"Freyja! What happened?"
Soren was at her side in an instant, catching her just before she lost balance.
One arm slid around her back, steadying her as she staggered, her breathing uneven. His free hand lit with a soft azure glow.
Her pale complexion gained a faint flush, the trembling in her limbs easing.
Freyja glanced up at him, her expression caught somewhere between exhaustion... and embarrassment.
"Y-you didn't have to come rushing in like that."
Soren didn't smile. His eyes were scanning her body, checking for fractures, internal wounds, anything critical.
"I felt your need. That was enough."
For all her pride as the battle-hardened goddesss, Freyja didn't resist the way he half-cradled her.
Being wrapped in Soren's strong arms was... oddly comforting. A warmth pooled in her chest that had nothing to do with the healing spell.
"Oh my, how touching."
Lorelai's voice chimed across the hall.
"The indomitable War Goddess... caught in a man's arms. And not just any man, he came charging through walls for you." She smiled, eyes glittering.
"Seems like there's more than just professional concern going on here."
Freyja didn't even look at her. Instead, she leaned in closer to Soren…
"Be careful." She murmured. "She's not alone. Lorelai has something with her, something powerful. That's who injured me."
Soren gave the faintest nod. He'd already sensed the presence. It lingered nearby, a dark weight behind the veil of the room.
Lorelai frowned as the pair whispered to each other, ignoring her taunts. She wasn't used to being sidelined, especially not when she was trying.
But then her eyes lingered on Soren. A grin spread across her lips.
A man Freyja admires?
Powerful. Fierce. Loyal.
Just her type.
Letting her hips sway, the air around her shimmering subtly as she activated her charm.
"Sorennnn."
She dragged his name like silk across his ear.
"Why do you only look at her? I'm wounded too…" Her hand brushed over her own shoulder, revealing a faint scratch, theatrical, barely worth noting.
"Maybe you could help me… heal?"
The aura around her bloomed a dense, invisible fog of seduction. It rolled toward Soren like warm honey.
Soren felt it touch his consciousness… deliberately let it in.
Inside his spiritual world, Lorelai's influence slithered through his thoughts like a serpent. It hissed promises of pleasure, of devotion, of submission.
But the moment it tried to root deeper...
Snap
His spiritual shield flared, disintegrating her influence instantly.
Still, he kept his expression perfectly blank.
Soren's eyes grew wide, glassy. His mouth parted ever so slightly. He took a slow, staggering step toward Lorelai, then another.
Freyja stiffened. "Soren...?"
Lorelai's smile blossomed. "Yes… that's right." she purred. "Come to me."
She drew her hand to her lips, her entire body pulsing with sensual charm. The atmosphere thickened with magic.
"Let me show you what true love feels like."
"Soren!" Freyja shouted, panic rising in her throat as she saw him walking steadily toward Lorelai, his expression dull and clouded.
She rushed forward, arm outstretched to pull him back...
But Soren side-stepped her gracefully, a flicker of playfulness in his motion.
"I'm just teasing her. Don't worry."
His voice was a whisper, soft as a breath, close to her ear, heard only by her.
Freyja stopped mid-stride, her heart pounding. For a second, she didn't know whether to laugh or scream.
"Wha?" She blinked. But Soren was already moving.
Across the room, Lorelai cackled.
"Ohhh, look at this!" She crowed.
"Your precious warrior, utterly under my spell! How does it feel, Freyja? Bitter? Jealous? Or maybe… a little helpless?"
Freyja gritted her teeth, fury bubbling up inside her.
But there was something strange behind her glare… she couldn't quite name it.
When Lorelai called Soren her man, something inside Freyja fried. Like a deer struck mid-leap. She didn't correct her.
Soren approached Lorelai, his eyes unfocused, his breath shallow, perfectly playing the part.
Lorelai's smile widened. She reached out and trailed her fingers across his cheek, her touch glowing with soft, pulsing pink magic.
The energy slipped beneath his skin like liquid silk, worming its way toward his mind.
Even with his shields, even with his discipline, the intensity of her power flared so hard it nearly cracked his concentration.
But he held firm.
Lorelai leaned in close, whispering sweetly. "You're mine now, aren't you?"
SLAP!
A sharp crack echoed through the chamber as Soren's palm collided with her cheek in an unhesitating arc.
Lorelai's head snapped sideways, and she stumbled back, a raw, disbelieving gasp escaping her lips.
"Shameless parasite." Soren spat coldly, flexing his hand. "I think I hurt my fingers on that thick skin of yours."
Freyja gasped quietly.
Soren stepped forward, towering over the fallen witch.
"You knew she was my woman... and you still touched me?"
"…"
"Tell me, Lorelai, what part of that made you think you were worthy?"
Lorelai blinked, stunned. Her cheek burned red, the sting of humiliation blooming faster than her rage. She realized too late, everything had been a ruse.
"Y-you…" She trembled, her seductive persona shattered. "You tricked me…!"
Soren didn't answer. He simply looked down at her with that cold expression… the same one that had made demons flinch.
And for the first time in centuries, Lorelai looked... small.
"Soren! I'll kill you!" She shrieked, her face twisted in embarrassment.
"You humiliated me... ME!"
Her aura flared wildly, eyes glowing with unhinged fury.
"Dracula!" She screamed into the air. "KILL HIM! Tear him apart!"
A shadow behind her stirred.
But as it rose, Freyja stood frozen.
"You knew she is my woman…" Soren had said about her.
Her heart thudded loud in her chest.
My woman.
His Women.
Her cheeks turned even redder, and she looked away, unable to meet his eyes. A strange heat coiled in her stomach. Joy. Embarrassment.
Something else she dared not name.
Soren, meanwhile, turned calmly to face the rising shadow of Dracula, his fingers flexing in anticipation.
He glanced briefly at Freyja… and smiled.