I clenched my fists, my mind a chaotic mess of questions and anger as I tried to process everything she'd said. The room felt like it was closing in on me, and every glance at the mirror only reinforced the twisted reality I was facing. The face staring back at me, those red eyes, the horns, wasn't mine, but it was. It looked… powerful, dangerous. But I wasn't that. I couldn't be.
"Running away so soon?" Izzy's voice coiled around me, thick with amusement. I didn't even have to turn around to know she was enjoying this, watching me like some sort of prized possession she'd won. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to meet her gaze, trying not to let her see the confusion or the rush of emotions threatening to pull me under.
Izzy leaned against a stone pillar, her arms crossed, one hip cocked, her figure framed by the shadows like she was part of them. Her dress clung to her in all the right places, sheer enough to reveal just enough to make it hard to focus on anything else. And her eyes… they gleamed with that dark, knowing spark, like she could see every thought racing through my head, every conflict. Her lips curled into a smile that was half-mocking, half-something else entirely.
"You talk about family as if you know anything about it," I spat, doing my best to keep my voice steady, to ignore the way her presence seemed to wrap around me, pulling me in. "You killed me, Izzy. Why the hell should I believe anything you say?"
She tilted her head, that smug smile widening. "Oh, Jack," she murmured, stepping closer with slow, deliberate grace. Each sway of her hips was hypnotic, her movements calculated, predatory. "Still thinking like a human. You think death is the end. But here?" She paused, running her fingers along the edge of the pillar. "Death is just a beginning."
I swallowed, every nerve on edge. Her words had a way of digging into me, making me feel things I didn't want to feel, like she was peeling away layers I'd barely even discovered. And she knew it. The way she looked at me, her eyes practically burning with a mix of desire and admiration, it made my skin prickle, and not in a way I wanted to admit.
"I don't care what you think I am," I shot back, forcing the words out even though my throat felt tight. "I'm not your puppet, Izzy. I don't belong to you."
She laughed softly, a sound that sent a shiver down my spine, both taunting and dangerous. "Oh, I wouldn't dream of keeping you as a puppet, Jack. You've become something so much better." Her voice softened, growing almost reverent. "You're the last blood descendant of Caedus Cairborne."
The name hit me like a slap, an ancient weight clinging to every syllable. Caedus Cairborne. She said it like it was supposed to mean something powerful, something terrible. But somewhere in the back of my mind, there was another name. Louis Horner. The name of a man I'd known about, somehow. Or at least, I thought I did. The memory was faint, like an echo I couldn't quite place.
"What are you talking about?" I managed, forcing myself to keep looking at her, even though every instinct told me to turn away, to reject whatever twisted truth she was trying to feed me.
Izzy moved closer, her gaze locking onto mine, her body practically vibrating with excitement. She looked up at me, her voice dropping to a low, seductive whisper. "Louis Horner was just the name he used in the mortal world. But here, he was Caedus Cairborne, the last true demon king of Lustrias. His strength, his power, it ran through him like fire. And now…" She placed a hand on my chest, her touch sending a wave of heat through me that was hard to ignore. "Now it runs through you."
I wanted to brush her hand away, to demand she explain, but the way her fingers splayed against my chest, the warmth of her touch, the dark thrill in her eyes… it was overwhelming. I hated that I could feel my own pulse quicken under her hand, that every part of me seemed to react to her presence like she was something I needed.
"Caedus Cairborne," I repeated, testing the name, feeling the weight of it in my mouth. It felt like it belonged to someone else entirely. And yet, it stirred something in me, something dark and unsettling.
"Yes," she murmured, her fingers trailing down from my chest, leaving a hot trail that sent an unwanted thrill through me. "He was you, Jack. The blood in your veins, the power that's barely beginning to wake, that's his legacy. You're his last descendant, his heir." She smiled, her eyes filled with pride. "And this world has been waiting for you."
I shook my head, a bitter laugh escaping before I could stop it. "You're lying," I said, even though I could feel something inside me responding, something that wanted to believe. "I don't want any of this. I don't care about some demon king or his legacy. This isn't who I am."
Her smile faltered for a split second, then returned, deeper, more intense. She stepped even closer, her body pressed against mine, her hand slipping up to trace along my jawline. "Oh, but it is," she whispered, her voice wrapping around me like silk. "You may not want it now, but the power… it's already in you. You can deny it all you like, but sooner or later, you'll have to accept it."
I clenched my fists, ignoring the heat pooling in my stomach, the way every inch of her touch made me want things I shouldn't want. "I don't care," I said, the words sounding hollow even to my own ears. "I'm not here to be your little project, Izzy. And I sure as hell don't belong to you."
Her expression shifted, and I could see the glint of something darker, something almost admiring, in her eyes. "Oh, Jack," she purred, her fingers tightening ever so slightly on my jaw. "That's what I love about you. This fire, this strength." She leaned in, her lips brushing my ear, her breath hot against my skin. "Your grandfather, Caedus, was the same way. He never let anyone control him. He was ruthless, powerful… everything you're destined to be."
The words washed over me like a dark promise, the pulse of something ancient and dangerous stirring in my veins. I could feel the power in me, simmering, waiting, and a part of me hated that it felt so… right. But I couldn't let her win. I couldn't let her see that, no matter how tempting her words were.
"You think you know me?" I shot back, my voice rough. "You think you can just tell me who I'm supposed to be?"
She laughed, a soft, wicked sound, her hand dropping from my jaw to rest against my chest. "I don't need to tell you," she said, her eyes glinting with amusement. "The power's already in you, Jack. You feel it, don't you? The hunger? The strength?"
I did feel it. Every pulse, every surge of power beneath my skin, felt like a promise I didn't want to understand. But I couldn't let her see that. I couldn't let her know how close I was to giving in.
With a surge of anger, I grabbed her wrist, holding it tightly, forcing her to step back. Her eyes widened, and for a split second, I saw something else there, surprise, maybe even excitement. She didn't pull away, just let out a slow, almost approving smile, her gaze fixed on mine.
"I told you," I said, my voice low, forceful. "I don't belong to you, Izzy. I don't belong to anyone."
She laughed again, a laugh that echoed in the dark, filled with pride. She looked at me like she couldn't get enough, like she loved every second of my defiance. "Oh, Jack," she murmured, her voice dripping with desire. "That's exactly why you'll make the perfect king. You've got that fire, that strength. I can see it. Feel it."
Her eyes flashed, a dark satisfaction in them, and she didn't even try to pull her wrist from my grip. "I love it when you're like this," she whispered, her voice a sultry purr. "When you're strong, decisive. It reminds me of him."
I loosened my grip, a flicker of uncertainty rushing through me. Her words hit too close, stirring something deep inside me that I didn't want to acknowledge. She leaned in, her lips so close to mine that I could feel her breath, warm and taunting.
"You can deny it all you want," she murmured, her voice barely more than a whisper, "but you're already becoming him. And when you finally embrace it…" She trailed off, her smile widening, a glint of hunger in her eyes. "You'll be unstoppable."
I took a step back, releasing her wrist, forcing myself to breathe. She was watching me, her gaze intense, as if she were waiting for me to say something, to admit something I wasn't ready to speak out loud.