Knox (Monsters of Veridia #1)

Chapter 12

Chapter

Twelve

When the workers were gone, Adrian finally had a moment to himself. He’d been starting to think they’d never leave and he’d forever have to have tea with his grandmother and his ‘book friends.’

He didn’t mind chatting with Lyrian, Zev, and Knox, but his mind was buzzing with a thousand thoughts, hundreds of questions, one more complicated than the next, and listening to Evelyn say that his friends were all ‘very charming if a bit peculiar,’ was getting to be too much for him to bear.

Especially while Knox kept shooting him these looks that let Adrian know the incubus hadn’t forgotten about the conversation they didn’t get to finish.

Ducky pajamas were not going to save him tonight.

Trying to shove the thought aside, Adrian slumped onto his bed, taking his laptop with him.

He needed a distraction from the memory of Knox’s lips on his, and so he logged on to his usual bookish social media sites.

The hashtags were relentless. #ShadowSavior, #CaelenTheHero…. How could people buy into this so quickly?

Moreover, how had Caelen discovered the internet for himself so quickly? Knox was still baffled by the television, calling it a ‘picture box.’ Somehow the Shadow King didn’t seem equally challenged when it came to modern technology.

When Adrian kept scrolling, though, something caught his eye: a picture of Caelen with a beaming fan. The caption read, "Hosting the Shadow King! Introduced him to the Internet last night! #LivingLegend."

Well, fuck.

It seemed Knox was not the only one who’d crashed into someone else’s space and been invited to stay as a guest.

Adrian rubbed his face.

Did this person know what they were doing?

He tabbed over to his chat with his friends.

TheRealisticRomantic: Did you guys see this? Someone’s hosting Caelen and helping him with his online campaign!

LiteraryLion: Why does this surprise you? Did you think he was sleeping under a bridge?

TheRealisticRomantic: Maybe? It seems like he has a thing for bridges.

BookBoyfriendLover69: I would host Caelen.

TheRealisticRomantic: Daniel, no!

BookBoyfriendLover69: Has he done anything truly evil outside of fiction?

LiteraryLion: Would you care if he had?

BookBoyfriendLover69: You know me too well.

TheRealisticRomantic: Seriously, Daniel!

BookBoyfriendLovel69: Like you’ve never had a thing for a good-looking asshole.

LiteraryLion: Oof.

Adrian winced. Then he closed the lid of his laptop. He really didn’t need the reminder of his ex. Or the fact that Daniel and Leon thought Chris was an asshole. They only thought that because they didn’t know the full truth of why Adrian hadn’t been able to keep him.

How could Adrian tell anyone that he couldn’t satisfy his ex?

That was embarrassing.

And if Adrian couldn’t even satisfy a regular man, how could he supercharge an incubus?

There was no way.

Unless the incubus took over and guided Adrian’s actions. Knox had done that before, with others. Adrian had read about it.

If Knox wanted to, he could easily take control of his victims. To some degree, at least.

Adrian didn’t want to see himself as a victim, but it would be a lie to say he’d never fantasized about surrendering to Knox like that.

His mind drifted back to Monsters of Veridia . There was a particularly spicy chapter where Knox dealt with a villain in a way only an incubus could.

He reached for his phone and found the passage.

Knox had cornered the antagonist, a warlock named Lorian, in a decrepit castle.

Adrian’s eyes scanned the familiar lines.

"Lorian backed away, his breath hitching as Knox advanced, every step exuding a dark, magnetic energy. ‘What do you want from me, incubus?’ Lorian’s voice wavered, betraying his fear.

Knox’s lips curled into a predatory smile. ‘Oh, I think you know exactly what I want.’

Lorian’s resistance melted under Knox’s gaze. The incubus’s touch was electric, fingers trailing down Lorian’s cheek. ‘I could end you,’ Knox whispered, his breath hot against Lorian’s ear. ‘Or I could make you beg for mercy in ways you’ve never imagined.’

Lorian shuddered, his bravado evaporating. Knox’s power wrapped around him, seductive and unrelenting. The warlock’s knees buckled as Knox’s magic seeped into him, drawing out his darkest desires.

‘Submit,’ Knox commanded.

Lorian’s eyes glazed over, lost in the thrall of Knox’s power. ‘Yes,’ he gasped, unable to resist any longer. ‘Please…’

Adrian’s heart raced as he re-read the scene. It was one of his favorites, and he got so absorbed in it, he barely noticed the knock on the door until it came again, louder this time.

"Adrian?"

Knox’s voice. Adrian scrambled to sit up, his phone slipping from his grasp and clattering to the floor. He cursed under his breath.

The door creaked open, and Knox stepped inside, his eyes immediately locking onto the fallen phone. With effortless grace, he bent down to pick it up.

"What’s this?" Knox asked, studying the phone.

Adrian’s face flushed as he realized what was still displayed on the screen. He reached out, trying to snatch the phone back, but Knox held it just out of reach, his eyes scanning the text.

"I see you were reading again."

Adrian closed his eyes for a beat. This could not really be happening. "I only wanted to…" The words to explain what he’d been doing didn’t come to him. How could they? There was no reasonable explanation. Nothing other than ‘I really enjoy reading about your sex life. Occasionally I jerk off to it, but it’s fine because you’re not supposed to be real.’

Knox looked at the phone a moment longer, then handed it back to Adrian. "I haven’t thought about that warlock in a long time."

"He was just one among many to you."

"He was," Knox agreed, "but it is bizarre to see my own story written down like that, described like that." He shook his head. "And you say a lot of people read this?"

Adrian licked his lips. He hadn’t stopped to consider how strange this must be for Knox, to have every detail of his life laid bare in a story for the people of another world to enjoy… to judge, as Adrian often did. "It’s not the most popular story in the world," he said. "But it’s got a fair number of readers online."

"All this time, I never knew…" He studied the posters on Adrian’s walls, the images depicting him and his friends, as well as some of the villains they’d fought against.

"Would you have acted differently if you’d known?" Adrian couldn’t help but ask.

"I’m thinking back to every embarassing moment in my life."

Adrian rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly he felt like a voyeur for having read Knox’s story so many times. For having dissected it online. "You don’t have to be ashamed of anything."

"You’re probably right." Knox turned to Adrian again, a curious look on his features. "So you know everything I’ve done and you know about everything I like to do in detail."

"I guess you could say that." Adrian’s face warmed.

"And when you read my story, and you read about nights like the one I’ve shared with that warlock… Do you imagine yourself in the warlock’s place?"

Adrian swallowed. The way Knox looked at him, he found it difficult to breathe. "I…" he stammered, trying to find his footing. "Maybe? Sometimes?" His voice came out softer than intended.

He wanted to be brave and assertive and sexy, but he wasn’t. In reality, he was just a little nerd with glasses who spent too much time reading books and too little time dealing with people in the real world.

Now that his book-world was colliding with the real world, he didn’t know how to handle himself.

But Knox’s lips curved into a smile, anyway. "Sometimes?" He stepped closer, and Adrian forced himself to remain in place. He could feel the heat radiating from Knox’s body. The incubus smelled like the air did before a thunderstorm.

"Sometimes," Adrian confirmed. "But… I don’t… I mean… It’s just a fantasy." Fantasizing about something didn’t necessarily mean you wanted that thing to happen in real life, did it?

Adrian totally wanted to fuck Knox, but he wasn’t sure he wanted Knox to do to him what he’d done to the warlock. He didn’t enjoy the same things.

He only wished he did.

"What do you like about this fantasy?" Knox asked as if he could sense the hesitation in Adrian. "Keep in mind, you are not my enemy." Knox cupped his cheek. "I would not treat you the same way. Not unless you asked me to."

Adrian took a deep breath. "I’ll tell you," he began, his voice steadying, "but only if you tell me what you want from me first."

Knox stepped back, a hint of confusion on his face. "What I want?"

"Is all of this just so you can fight the Shadow King?" Adrian needed to have the facts sorted in his mind so he didn’t get any silly ideas that would only hurt him in the end. If he was nothing but a tool to Knox, he could live with that, but he wanted the matter to be clear from the start.

To his surprise, the question seemed to be difficult for Knox to respond to. The demon had to give it some actual thought. "I have to beat Caelen," he said in the end, "and you can give me the magic I require to do so. I won’t try to deny that."

Adrian nodded even as his stupid delusional heart was sinking.

But it seemed Knox wasn’t done talking. "You’re the only one who can help me," he said. "All the other humans in this world feel lifeless to me. They might as well be dead husks, but not you."

Adrian didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, he was flattered. On the other, it felt like Knox was saying he had no other choice. "So, you’re coming on to me because I’m your only option?"

Knox’s features softened. "No, Adrian. I’m coming on to you because you are special. You resonate with me in a way that no one else does. The important part isn’t that you’re my only choice. It’s that you’re the right choice."

Adrian searched Knox’s eyes, looking for any sign of deception. But all he saw was sincerity, a raw honesty that left him without words.

How the hell was he supposed to respond to lines like that?

He was an editor by trade and a blogger by choice. He knew words—lots of them!—and yet he could not get any of them to pass his lips.

What was Knox saying when he said that Adrian was special?

As Adrian stared at the incubus, trying to process the jumble of thoughts in his head, the truth slowly revealed itself to him. Knox was only saying that because he didn’t know. Because Adrian hadn’t told him yet.

"I don’t like anal," he blurted out.

Knox blinked at him.

Adrian hated himself.

Why did he have to say it like that and ruin the moment?

Was it any wonder that he was single when he acted like this?

"Can we pretend I didn’t say that?" he asked. "Please? With you being an incubus, you could probably make me like it."

"Is that really what you want? For me to bend you to my will? You don’t know the kind of fire you’re playing with when you say things like that. How hard I am resisting that very temptation."

Adrian flushed, feeling caught out. How could he admit to Knox that he’d always fantasized the incubus could turn him into someone he wasn’t? Manipulate him and fix him.

"Adrian." Knox approached him again. "It’s perfectly fine that you don’t like certain things." His thumb brushed Adrian’s cheek. "There are many ways two people can enjoy each other."

Adrian’s heart pounded so hard it was almost painful. He wanted to believe Knox, he did, but could things really be so simple?

"I don’t want to disappoint you."

Suddenly he was sure that he would shatter if Knox looked at him with disappointment, the way Chris used to look at him.

Knox’s thumb traced a slow path along Adrian’s jawline, his storm-cloud eyes locking onto Adrian’s. "You won’t disappoint me."

Adrian’s mouth ran dry. "What if I can’t give you what you need to face Caelen?" he asked, the vulnerability in his voice surprising even himself. He wasn’t used to laying his insecurities bare like this.

Knox’s hand moved to the back of Adrian’s neck. "I know that you’ll give me more than I need as long as you don’t try to hide from me."

Adrian’s heart stuttered. "Okay," he whispered.

It was all he could manage, a tiny word for the immensity of what Knox was asking. To not hide. To be open. To be…himself?

Adrian’s breath hitched as Knox leaned in closer, the heat of his body enveloping him. The incubus’s eyes flickered to Adrian’s lips, a silent question in his gaze.

Adrian’s heart raced, anticipation thrumming through his veins. He wanted this, wanted Knox, more than he’d ever wanted anything. But a flicker of doubt still lingered in the back of his mind, his anxiety not so easily cast aside.

Knox’s grip on him tightened ever so slightly. "Trust me," he asked, his breath ghosting over Adrian’s skin.

And in that moment, Adrian did. He let go of his fears, his doubts, and surrendered to the desire that burned between them.

Their lips met, and it was like a spark igniting a wildfire. Knox’s kiss was gentle at first, a tender exploration, but it quickly deepened, becoming more urgent, more demanding.

Adrian melted into the kiss, his hands coming up to tangle in Knox’s hair, pulling him closer. Knox’s arms wrapped around him, strong and secure, holding him like he was something precious.

The world fell away, and there was only this - the slide of their lips, the heat of their bodies pressed together, the electric current of desire that arced between them.

Knox’s tongue swept into Adrian’s mouth, claiming him, consuming him. Adrian moaned, the sound swallowed by their kiss.

After a moment, though, Knox pulled back, eyes dark with desire. "Let me undress you?"

Adrian swallowed hard. His first instinct was to say no, but hadn’t he just promised that he wouldn’t try to hide? That probably included his groin.

And so it was time for another confession.

"I’m not…" He licked his lips, fighting the urge to look away from Knox. "I’m not very well endowed."

God, he felt so inadequate, standing here like this, in front of a literal sex demon who looked like he’d been created just for lonely souls like him to salivate over.

Knox’s expression softened, a gentle understanding in his eyes. "I won’t mind." He reached out, his fingers grazing the hem of Adrian’s shirt. "May I?"

Adrian’s heart hammered in his chest, but he nodded, not trusting his voice.

With a tenderness that belied his strength, Knox slowly lifted Adrian’s shirt, his fingertips skimming over the exposed skin. Adrian shivered at the touch, goosebumps rising in its wake.

Knox tossed the shirt aside and took a step back, his gaze roaming over Adrian’s bare torso. "Beautiful," he murmured.

Adrian flushed, unused to such open appreciation. He resisted the urge to cross his arms over his chest, to hide from Knox’s intense gaze.

Knox’s hands went to his own shirt, and in one fluid motion, he pulled it over his head. Adrian’s breath stuck in his throat at the sight of Knox’s sculpted chest, the lean muscle rippling under pale skin.

How could he compare to that?

Knox stepped closer again, his hands coming to rest on Adrian’s hips. "Let me see all of you," he whispered, his fingers dipping beneath the waistband of Adrian’s jeans.

Adrian’s breath caught in his throat. This was it. The moment of truth. With trembling hands, he unbuttoned his jeans and let them fall to the floor, stepping out of them.

He stood before Knox in just his boxers, his arousal evident despite his small size.

Knox only smiled and guided Adrian to the bed with a gentle touch. Heart pounding in his ears, Adrian let himself be pressed into the mattress by Knox’s warm hands and all the weight of his own anticipation bearing down on him.

Knox climbed over him, and then, with deliberate slowness, he hooked his fingers into the waistband of Adrian’s boxers and began to slide them down.

Adrian couldn’t think, couldn’t even breathe.

When Knox had finally removed the last barrier between them, he paused, but his smile only grew wider. "You’re the perfect size." His gaze locked onto Adrian’s. "And do you know why?"

Adrian shook his head, unable to find his voice.

"Because you make it so easy for me to do this," Knox said.

And with that, Knox took all of him into his mouth.

Holy shit.

Adrian’s mind blanked as Knox’s lips enveloped him. The sensation was overwhelming, a rush of heat and pleasure that surged through him, leaving him breathless. His fingers tangled in the sheets as he struggled to hold on to some semblance of control.

Knox moved with a practiced grace, his tongue and lips working in tandem to bring Adrian to the edge of sanity. The incubus’s eyes flicked up, meeting Adrian’s gaze with an intensity that made his brain shut down while Knox’s mouth did things to him that made his hips want to jerk. Knox’s hands settled there, though, on his hips, strong and sure, holding him in place with just the right amount of pressure.

Adrian’s thoughts became a jumbled mess, each coherent idea dissolving into the next wave of needy pleasure that Knox coaxed from his body.

"Knox," he breathed, his voice trembling. "I… fuck…"

Knox’s response was a low hum that sent vibrations straight through Adrian, causing him to cry out. The sound was raw, unfiltered, a testament to just how thoroughly Knox was unraveling him.

Adrian’s world narrowed to the points of contact between them, the heat of Knox’s mouth, the firm grip on his hips, the way Knox’s eyes never left his. He felt himself spiraling, losing himself in the sensation, in the connection that pulsed between them.

Adrian’s fingers curled into the sheets as Knox’s mouth worked him over, his tongue and lips moving with a skill that left Adrian breathless. He couldn’t think, could barely even remember to breathe as Knox took him apart piece by piece.

It was too much and not enough all at once, a dizzying contradiction that had Adrian’s heart racing and his skin flushing with heat. He wanted more, needed more, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure he could handle the intensity of what Knox was making him feel.

"Knox," he gasped out, his voice barely more than a whisper. "I can’t… I’m going to…"

Knox pulled off just long enough to meet Adrian’s gaze. "Let go," he murmured, his voice low and rough. "I want to taste you."

And then his mouth was back on Adrian, and it was all Adrian could do not to scream. His hips bucked up, seeking more of that delicious heat, but Knox’s hands held him down still, keeping him exactly where he wanted him.

Adrian’s eyes squeezed shut, his head falling back against the pillow as his body tensed, coiling tighter and tighter until finally, with a cry that was half pleasure and half relief, he came.

His orgasm crashed over him in waves, each one more intense than the last, until he was shaking, trembling, completely undone by the force of his release. Through it all, Knox stayed with him, his mouth gentling but never leaving him, working him through the aftershocks until Adrian was spent, boneless, and utterly satisfied.

When Knox finally pulled away, Adrian couldn’t even find the strength to open his eyes. He felt the bed shift as Knox moved, and then there were gentle fingers brushing the hair from his forehead, a soft kiss pressed to his temple.

"You’re incredible," Knox whispered, his voice filled with a warmth that made Adrian’s heart skip a beat. "Thank you for trusting me."

Adrian managed a small smile, finally blinking his eyes open to meet Knox’s gaze. "I should be thanking you," he murmured. "That was… I don’t even have words."

Knox chuckled. "You don’t need words," he assured him. "Your body said everything."

Adrian flushed, suddenly feeling shy under the intensity of Knox’s gaze. He wasn’t used to this, to being seen, to being appreciated. It was overwhelming in the best possible way.

Knox seemed to sense his sudden bashfulness. He leaned in, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to Adrian’s lips. It was so different from the first time the incubus had kissed him. Less intense, but more intimate at the same time.

Their first kiss had been all desperate hunger, but this was… something else.

Adrian tried to stop himself from reading too much into it, tried to stop his heart from beating so fast, but it was no use. He wasn’t in control of his emotions.

How could he be?

Knox had just fulfilled every fantasy he’d never dared to have.

Even in his wildest dreams he’d never imagined being accepted like this.

He’d always thought the incubus would push him to overcome his flaws. The thought that someone might be happy with him just as he was… It had never entered his mind.

Even now he could barely believe his luck.

"Adrian," Knox murmured his name against the skin of his neck. "You’re shaking."

Adrian laughed.

Fuck, he really was shaking. Not because he wasn’t feeling well, though. "I’m okay," he managed to say. "I’m more than okay."

Knox pulled back enough to meet his gaze, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I’m glad," he said, his thumb brushing over Adrian’s cheekbone. "You deserve to feel good."

Adrian’s heart stuttered in his chest. He wasn’t used to being told he deserved anything. It was a foreign concept, one that he was struggling to wrap his mind around.

But Knox was looking at him with such genuine affection that Adrian found himself wanting to believe it. Wanting to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was worthy of this.

He reached up, his fingers tracing the sharp line of Knox’s jaw. The incubus leaned into his touch, his eyes fluttering closed for a moment.

"What about you?" Adrian asked. "You can’t possibly have gotten all you need."

A mischievous smile curved Knox’s lips, his eyes glittering with a predatory light that sent a shiver down Adrian’s spine. "Oh, did you think we were done?"

Adrian’s heart stuttered, his mind reeling as he tried to process what Knox was implying. "I… I mean, I don’t?—"

Knox cut him off with a kiss, his lips silencing any further protests. Adrian melted into the kiss, his fears and doubts momentarily forgotten as Knox’s lips moved against his.

"Now that you’ve truly opened up to me, we can really start." Knox’s voice was a low purr, sending a thrill through Adrian.

"I… what do you mean?" Adrian asked, but before he could even begin to worry, Knox’s eyes glowed with a molten gold light and the room around them shimmered. A moment later, the walls disappeared to reveal a grassy hilltop under a starry night sky.

Adrian knew he’d been pulled into an illusion, but that didn’t temper the sense of wonder he felt.

Knox rose, fully naked, and Adrian’s breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight of the demon in his full glory. He was a vision of masculine beauty, his horns poking out of his hair, his strong frame accentuated by the soft light of the moon and his cock standing up proudly.

And what a cock it was…

Adrian swallowed, his own spent cock twitching.

Fuck it. Knox was hot.

With a smile, the demon wandered over to a tree and sat with his back against it. He held out a hand, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of desire and something softer, something that made Adrian’s heart skip a beat. "Come here."

Adrian stepped forward, his gaze never leaving Knox’s as he closed the distance between them. The grass tickled his bare feet as he moved.

Knox drew him into his lap as soon as he was within reach.

"No more hiding, okay?" Knox looked into his eyes. "No more shame."

Adrian swallowed hard, his stomach tying itself in knots. He nodded wordlessly, unable to speak.

Knox’s thumbs brushed over his hip bones, slowly traveling upwards, his hands gently kneading Adrian’s sides. His touch was electric, sparking a trail of goosebumps along Adrian’s skin.

Knox’s eyes, glowing softly, watched him for a moment longer before his lips met Adrian’s. It was a slow, deep kiss, one that seemed to reach into the very core of him. It was as if Knox was seeking to brand him, to claim not just his body, but his soul.

Adrian shivered as he opened his mouth, welcoming Knox’s exploring tongue. The knot in his stomach began to unravel as Knox kissed him with a devastating combination of gentleness and passion.

He could feel himself relaxing, melting into Knox’s embrace. The tension that had been coiled so tightly within him began to dissipate, replaced by a desire for something that went beyond the physical.

Though the physical desire was there as well.

As the kiss deepened, Adrian felt a familiar stirring in his groin. His body was responding to Knox’s touch once more, his cock slowly filling with blood, heavy and needy.

He didn’t feel conflicted about his arousal this time, though. Instead, he relished the way Knox moaned softly into his mouth when he shifted, their erections pressing together.

Fuck yes.

"Give yourself to me," Knox asked, his voice a low, commanding whisper.

Adrian complied without hesitation. This moment, Knox owned him. His pleasure, his body, everything became Knox’s to command, to manipulate. And Knox played him like an instrument, knowing exactly where to touch, where to apply pressure.

All the while, their erections remained firmly pressed together, the friction driving Adrian wild. He couldn’t help but begin to rock into Knox, his body moving on its own accord. Knox moved with him, matching his rhythm, his touch never wavering.

Adrian’s eyes fluttered closed as he focused solely on the pleasure coursing through him. It built and built, a tidal wave of sensation that never quite reached its peak. He knew, in the back of his mind, that Knox was feeding off him, keeping him suspended in this moment of never ending sensation. But Adrian didn’t mind. The incubus could do whatever he wanted, take everything.

Adrian held nothing back.

Knox’s mouth found his again, kissing him with a fervor that matched the intensity of their connection. "You’re perfect," Knox murmured against his lips. "So perfect."

Adrian’s heart soared at the praise, his body responding even more eagerly to Knox’s touch. There was nothing on his mind except for the feel of Knox’s hands and mouth and shadows on him.

"All mine," Knox whispered.

Adrian could not form words, but he agreed whole-heartedly.

His world shrank to the sensations Knox created. Each touch, each kiss, each glide of shadow over his skin sent shivers through his body. His breath came in ragged gasps, his heart pounded in his chest, and his muscles quivered with the effort of holding himself together.

Time lost all meaning as he was trapped in this loop of escalating pleasure. In the end, he could not tell how long Knox fed off his desire, how long he kept Adrian teetering on the edge.

But just when he thought he could not possibly take another second, Knox’s voice cut through the haze in his mind. "Let go."

Adrian’s body obeyed before his mind could catch up. The release that had been denied to him for what felt like an eternity finally crashed over him, and he cried out, his voice raw and unrestrained. The force of his orgasm was so powerful, so overwhelming, that he nearly blacked out, his vision going white as pleasure consumed him.

He was only barely aware of Knox’s own release, the incubus’s cum streaking his skin, marking him as his own. The sensation was distant, secondary to the mind-numbing pleasure that had taken over his entire being.

As the aftershocks of his orgasm rippled through him, Adrian collapsed against Knox, completely spent, his body trembling and his mind blank.

For a long moment, there was nothing but darkness as Adrian hovered on the edge of consciousness. Slowly, he became aware of Knox’s arms around him, holding him close, the sound of Knox’s heart beating a steady rhythm against his ear.

Adrian’s eyelids fluttered open to find himself still wrapped in Knox’s embrace, their sweat-slicked bodies pressed together. Their irregular breathing and the rapid beating of their hearts were the only sounds in the room.

They were back in his room.

Adrian’s lips curved in a small smile. He felt utterly spent, and yet somehow, he also felt more alive than he ever had before.

He could feel where Knox’s cum was starting to dry on his skin. It should have been gross, but it wasn’t. He liked knowing that he had made the incubus cum. That he had been enough.

At least he hoped he had been.

Adrian tilted his head back to look at Knox, catching his eye. "Did you get…?" He hesitated, searching for the right words.

"Yes," Knox said simply, eyes still glowing. "I will defeat the Shadow King tomorrow."

Adrian nodded. That was good. Knox would defeat Caelen, and then… then he would likely start looking for a way home.

He would leave, wouldn’t he?

Knox didn’t like this world. He didn’t belong here.

And Adrian absolutely should not fall for him.