was the darkness. The black clouds that had surrounded us at the house, now swirled thick inside the car, suffocating everything. But it wasn’t just the darkness. It was the death of his family—their loss still clung to him, catching up now in a way it hadn’t before.

It was breaking him.

This was the first time I’d seen him like this. The first time, he’d let me glimpse how deeply he was hurting. Isaac had always appeared so strong, even yesterday, acting as though his awakening was nothing. Like the chains, the power—none of it had fazed him. But I’d known. I’d always known. He didn’t want anyone to see the darkness inside him. He didn’t want anyone to share that burden. He carried it all alone.

But I didn’t want him to.

I wanted to be the one he leaned on. The only one who could hold him this close. His every breath, every sound, every fear—it was all mine to claim. The one who knew every dark, twisted thing he kept buried. The one who shared that weight with him. Even if the darkness was everywhere. Even if it was coming from me. Even if black was me.

Isaac… he was my light. My bane.

And all I wanted was for him to rely only on me.

“Keep your eyes closed. I’m here. The darkness won’t touch you.” Guilt gnawed at me, but I pressed on. “I’m scared too. I don’t know why this is happening, but the darkness… started coming to me when I thought I was going to lose you. I’m sorry, Isaac. For everything. For keeping you in the dark all these years. For the monster I’ve become.”

Isaac’s breath hitched, and I felt his tears spill over my fingers. “Liar. Why does everyone lie to me? You never wanted me. You never made a move. How was I supposed to know?”

His body started shaking again. The car began to lift, weightless. The dark clouds around us acted like a barrier. They blocked out the world. But, I heard faint noises from outside. Things were getting out of control.

Isaac’s trembling worsened, his fever spiked, and the car seemed to float higher. “If… if we do what you’re thinking, do you think it’ll work? I don’t want to die. I don’t want to be a liar like Mom and Harper. I promised Will I’d get him, and I don’t want to break that promise too.”

“You can hate me later.”

Somehow, he knew. Just like yesterday, when I’d wanted to taste his lips, when I thought guiding him through the pain would be enough. Now he knew what I was thinking again. But this time, it wasn’t just about guiding him through his fever. It was about devouring him whole.

Isaac gave a small nod, as if he understood exactly what I hadn’t said out loud. Slowly, his hands lowered from his face, opening his eyes and meeting my gaze. His glowing gold eyes dimmed. I released his wrists, my hand sliding to his jaw. His skin was smooth, without stubble or roughness. I dug my fingers into his flesh, and he let out a low growl that shot straight between my legs, making me painfully hard.

My hand drifted lower, sliding to the base of his throat. Isaac’s back arched again, and another noise escaped him, that same needy, helpless sound that drove me wild.

I closed the distance between us, my grip firm on his throat. I crushed my lips against him, devouring every breath and moaning like a feral animal.

Isaac’s hands slid to my nape, pulling me deeper into the kiss. His lips burned with fever. Then, without warning, Isaac shoved me back. I barely had time to process before he slammed me so hard, I expected to hit the car seat.

But I didn’t.

Disoriented, I blinked, realizing we weren’t in the car anymore. My back hit something soft. What? My bed. My old bed, in my parents’ house. But that couldn’t be right. Mom had turned my room into an office years ago—there was no bed anymore. Yet here we were.

How the hell—?

I looked up at him, but Isaac didn’t seem to notice what he’d done. His glowing eyes were half-lidded, fixed on me, and before I could say anything, he came at me again. He crashed down on top of me, his mouth claiming mine in a way that made me forget everything except him. His lips were demanding, his tongue teasing and circling around my lips, tasting me, driving me insane.

I tried to stay in control and keep myself in check, but it was slipping away. He was slipping through my fingers, and I couldn’t hold back much longer. My sanity hung by a thread.

Isaac rolled his hips, sliding the length of his bulging erection against my cock. A delicious tingle spread through my spine. My nostrils flared, drawing in his scent like it was the only air I needed.

I kissed him back. A savage kiss that devoured his moans.

I needed him.

I needed to be the only thing he saw, the only thing he felt.

Isaac tore his lips from mine with a guttural sound, and I didn’t waste a second. I grabbed a fistful of his hair, jerking his head back roughly. “I will devour you whole,” I growled, “but I don’t think that’s what you want.”

He just smirked, rolling his hips again, rubbing his length against me harder. The friction was unbearable, heat pooling low in my belly. His movements became more punishing until I felt like I might burst.

I tightened my grip on his hair, my voice hoarse. “Stop.”

He stopped, his eyes locked onto mine, wild and teasing. “What if I don’t want to?” he taunted, his lips curving into a wicked smile. Then he chuckled, a dark sound, before finding a rhythm again, dry-humping my cock like he was trying to break me apart.

Was he possessed? Maybe. Maybe he was as drunk in his power, on this as I was. But right now, I didn’t care. All I knew was that I wanted to carve this into both of us—this fevered, reckless moment—forever.

My erection throbbed painfully against my jeans, grinding into his ass with each movement, and I couldn’t suppress the groan that escaped me. I tugged his hair harder. “Then I’ll take that as a yes. You can blame me later.”

A voice in the back of my head told me to stop. I needed to stop him. Stop myself. But every inch of me was in tune with him, feeding off him. Isaac’s gaze burned into mine, anticipation gleaming in his eyes, like he was daring me to make the next move.

My hand slid down his back, exploring every ridge and curve. I pressed harder with my fingers as I reached his lower back. His chest rose and fell rapidly, breaths becoming more ragged. I leaned in closer, maintaining eye contact, and let my mouth hover above his chest.

Isaac’s head tipped back slightly, giving me more room. My tongue flicked over his nipple, teasing, before I bit down hard enough to draw a gasp from him. His body jolted. I did it again, swirling my tongue over the sensitive skin. I bit and sucked until it stiffened under my lips.

His low moans filled the room, and his gaze seemed to look down on me, as if he were above me. But I didn’t care. He could look at me however he wanted, because even if he was an Esper, even if he was something beyond my reach, Isaac would be my god. I would worship him.

My other hand moved lower, brushing his waist. My fingers glided over the smooth planes of his stomach until they reached the waistband of his briefs. His muscles tensed under my touch, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned into it, silently demanding more.

I reached lower, cupping the front of his pants, feeling the hardness beneath. Isaac hissed at the contact, his hips bucking into my palm as if the simple touch wasn’t enough. And then I did the one thing I knew would push him further—I squeezed, hard.