Chapter 12 - Love, Memories, and Other Complications Part 2
POV:Yuki
The feel of his mana was revolting. It slithered over my skin like a mass of slimy tendrils, probing, caressing, invading. His presence was overwhelming, corrupt. I'd seen him in action before—too many times, in fact. Among hunters, he was the hunter. But being on the receiving end of that oppressive energy? It was… perverse.
The look on his face sent a shiver crawling down my spine.
"Creepy," I muttered to myself.
Steady your breathing. Make the first move. Don't hesitate.
He may have the edge in strength, but I had something he didn't—surprise. He didn't know the real extent of my abilities. He still thought my swordsmanship was lacking, inferior to my marksmanship. Not his fault, really. I'd let him think that once, during a public demonstration. A noble custom meant to showcase an heir's capabilities. I deliberately flubbed my swordplay.
Always keep an ace up your sleeve.
I needed it now.
Daggers in hand, I surged forward, ducking low and aiming a slash at his right flank.
He parried without effort.
"Is that it?" he sneered. "Please try a little harder, dear. You wouldn't want to disappoint me."
The mockery in his voice burned. I flared my mana, letting frost surge from my feet in a wide arc. Ice coiled around his boots, locking him in place.
It worked.
He didn't flinch.
I circled behind and fired two quick ice bullets. They clinked off his armor.
Expected.
I charged from his left with a flurry of slashes, weaving mana into every other strike to add weight and speed. I aimed for gaps. Joints. Weak points.
Nothing landed.
He blocked every blow, his grin widening with each clash, the hunger in his eyes deepening into something twisted.
"Splendid!" he cried, releasing a burst of mana that forced me back.
I dropped into a defensive stance, breathing hard.
"Absolutely splendid! Your blade work—elegant. Precise." His eyes gleamed. "The child we create will be magnificent!"
Then came the laughter. Loud. Wild. Unhinged.
"Yes! What a glorious day! Together we'll forge a new life—superior in every way! Come, my dear. Enough of this foreplay. Surrender yourself to destiny."
He dropped to one knee and extended a hand.
A proposal.
He actually thinks this is love.
Something inside me snapped.
Mana surged out of me, raw and unfiltered. For the first time since my evolution, I released it all. Unleashed the full force of my power—because how dare he.
How dare he pretend this was affection. That this was fate. That I was his to take.
He never saw me as a person.
Only as a tool. A vessel. A thing to use and discard.
It was no secret he was… abnormal. He'd taken wives before. Dozens. None bore him a child, but they served other purposes. One of them had died from his so-called affections.
That might have been my fate, too.
But I found someone else.
Someone far more worthy of my devotion. Of me.
Kai.
I reached for him through our bond, searching—not for help, just for presence. A sign. Something to tell me he was still there.
He answered immediately.
"Yuki…"
His voice was soft. Gentle.
It warmed my soul.
And steeled my resolve.
"It's nothing," I whispered back. "I'll see you soon."
I pulled my power in tight, condensing it to a single point at my fingertip.
I smiled—sweetly, mockingly—and aimed at Seldric's heart.
"Please accept this as an official breakup," I said, voice honeyed. "I've found someone I can actually love… Oh honored one."
Recognition flashed across his face.
"Could it be? Are you Sylv—"
I didn't wait.
The ice bullet hit dead center.
He staggered, falling onto his back, clutching his chest.
"Guh!"
"So… it was you after all," he gasped.
"Yes. And how very like you not to notice."
"Hah… perhaps. Perhaps," he wheezed, blood leaking from his mouth. "But… this may be even better."
My eyes narrowed. "What?"
"You were always meant to be mine. You have no right to refuse. None!"
His voice cracked with fury. "Sylvina, you are mine!"
"Yuki," I corrected coldly.
"…Pardon?"
"My name. Is Yuki. The name my master—the man I love—gave me."
"Yuki? Love?" He scoffed, rising slowly. "What nonsense."
The pain vanished from his face. The wound on his chest had already frozen over.
His smile was gone.
Only the madness remained.
"You are a thing. My thing. My patience has worn thin. Come willingly—or be dragged."
His mana exploded. The pressure slammed down around me like a blizzard. It was suffocating. Ice-cold. Violent.
Still—I endured it.
"I am a thing. A possession. But I am not yours."
"Enough!" he roared, summoning a massive bow of ice. His eyes gleamed with bloodlust. "I didn't want to damage you—but you'll still function fine so long as you've got that hole between your legs."
He licked his lips.
The dam had broken. His lust was unchained. The civility was gone.
He wanted me.
By any means necessary.
The real battle had begun.
And for the first time—I wasn't sure if I could win.
"Master… help."
⸻
POV:Kai
Her call reached me right as I thrust into the warmth that was Nyla.
If the voice hadn't pinged through our bond, I'd have missed it entirely—drowned out by her panting and unashamed moaning.
Yuki was reaching for me.
I answered instinctively. Not with words, but presence. I wanted her to know—she was never far from thought. Her devotion didn't go unnoticed. She liked to play the ice queen, but out of everyone, she might be the most emotionally charged.
She insisted everything was fine. "I'll see you soon," she said.
I felt her confidence swell through the bond… and then, silence.
Something wasn't right.
I pulled back, dismounting Nyla. My expression must've shifted—concern rippling through me.
"Master?" she breathed, chest rising and falling.
"Sorry, Nyla," I said, already moving. "I think I need to check on Yuki."
A flash of pain crossed her face. Through our bond, her frustration roared. She was trying—really trying—not to let it show.
"No," she muttered, standing.
"Nyla, I have to—"
"I'll go," she snapped—calm voice, wild eyes.
Her fur stood on end. Her inner thighs still glistened with unfinished business. Her tails whipped behind her like they had minds of their own. Honestly? It was doing something to me.
But this wasn't the time. Even if we were just—
Dude, chill.
"I'll be right behind you," I said.
She bolted toward the cave.
I exhaled, collected my gloves, slipped back into my clothes. Scooped up Nyla's discarded dress.
Then I looked toward the trees. A heavy, unwelcome feeling sat in my chest.
"I hope I'm wrong this time. Please, just this one time."