Fates and Thrones

Resolve

Kgosi's footsteps grew closer, each one reverberating in my chest like a drum of impending doom. I barely had time to gasp before his hand gripped my arm, yanking me back and slamming me into the rough stone wall. Pain shot through my skull as it connected with the unyielding surface, but the numb terror already seeping into my bones drowned out the ache.

"You really thought you could escape?" His voice was a low hiss, filled with venomous amusement as his body pinned me against the cold wall. I struggled, but his hands were relentless, tearing at my waistband with horrifying ease.

"Stop," I whispered, my voice barely audible through the rising panic. My fingers clawed at his hands, desperate to stop him, but I couldn't move. I was trapped. Just like before.

A sharp, predatory smile spread across his lips as he yanked my pants down, exposing my skin to the freezing air of the Den. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to disappear, but his breath was already on me; hot, oppressive, invasive.

Then I felt his tongue. It slid up my thigh, slow and deliberate, and something about it was wrong. It wasn't like before. It was longer, forked, slithering across my skin as though tasting every drop of fear I exuded.

"Mmm," Kgosi purred, his voice dripping with sick satisfaction. "What's this? You taste... different." His tongue flicked higher, and I felt a wave of nausea rise, cold sweat beading on my forehead. "Sweeter, almost... like cinnamon."

I froze, confusion colliding with dread. His words, laced with something far more sinister, sent a chill down my spine.

"Oh yes," he continued, his forked tongue tracing a slow, agonizing line. "Sweet. Spicy. Like a treat that's just... ready to be devoured." He chuckled, the sound cold and merciless. "What have you been hiding, little pet? Why do you taste so goddamn addicting?"

Kgosi's laughter deepened, his forked tongue teasing the edge of my thigh again. "You're breaking again, aren't you?" he murmured. "I can feel it. That fragility. That sweetness. Something more to you this time. Something... different."

"Kgosi," I whispered, my voice weak, broken. Tears welled in my eyes as I tried to fight it, tried to deny what my body was telling me, but the fear was too strong. I wasn't just fighting for myself anymore.

"You taste so much better when you're afraid," he taunted, his voice a sinister caress against my skin. "But now... there's more. So much more at stake."

Kgosi's forked tongue slid agonizingly slowly over the edge of my panties, taunting me with his sick pleasure. My mind raced, heart pounding as I pushed against him, desperate to break free from the nightmare unraveling around me. "No, stop!" I cried, the words raw and broken, echoing through the suffocating dark.

Suddenly, he recoiled, his body jerking unnaturally as the air around us shimmered. The oppressive weight lifted slightly, just enough for me to catch a breath, but my relief was short-lived.

When I looked up, Kgosi was gone. And standing in his place was Jax.

"Jax?" I breathed hope mixing with the terror still gnawing at my chest. His face, is familiar yet... wrong. His eyes, usually filled with warmth, now gleamed with something cold and empty. His lips curled into a cruel smile, nothing like the Jax I knew.

"Aleesia," he purred, stepping closer. "What's wrong?" His voice was soft, almost tender, but there was an edge to it, a darkness that set every nerve in my body alight with alarm.

I stumbled back, pressing myself further against the wall, my mind reeling. "No... no, this isn't real. You're not—"

"Not who?" His tone sharpened; mockery laced in every word as he reached for me. "You can't even tell the difference, can you?"

His hand slid along my cheek, but instead of comfort, it brought cold dread. His touch was soft, familiar, yet the wrongness radiating from him was undeniable. My stomach twisted with nausea as my body betrayed me, wanting to trust him, wanting to believe this was the man I loved—but I knew better.

"Jax, please," I whispered, tears blurring my vision. "You're not him."

"Oh, but I am," he said, his lips hovering dangerously close to mine, his breath warm against my skin. "I'm every part of him that you love—and every part that you fear." His hand trailed down my arm, a mockery of affection. "How easily you forget, Aleesia."

I shook my head, choking back a sob as he pressed closer, his body trapping me just as Kgosi had moments before. "No. You're not him."

His laughter sent chills through me, echoing off the cavern walls like a twisted melody. "Isn't that what you're afraid of? That I'm him, deep down? That you're drawn to darkness, to men who will break you, use you, discard you?"

I felt myself crumbling, his words tearing through me like shards of glass. I tried to fight it, to remember the real Jax, but the twisted version of him standing before me was relentless, his presence suffocating.

"Look at you," he whispered, his fingers brushing my hair away from my face. "You're already broken. So sweet. So fragile. And now..." His gaze dropped to my stomach, a dark grin spreading across his face. "Now there's even more of you to break."

My breath caught in my throat, panic rising again as his hand hovered near my abdomen. "Stop," I pleaded, barely able to speak. "Don't..."

But the sinister version of Jax just chuckled, his voice dripping with malice. "Oh, Aleesia, you think you're protecting something, don't you? Something precious. But how can you protect anyone when you can't even save yourself?"

My shoulders shook as I cried. "I have always relied on Ajita, to come and save me every time. Or I rely on Jax or even my mother. I guess I really do need to stand up for myself."