Chapter 1: Stupid Hormones

The air is thick with shadows, walls closing in like a secret waiting to explode. The damp air reeks of rain and smoke hangs heavy, curling into the corners like something alive. He is close—too close, his face so close that her skin can feel the spark of electricity between them, each breath stolen like a secret.The single lamp flickers, casting their outlines in trembling gold, their reflections warping in the windowpane. Thunder grumbles outside, distant yet insistent, rattling the glass. The world beyond is storming, but inside, the real tempest is just beginning—slow, silent, and dangerously intimate.

His voice is a growl, raw and commanding, scraping the edges of her sanity: "Tell me you want this. Tell me you need the fire even if it burns you alive."

She swallows, heat flowing through her veins, the fight receding with every shuddering gasp. Her body is singing with it. Her stomach is flipping. "I shouldn't. I'm afraid. But God… the way you look at me—it's like you're taking me apart and putting me back together all at once."

He smiles, dark and hungry, fingers tracing a dangerous line down her neck, electrifying every nerve. "Good. Because the moment I take you, there's no return. And I don't plan on letting you go."

She gasps as he slips his hand under her sweater, trailing up her waist, cupping her breast and squeezing gently, his thumb drawing circles along the curve of her nipple, sending shivers dancing up and down her spine. “You’re so fucking responsive,” he murmurs against her ear, teeth grazing her earlobe. “Every little touch—every breath—I feel it. You’re trembling for me already.”

She holds his neck and leans into him, a whimper escaping her lips. "Because it’s you... it’s always been you. I crave you, Azazel. I love you—mind, body, everything."

He leans down and kisses her, the taste of his lips intoxicating, sweet with something sharper underneath. The kiss isn’t chaste—it’s fierce and hot and desperate, as though he wants to devour her in one bite—and it makes her dizzy, drunk, like all she knows right now is him.

When he pulls back just far enough to speak, his voice is rough, fractured. "Say it again. Say it like you mean it."

Her fingers curl into his hair, gripping handfuls, tugging slightly, urging him forward. “I love you...Aza..za....”

"Azazel___" his name slipped out, half plea, half prayer.

He groans, his eyes burning through her, taking in her reaction—her desire. One of his hands falls from her breast and trails downward, skimming over her stomach—then lower—till it lands on her thigh, brushing it lightly. “Tell me what you need,” he demands, fingers teasing the hem of her skirt. “Tell me, and I’ll give it to you.”

She whimpers. Her entire body goes limp beneath him as he presses his hips against hers, making sure their bodies are flush, his cock a warm presence against her core.

"You," she gasps. "Just—God Ahhh!!—just you. Like this. More."

"Good girl." The praise sent shivers down her spine.

With swift motions, he yanked her sweater over her head and dropped it on the floor.

His eyes raked over her bare skin, his face darkening with desire. "Perfect," he murmured, before lowering his mouth to her collarbone, biting just hard enough to make her gasp. He kisses her harder, tongue licking against her bottom lip before slipping inside. She moans into his mouth, the sound swallowed by his hunger as he deepens the kiss, tongue sliding against hers, searching, claiming.

When he breaks away, his breath is ragged. “You’re dripping wet down here…” His fingers press against the lace of her underwear, rubbing slow, torturous circles. “I guess I really turned you on, huh?”

She trembles, her body against his. "I'm … gonna … gonna …" she gasped and had her legs wrap around his waist, "Fuck me, now."

His laughter is rich, satisfied. "I enjoy the way you fall apart for me. The way you 'let' me."

Her knees buckle, and he jerks her back up against him, mouth landing on her neck, teeth scraping over her pulse point as his fingers thrust through lace, touching her in slow, deliberate motions.

"Fuck—" She gasps, fingernails digging into his shoulders. "You're going to kill me."

"Yes." His voice is a promise, a warning.

RIIIIING! RIIIIING!

The alarm screamed without mercy, slicing through the silk-soft haze of Elowen’s dream like a chainsaw.

Her eyes snapped open, heart pounding, breath caught halfway between a gasp and a curse. "Oh, for goodness' sake!" she groaned, slamming her hand against the snooze button. "We were just about to—ugh! Damn it!" She flopped back onto the pillow, squeezing her thighs together as if trying to hold onto the heat still running through her. She flushed. "Why now? Why always now?"

"Elowen!!" Her mom’s voice came shrill from downstairs, like nails dragging across her last nerve.

"I heard you, Mom!" she snapped, rolling onto her side and pulling the blanket over her face. "Can't a girl get some quiet before school? Or at least finish one damn dream?" But the black glow in Azazel's eyes was already receding.

She could still feel the linger of his fingers on her skin, the motion of his lips on hers, burning and hungry. His voice had whispered her name like it belonged to him. And just as his fingers had started to trail lower…

Elowen stomped to the bathroom, half sulking, half flustered. “Stupid alarm,” she muttered as she yanked her toothbrush out of the cup. “Stupid school. Stupid hormones.” The cold water did nothing to cool the blush on her face. As she got dressed, she moved on autopilot—buttoning her shirt, pulling up her skirt, tying her shoes—but her mind stayed in the dream.

Her hand froze when she spotted the blue sapphire necklace resting quietly on her side table. Her breath caught. In the dream, Azazel had held the same necklace—but the gem had shimmered yellow, glowing like it was alive. She picked it up slowly, holding it in her palm like something sacred. “Azazel…” she whispered, her lips curving into a small, secret smile. The name rolled off her tongue like a lover’s promise.

The walk to school was a repeat of every other day—same broken sidewalk, same whiny dog, same faces. But inside, Elowen was still tangled in his world. Her fingers toyed with the necklace in her pocket, each touch pulling her deeper into memory. Everyone else faded into background noise. “If I see you again tonight,” she murmured under her breath, “you better finish what you started.” Her smile turned wicked at the edges. “No more interruptions.”

She passed Amber, avoiding her gaze, and gave a nervous nod, barely acknowledging Callum’s stupid laugh behind her. Her palms were already sweating, heart thudding like it used to in the hallway outside math class. Amber hadn’t said a word, but the silence felt loaded — like the moments before a storm. She kept her eyes down, afraid one glance could bring it all back: the whispers, the snickers, the locker slams. Even now, years later, her body still remembered what it meant to be small.

“Still flinching like a stray?” Amber said, voice low, almost amused.

It was barely above a whisper, but it sliced clean through the air. Her breath caught. The hallway seemed to tilt slightly, the present warping into the past: the metallic clang of lockers, her books scattered on the floor, Amber’s foot pinning her bag down, that sick laugh echoing from Callum’s throat.

“Don’t cry,” Amber had once hissed in her ear, knuckles white from gripping her collar. “You’re so boring when you cry.”

Now, years later, the ghost of that voice coiled around her spine like cold wire. She bolted. Not a full run, but fast enough to make it obvious. Her boots thudded on the linoleum as she reached the door and yanked it open. Her chest was tight, lungs fluttering like a bird trapped in a box. She didn’t look back. She didn’t need to. Amber’s smirk was probably following her like a shadow.

Inside, she leaned against the wall, eyes shut, trying to breathe, trying to be twenty-three instead of fifteen.

The corridor reeked of disinfectant bleach and artificial perfume—an uncomfortable mix that conjured a crime scene dressed in lipstick and glitter. The fragrance hit the back of the throat with a harsh, lingering sting. The air felt too clean, too precise, like it was trying to scrub out the truth. Fluorescent lighting buzzed overhead, bleaching everything in a forced brightness meant to hide what lay beneath.

The shiny linoleum bent reflections, distorting them beneath the glare, making everything look too sharp, too staged. Motivational posters—"Be the Best You!", "Kindness is Cool!"—drooped in weary surrender, their cheerful slogans clashing with the tired atmosphere. Beneath the pastel lockers and practiced smiles, something rotten pulsed just out of sight.

Quiet, patient, familiar rot—the kind that sneaked in unheralded, slow as fungus in a wet cellar, but no less ravaging.