"Don't fight them! It's an illusion!" Stiles yelled.
He took a step towards me and stumbled, but I caught him, and he wrapped an arm around my waist as I balanced him. Inside I was unsettled by how fragile he seemed, but I didn't let those feelings show on my face.
"You have to stop fighting them. It looks real, it feels real, but Scott you gotta trust me it an illusion," Stiles said.
Kira looked to me hesitantly, silently asking me if this was true. I nodded my head in confirmation, and Kira let out a sigh, one of relief, fear, or both, I wasn't sure. Kira and Scott both turned to face the Nogitsune, and the Oni lined up in twos in front of the dark spirit.
Scott took a deep breath and walked towards the Oni, where one of the Oni's blades sliced his leg. Scott flinched, but kept going, Kira following behind him. When the Oni cut her arm she squeezed her eyes shut, her breathe hitching, but she also continued on.
Then Scott arrived in front of the Nogitsune, running at him, and pushing through the frozen doors with a loud slam. Suddenly, we were all running through the school halls, gasping and out of breath. I looked around in wonder. We'd done it. We'd escaped.
"We did it!" I cried out, adrenaline rushing through my veins. Everyone else had smiles on their faces, relieved that we got away safe.
I turned around and kissed Stiles on the lips, my excitement getting the better of me. Stiles kissed me back, his lips soft against mine, sending even more adrenaline through my body. Stiles was still dying though, and he stumbled into me, losing his balance. I grabbed his waist, keeping him upright as he placed his arm over my shoulders.
I looked back to the school doors, and a bit of disappointment seeped inside of me. I'd been secretly hoping that the reason I hadn't felt any desire towards the Nogitsune was because it was over, that somehow the desire had stopped. I realised now that the desire was still there, it was just because everything had been an illusion, so the Nogitsune hadn't really been there which meant I hadn't felt anything.
And that's when I felt it. The familiar pull inside me I felt whenever Void was around. The same want, the same need, that appeared whenever Void was near me, which meant-
I was about to call out and warn the others that Void was near when Scott was suddenly picked up and thrown against the lockers. Kira, Lydia, Stiles, and I all turned around to see Void walking towards us, a cruel smirk on his face.
Before we could do anything, Void gripped Kira's hair and yanked her head back, slamming it into one of the lockers. We started to back away, but Void was already upon us, grabbing Lydia and throwing her aside on the floor, her figure crumpling.
Stiles and I quickened our pace as we backed away, not daring to take our eyes of the dark spirit before us. Void looked at us, his smirk gone and rage glistening in his eyes.
"This was my game. You think you can beat me at my game?" he asked, walking towards us.
"We used a divine move," I said shakily, cursing my voice for trembling.
Void laughed dryly, anger dancing in his eyes.
"Divine move? Divine move? You think you have any moves at all?" he asked us.
He started quickening his pace, forcing us to do the same, but with Stiles in such a bad state, we were stumbling and tripping all over the place, not to mention my reluctance to leave Void and the irritating pull I felt towards him.
"You can kill the Oni, but me? Me? I'm a thousand years old. You can't kill me!" He roared, his face livid.
"But we can change you," I said.
Void stopped walking, confusion flashing across his features.
"What?"
"You forgot about the scroll," Stiles said.
"The Shugenda Scroll," I added.
For the first time since I'd known Void, I saw an expression that looked similar to fear cross his face.
"Change the host," Void whispered.
"You can't be a fox and a wolf," Stiles said.
The urge to go to Void was stronger now, since I knew he was in danger, but it wasn't as hard as usual to resist it, since I had Stiles next to me.
Scott popped up from behind Void, about to give him the bite, but Void shoved him away, pushing Scott to the floor. He did the same with Kira, who had attempted to push her katana right through Void's stomach. Void turned around to face Stiles and I again, a smirk on his face.
"Was that really all you had?" he asked, quirking his eyebrow.
I was petrified, I was horrified, and I was relieved. That stupid part of me was relieved that Void wasn't hurt, that he managed to fight off Scott and Kira and was left unharmed. I hated that part of me.
Void looked to me, his gaze intense. I felt my insides melt and willed myself to stay strong, to not give in to him.
"I'll give you one chance to come to me now, or there will be sever punishments once I'm finished with him," Void said, gesturing to Stiles.
The desire was so strong I nearly fell to my knees. It was like a fire battling inside me, begging to be released.
I took a deep breathe, closing my eyes for a moment, and stepped away from Stiles. I heard him yell out to me, beg me to stop, but I ignored him, continuing to walk until I made it to Void's side. There were tears streaming down my face as I turned around to face Stiles.
"I'm sorry," I said, my voice cracking. "I just can't fight it anymore."
Stiles watched me stand beside Void, the heartbreak clear in his eyes. Void looked at me, surprise plastered across his face.
"I didn't think you'd listen," he admitted. His expression changed into a smug smile as he stared at Stiles. "What a pleasant surprise."
Then he kissed me.
I didn't try to fight it. I didn't try to break away from the kiss. Instead, I kissed him back deeply, savouring the feeling of his lips on mine. Void wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me closer, and I gladly placed my arms around his neck.
My fingers traced the back of his neck, and Void went rigid. He tried to pull back but was frozen in place as I continued burning the mark onto his skin. Once I'd finished the marking, I stepped back and saw betrayal and hurt flash across Void's face before it was replaced with anger.
"What did you do?" he spat, completely enraged.
I smiled sweetly at Void, taking a step back as I answered him.
"I gave you a taste of your own medicine," I said, shrugging innocently. I took another step back, and Stiles wrapped his arm around my waist, a knowing smile on his face.
"What do you mean?" he asked, though he seemed quite distracted as he looked at Stiles' arm around my waist.
"Well, we had to have a back up plan in case Scott and Kira weren't able to subdue you on their own, which they weren't. So, we went to Deaton, and he taught me a trick or two on how to burn certain symbols into people's neck, and what that would do to them," I explained. "Right now, you won't be able to move until I let you, or until the mark wears off, which is a few years away."
Behind Void, I noticed Scott helping Kira up off the ground and fought the urge to free Void from his binding. That was the only problem in this plan; I needed to stay strong and resist the desire I felt for Void.
Scott grabbed Void's arm and pulled it towards him, getting ready to bite his arm. I felt the pull surge me forward, and I tried to take a step, but Stiles' other arm snaked around my waist, keeping me back, however weakly.
"I can't keep him at bay any longer," I cried out, and finally released the hold on Void.
Before Void could get up and fight for himself though, Kira shoved her katana through Void's body, keeping him at bay. I took deep breathes as I fought with the urge to go and save him. I would not save Void.
Scott's fangs sank into Void's arm, and he screamed, the sound so unearthly and wrong I flinched back even with the desire coursing through my veins. Void's body went limp, and Kira pulled her katana out of his body, causing Void to fall onto his knees.
With the last of the energy Void had left, he craned his head up to look at me.
"I could have given you everything you ever wanted," he rasped, his voice broken.
"I already have everything I want," I said, leaning back into Stiles' embrace.
Void's eyes flashed, but before Void could answer, a fly flew out of his mouth, and behind me Isaac caught it in a wooden box. Void started twitching and convulsing on his knees, gasping for breath, and once again I had to stop myself from running over and trying to help him.
Then, Void just stopped. He stopped moving, blinking, and even breathing. He just stopped. Slowly, I noticed his features hardening, as if turning to stone. Then it cracked, and his whole body came crashing down onto the ground, where he turned to dust.
Instantly, I felt freed from the desire, and felt the symbol behind my neck slowly disappear. It was a strange sensation, but a freeing one. Behind me, I heard heavy breathing and turned to find Stiles looking pale and unbalanced.
"Stiles?" I asked, trying to keep the panic down.
He didn't answer me. Instead, his eyes drooped close, and he fell the floor with a loud thud.