“How do I purge it?” Jared asked. Corin’s gaze slid from Jared to the feverish Lyra. “Only intense masculine energy can neutralize it. Pills are useless. You can only have sex with and remove the aphrodisiac with your spiritual energy.”
The words struck Jared dumb, freezing in the center of the room like a statue of disbelief. On the other hand, Flaxseed’s eyes flashed. He wanted to volunteer. Corin rose, “I must handle the sect’s defenses. Jared, do what you must.”
He seized Flaxseed by the collar and strode out, as though one more second would scorch them both with embarrassment.
Flaxseed looked back, clearly unwilling, yet Corin’s grip allowed no argument. Silence fell. Only two people remained in the courtyard.
Lyra lay gasping, each breath shorter than the last. Scarlet bloomed across cheeks. Trembling hands tore at collar, baring a throat white as new snow.
Heat spiraled from Jared’s elixir field. He swallowed hard, forcing the pulse of desire down. He kept remembering Ararat’s words.
He scooped Lyra up and carried into the nearest room, whispering, “I’ll save you, whatever it costs…”
He set on the bed, turned to find Flaxseed, then stopped. Lyra’s burning fingers clamped around his wrist with desperate strength.
“Jared… Don’t leave…” murmured, eyes half-open, clouded with fevered longing. Her touch seared him. Every muscle locked, as though hand had become a chain of living fire.
“Hold on, Lyra. I’ll get the cure, I swear.”
Lyra’s voice trembled, yet words were unyielding. “It’s useless to resist…”
She drew closer, one hand slipping behind Jared’s neck. The other pressed flat against his chest. Her breath brushed his ear. “I know only you can pull me back from the edge.”
That whisper struck like lightning through Jared’s composure. Heat flooded his veins. Reason shattered, falling away in soundless shards. He met eyes that held his reflected silhouette. In their depths, saw both his hesitation and faith in him.
Jared’s throat rasped. “Will you… Accept me?”
Lyra did not answer with words. She rose, letting lips find his. Like a single spark in a dry field, the kiss ignited everything they had suppressed. Long-buried hunger blazed free, consuming air and thought alike.
Candle flames quivered against the walls, throwing their entwined shadows into restless motion. Beyond the lattice, moonlight turned gauzy, wrapping the storm-tossed lovers in a veil.
It was a passionate night.
***
At dawn, a single sunbeam slipped between wooden slats and spilled across the chamber. Jared’s eyes opened. Lyra lay cradled against him, cheeks still flushed. Their frenzy felt distant.
Jared felt guilty. He slipped the blanket on Lyra and walked toward the window. The courtyard had been scrubbed clean. Last night’s skirmish erased. Yet a faint iron tang lingered in the morning air, a ghostly reminder of spilled blood.
“Jared?” Lyra’s voice floated from behind-drowsy, bashful. She already wore clothes, though crimson still burned beneath skin, and gaze wavered shyly away from his.
Jared stepped close, two fingers resting lightly against wrist. Spiritual energy flowed into meridians. “How do you feel?”
Relief loosened his shoulders. The aphrodisiac was gone. Since Lyra had absorbed his bloodline, was on the verge of breaking through.
“Much better. Thank you…” whispered, head lowered. The door banged wide. Flaxseed tumbled in, hair askew, panic pitching his words. “Jared! Lester’s marching this way with a small army!”
Jared’s expression cooled to steel. “Perfect timing.”
He traded a single glance with Lyra, and together they headed out. Outside the Sword Sect compound, many cultivators had gathered.
Lester led the group. His gaze was blazing with fury. A terrifying aura emanated from him. He knew about Kael’s incident. Behind stood a dozen elders with a strong aura. They were the sect leaders.
