Page 2 of Poison Sun

Afterward, I thought Damien and I were on the same team. The way he kissed me back in the Minotaur’s lair sure made it feel like it.

Now, he’s further away from me than ever.

“And you thought the best solution was to drink it?” He looks me up and down, as if he’s disgusted at the sight of me.

When he says it like that, it does sound a bit impulsive. Reckless. Naïve.

And he probably has a right to think so. After all, he’s a centuries old immortal vampire who’s been ruling a kingdom for longer than I can possibly understand. And I’m… what, exactly? A human girl who was chosen by a goddess? Technically, a witch chosen to be star touched by a goddess. Although, I didn’t grow up knowing my heritage, so sometimes, I don’t feel like either a witch or a star touched.

I wasn’t prepared for any of this. I’m doing my best, but after drinking that potion and learning I’ll be a shadow soul beacon because of it…

I can’t help but feel like I made a giant mistake.

Glancing around the lobby of the Fairmont, I see there’s only the concierge at the front desk, and the guards at each side of the front doors. They saw and heard everything, but their eyes are averted from us, in a clear sign of respect for their king.

“Morgan’s going to figure out a solution.” I return my focus to Damien, somehow sounding much calmer than I feel. “She knows it’s possible to fix this. She can see the future.”

“Her visions are far from perfect,” he says. “She tries, and she means well, and her ability does help the clan. But she’s not infallible, or invincible. And you should keep in mind that neither are you.”

“I know that,” I snap, my anger rising. “I was well aware of that after Viktor decided I was an emotional weakness for you and threw me in front of an oncoming train.”

He flinches, as if I slapped him on the face when I said Viktor’s name.

I take a sharp, almost painful breath at the sight of the grief stricken across his flawless features.

Then, the hardness in his eyes turns to something more vulnerable—more human.

“Viktor…” he says, barely able to speak his friend’s name. “Will pay for what he did. His betrayal is a reminder of how dangerous our world is. Of how quickly alliances can change. And now that you drank that potion, you made yourself a bigger target. You put yourself in even more danger.”

“I didn’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice,” he says. “And you chose to drink that potion without thinking of the consequences.”

I take a breath to speak, but say nothing.

After all, he’s not wrong.

“Morgan will fix this,” I say, not just for his sake, but also for mine.

He looks me up and down with grief in his eyes, as if I’m already halfway dead.

I nearly step forward to reach for him. To show him that even though the potion is swirling inside me, I’m still here.

But I don’t do it. I don’t have to see the future to know that isn’t what he wants right now. That he resents me for what I did.

“We need to rest.” He turns away from me, walks to the elevators, and presses the call button. “It’s late. Sleep in tomorrow to regain your strength. You’ll report to training in the afternoon, as always.”

“Really?” I ask. “After everything that happened, you want to train like usual tomorrow?”

“Do you have anything more important on your schedule?”

I press my lips together, because he’s right. I don’t exactly have a bustling social life here at the Fairmont, or in the city in general.

Eventually, the elevator dings, and we step inside, the space feeling smaller than ever.

As the doors close, I catch a glimpse of his profile. Strong and resolved, but also touched with a hint of something else.

Regret, or concern.

---