Chapter 131: I Chose You.
~Ava's POV~
The scream that tore from Raphael's throat barely sounded human. His body shook violently against mine, frost spreading across his skin.
Suddenly, the court doors burst open. Drogon ran in, his face pale with fear.
"Ava! Get away from him now!" he shouted, his voice resounding through the empty hall.
I tightened my grip on Raphael, ignoring the sharp pain as the ice crystals forming on his skin cut into my palms.
"No. I won't leave him."
"That's not Raphael right now," Drogon warned, stepping closer carefully. "You need to move away."
Blood trickled down my wrists, but I didn't care. I cupped Raphael's face, forcing him to look at me. "Look at me, my love."
His eyes, usually so warm, were now pale as winter sky. When they dropped to my bleeding hands, something flashed in them, recognition, pain.
Then flames began to gather around him, wild and angry. The wind picked up, spinning through the court like a storm was rising inside the walls.
The flames grew higher, surrounding us both. I could feel their heat, but strangely, they didn't burn me. Instead, they seemed to dance around my skin, almost protectively.
Raphael's eyes flashed between gray and golden black, his face contorting as if he was fighting something inside himself.
"I said move!" Drogon bellowed, leaping through the flames toward us.
The fire wall rose higher, pushing him back. Raphael's grip on me tightened painfully, his nails elongating into claws that dug into my skin.
"Raphael," I whispered, "I'm here. Come back to me."
A guttural sound escaped his throat, half-growl, half-words. "Can't... control... run... Ava..."
"I'm not leaving you," I said firmly, even as the floor beneath us cracked with spreading ice.
Drogon moved faster than I'd ever seen him move. In one fluid motion, he was behind Raphael, striking a point at the base of his neck.
Raphael's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed against me, suddenly heavy and still. The flames died instantly, leaving the room in silence.
"Guards!" Drogon bellowed. Four men rushed in, looking terrified. "Take the king to his chambers. Now!"
They lifted Raphael from my arms, struggling under his weight. I tried to follow, but Drogon caught my wrist, examining my bloodied palms with a grim expression.
"Why are all the women I know so stubborn?" he muttered.
Gwen and Anastasia hurried into the room. Anastasia immediately knelt beside me, taking my injured hands in hers. A soft blue light flowed from her fingertips, cool and soothing as it sealed the wounds.
"What happened to him?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Raphael would never hurt me."
"Well, now he did," Gwen said quietly. "Raphael isn't the same as he was before, Ava."
I shook my head fiercely. "No. He would never hurt me on purpose. Something's wrong with him." I turned to Drogon, desperate for answers. "Tell me what's happening to him."
Drogon sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "You're right that something is wrong. Sacred beasts in the god realm survive on two things. One, sex, especially with their bonded ones. Two, blood."
I stared at him, confused. "I don't understand. What does that have to do with Raphael?"
"Everything," Drogon said heavily. "Raphael isn't just a man anymore, Ava. When he merged with Grey, he took on the nature of a sacred beast. And now..." He hesitated, looking uncomfortable.
"Tell me," I demanded.
"Now his body is starving. He's been away from you for days, locked in meetings, fighting his own instincts. And he hasn't fed properly in weeks."
"Fed?" The word felt strange on my tongue.
"Blood. He needs blood." Drogon's face was serious. "Usually from enemies, from battle. But he's been trying to control himself, to be the man you want him to be. To not be the monster."
The room fell silent as his words sank in. Raphael had been trying to change for me, and it was tearing him apart from the inside.
"Take me to him," I said, rising to my feet. "Now."
Drogon hesitated. "It's not safe. He could..."
"I don't care," I interrupted. "Take me to him."
Gwen placed a hand on Drogon's arm. "Let her go. It might be the only way."
We hurried through the corridors, servants scattering at our approach. When we reached Raphael's chambers, two guards stood outside, looking nervous.
"No one enters," one began, but fell silent at Drogon's glare.
"She does," Drogon said firmly. "And only she does."
Inside, Raphael lay on his massive bed, thrashing against restraints that glowed with magic. His skin was now covered in scales that shifted between blue and black. The room was freezing, ice coating the walls and ceiling.
"We had to bind him," Drogon explained. "He nearly killed three guards on the way here."
I approached the bed slowly. Raphael's eyes snapped open, focusing on me with an intensity that made my heart race. They were no longer human eyes, they were slitted, like Drogon's own in his beast's form.
"Ava," he growled, the word barely recognizable. "Run."
Instead, I sat on the edge of the bed. "I told you before. I'm not going anywhere."
"You don't understand," he strained against his bonds. "I can smell your blood. I want... I need..."
"Then take it," I said quietly.
Drogon stepped forward. "Ava, no..."
"Leave us," I commanded, not taking my eyes off Raphael.
"This is madness," Drogon protested.
"Leave. Us."
After a long moment, I heard the door close behind me. I was alone with Raphael.
"You need to feed," I said, reaching for his restraints. "And you need me. Take what you need, Raphael."
"If I do this," he said, his voice distorted, "I might not be able to stop."
I released the first restraint. "I trust you."
As the second binding fell away, Raphael moved like lightning. He pinned me to the bed, his body heavy above mine, clawed hands gripping my wrists. His face was inches from mine, teeth elongated into fangs.
"You shouldn't trust me," he whispered, his breath cold against my skin.
"But I do," I replied, turning my head to expose my neck. "I love all of you, remember? The man and the monster."
Something changed n his gaze, a flash of the Raphael I knew. He lowered his head to my neck, his lips brushing against my skin.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
Then his teeth sank into my flesh.
The pain was sharp, then immediately replaced by a wave of pleasure so strong it took my breath away.
I gasped, my back arching. It felt like he was consuming me and filling me at the same time, like we were sharing one heartbeat.
As he drank, images flashed through my mind, memories that weren't mine. Blood and dead bodies. Faces I didn't recognize. And in it all, I saw a man always broken by the chaos he had caused.
Finally, he pulled away, his eyes returning to their normal color. The ice scales returned from his skin, the frost melting from the walls. He looked like himself again, except for the blood, my blood, on his lips.
"Ava," he breathed, his voice filled with wonder. "I can see... I can feel..."
"What?" I asked, feeling strangely light-headed but stronger than before, all the pain I was feeling before, gone.
"Everything," he said, touching my face gently. "Your thoughts, your feelings. We're connected now. More than before."
He helped me sit up, cradling me carefully. "I never wanted this for you," he whispered.
"I chose this," I reminded him. "I chose you."
He smiled, a sad smile that didn't reach his eyes. "And now I must teach you what that truly means."
The door burst open. Drogon stood there, sword drawn, with Gwen and Anastasia behind him.
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