CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60: BEFORE THE FEAST 1

"I WILL NEVER CAUSE YOU PAIN."

With those words echoing in her mind, she felt his strong arms encircle her waist, lifting her onto the top of his desk.

The mahogany surface was cool against her thighs, a stark contrast to the burning heat radiating from Grayson’s body as he positioned himself between her legs.

His hands came to rest on either side of her hips, fingers splayed against the polished wood as he leaned into her space.

The proximity was intoxicating—she could count the flecks of gray in his blue eyes, could see the way his pupils dilated with barely restrained hunger that had nothing to do with his supernatural nature and everything to do with the woman before him.

"We need to figure this out," she whispered, though her voice lacked conviction. The way he was looking at her made rational thought nearly impossible, made her want to forget about dissolution notices and feeding requirements in favor of exploring the electric current that seemed to arc between them whenever they touched.

"We will," he murmured, his voice rough with promise and desire.

His thumb traced a gentle circle against her hip bone, the simple touch sending sparks of sensation racing through her nervous system. "But right now, I need to know that you understand what you’re risking."

Before she could respond, the study door burst open with enough force to rattle the crystal decanter on the nearby bookshelf.

Vivienne strode into the room with the imperious authority of someone who had never learned to knock, her sharp eyes taking in the intimate tableau before her with calculating precision.

Mailah felt heat flood her cheeks as she scrambled off the desk, acutely aware of how disheveled she must look, how the charged atmosphere in the room made their interrupted moment obvious. Grayson moved smoothly to position himself partially in front of her, a protective gesture that spoke of ingrained instincts even as his jaw tightened with barely controlled irritation.

"Vivienne," he said, his voice carrying a warning that would have sent most people fleeing. "Your timing is impeccable as always."

The older woman’s smile was sharp enough to cut glass. "Given the circumstances, I thought discretion was less important than urgency. Time has a way of slipping away when one is... distracted."

The barb hit its mark, and Mailah watched Grayson’s expression darken with something that bordered on dangerous. But Vivienne seemed entirely unperturbed by his displeasure, moving further into the room with the confidence of someone who held cards no one else had seen.

"I assume you’ve shared the delightful news about your impending dissolution," she continued, settling herself in one of the leather armchairs as if she’d been invited for afternoon tea rather than barging in on a deeply private moment. "And I assume you’ve both been engaging in the kind of romantic optimism that will get you both killed."

"We’re looking for solutions," Mailah said, finding her voice despite the way Vivienne’s presence seemed to suck all warmth from the room. "There has to be a way to make the feeding safe, to find some kind of middle ground that doesn’t require—"

"Death?" Vivienne’s laugh was like breaking crystal. "My dear girl, death is inevitable here. The only question is whose."

The casual cruelty of the words slammed into Mailah, knocking the air from her lungs and forcing her to step back involuntarily.

She felt Grayson’s hand find the small of her back, steadying her even as his own body went rigid with barely contained fury.

Vivienne regarded them both with the patient expression of a teacher addressing particularly slow students. "An incubus who has denied his nature for centuries will not simply sip delicately from his chosen partner when he finally allows himself to feed. You will consume, Grayson. Completely. Utterly. It’s not a matter of control—it’s a matter of supernatural biology."

She leaned forward in her chair, her eyes fixed on Mailah with uncomfortable intensity. "When an incubus feeds after prolonged starvation, it’s not unlike a dam bursting. All that suppressed hunger, all those denied instincts, they don’t emerge gradually. They explode outward with the force of centuries of deprivation."

"But he was able to stop before," Mailah insisted, grasping for hope even as ice began to form in her chest at the certainty in Vivienne’s voice. "The first time he fed from me, he was able to pull back, to wake me from the dream before it went too far. If he could control it then—"

"Ah yes," Vivienne said, her tone sharpening with something that might have been genuine concern. "The first feeding. Tell me, dear, do you remember the circumstances of that night?"

Mailah felt heat flush her cheeks as the memory surfaced—Grayson collapsing from exhaustion, the other incubus breaking into the dream, the terrifying realization that she was trapped in a supernatural feeding dream.

"He was severely weakened," she said slowly, beginning to see where Vivienne was leading. "He’d been starving himself for so long. And then Kieran came in the picture, tried to feed from me himself."

"Precisely." Vivienne leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Mailah with uncomfortable intensity. "Grayson was so weakened from centuries of self-imposed starvation that he could only access a fraction of his incubus power. The feeding was shallow, controllable—more like sipping from a stream than drinking from a flood."

The older woman’s voice took on a clinical tone that made Mailah’s skin crawl. "And the interruption from the other incubus actually saved your life. It triggered Grayson’s protective instincts, which are stronger than his hunger. Fighting to defend you gave him something to focus on besides consumption, allowed his human consciousness to reassert control."

Is there really no other way?," Mailah asked. "Some kind of ritual, some way to control the process—"

"Oh, there is another way," Vivienne said, her tone brightening with false cheer. "Grayson could feed from others. Multiple partners, spread across several nights, allowing him to ease back into his nature gradually without the risk of completely draining any single person."

The suggestion hung in the air like a toxic cloud, poisoning everything it touched.

Mailah felt the world tilt beneath her feet as the implications of what Vivienne was proposing sank in.

Other women. Other people who would be put at risk, who would be consumed to save Grayson’s life while she watched from the sidelines.

"No." Grayson’s rejection was immediate and absolute, his voice carrying a finality that brooked no argument. "If there’s no bond, there’s nothing to stop me from tearing them apart in the frenzy."

Vivienne’s expression shifted to something that might have been sympathy if it hadn’t been so calculating. "Then you’ll die, and she’ll die with you. Is that really preferable? At least if you feed from others, Mailah survives. She gets to live the life her sister gave her, gets to honor that sacrifice with something more than a romantic gesture."

"How can you say that?" Mailah’s voice came out strangled, thick with horror and disbelief. "How can you sit there and casually discuss sacrificing innocent people like they’re nothing more than livestock?"

"Because I’m being realistic," Vivienne replied with ruthless honesty. "Because I’m the only one in this room who seems to understand that pretty words and noble intentions won’t change supernatural law. Grayson is going to feed, one way or another. The dissolution will force it if nothing else does. The only choice is whether that feeding kills you, kills strangers, or kills him."

Every word struck like a fresh hit, stripping away another layer of the romantic optimism that had been sustaining them both.

Mailah found herself sinking into the chair opposite Vivienne, her legs suddenly unable to support her weight.

"You’re talking about murder," she whispered, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. "You’re asking him to become a killer to save his own life."

"I’m asking him to survive," Vivienne corrected with unwavering calm. "I’m asking him to make the hard choices that will ensure he doesn’t simply fade away into nothing. Because make no mistake, dear—when an incubus of his power finally breaks, the psychic backlash alone could kill anyone within a significant radius."

Grayson moved to stand behind Mailah’s chair, his hands coming to rest on her shoulders with protective intensity.

She could feel the tremor running through him, could sense the war being waged between his desire to defend her from Vivienne’s cruel pragmatism and his growing awareness that the older woman might be right.

"There has to be another option," he said, but his voice lacked the conviction it had carried moments before. "Some way to control the process, to limit the damage—"

"Control?" Vivienne’s laughter was sharp and mocking. "You’ve been in control for centuries, Grayson. Look where it’s gotten you. Look where it’s gotten her." She gestured toward Mailah with casual dismissal. "You’re both so determined to be noble, so committed to finding a solution that doesn’t require sacrifice, that you’re willing to die rather than face reality."

The words settled over the room like a funeral shroud, heavy with implications that neither Grayson nor Mailah wanted to acknowledge. But even as every fiber of her being rebelled against what Vivienne was suggesting, Mailah found herself unable to argue with the cold logic beneath the cruelty.

"You think we’re naive," she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. "You think we’re children playing at being adults, pretending that love can conquer all."

"I think you’re human," Vivienne replied, and for the first time, her voice carried something that might have been genuine sympathy. "I think you’re operating under human morality in a situation that transcends human understanding. And I think that unless one of you develops the backbone to make impossible choices, you’re both going to die for the sake of maintaining your moral purity."

The accusation fell between them like a gauntlet, leaving no middle ground—only the choice to fight or walk away.

Mailah felt Grayson’s hands tighten on her shoulders as he struggled with the implications of what Vivienne was saying.

"Time is running out," Vivienne continued relentlessly. "Every moment you spend looking for magical solutions that don’t exist is a moment closer to dissolution or putting Mailah in more danger because of Mason."

The stark choice landed like a barrage of hammer blows, each strike forcing them further into the corner they had been pretending didn’t exist.

Mailah felt something cold and terrible settling in her chest as the full weight of their situation became impossible to ignore.

"There’s no fourth option," she said, the words coming out flat and emotionless. "No magical solution that saves everyone."

"Now you’re beginning to understand," Vivienne said with satisfaction.

Mailah stood slowly, her movements careful and precise as if sudden motion might shatter what remained of her composure.

She could feel Grayson watching her, could sense his growing desperation as he realized she was beginning to accept their situation.

"She’s right," Mailah said quietly, the words feeling like betrayal even as she spoke them. "Not about sacrificing innocent people—that’s not an option I’ll ever accept. But about being realistic about what we’re facing."

"Mailah—" Grayson started, but she cut him off with a raised hand.

"No, listen to me," she continued, turning to face him fully.

The pain in his eyes nearly undid her resolve, but she forced herself to continue. "Vivienne is right about one thing—we’ve been pretending that love and good intentions can change supernatural law. We’ve been looking for solutions that might not exist while time runs out."

The admission felt like swallowing glass, but she couldn’t deny the cold logic beneath Vivienne’s cruelty.

"So what are you saying?" Grayson asked, his voice rough with barely contained emotion.

Mailah met his eyes, her heart breaking at the hope and fear she saw warring there. "I’m saying that maybe it’s time we stopped looking for miracles and started preparing for reality."