"Aren… what's wrong with you?"
With the chains gone, the suppression vanished.
The drug raging inside Aren surged to its peak, erupting without restraint.
His crimson eyes locked onto Nix like a starving beast sighting its prey.
A guttural snarl tore from his throat. Heat radiated from his body, scorching, suffocating.
Nix froze for a split second, then the leaves slipped from his hands, scattering across the floor.
One thought slammed into his mind.
Run.
He spun and bolted for the door.
But he had barely taken a step when a terrifying pressure crashed down from behind, freezing the air itself.
A searing hand clamped onto the back of his neck like iron.
"Let go—!" Nix struggled wildly.
Aren, lost to instinct, didn't even seem to hear him. With a single motion, he lifted Nix off the ground as if he weighed nothing.
The world spun.
Nix was hurled onto the bed, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs.
Before he could recover, a burning presence loomed over him.
