My Beloved Has Risen from Death’s Embrace

“They’re weak and foolish, and they dare covet you? And why, why are you so kind to them? Why isn’t all this kindness meant just for me? I want you all to myself, to be good only to me!”

“You’re insane.”

Phoenix shook his head. Yet Maximus smiled, “Yes, and that’s why Prescott must die.”

The mention of Prescott stirred something in Phoenix, but she stifled the emotion, fearing it would draw his attention and truly lead him to carry out his threat.

But no matter how much she tried to hide it, she couldn’t fool Maximus, who knew her too well.

“So you care about him that much? Enough to betray Ignite Camp, betray me, and even risk your life to protect him?!”

He growled lowly, but Phoenix pretended not to hear.

For reasons she couldn’t yet reveal, her betrayal of Ignite Camp wasn’t for anyone else but a personal vendetta.

“I won’t let you die.”

Orion opened a lunchbox, bringing a bowl of soup to her lips. NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

She turned her head away, clearly refusing, even as he pinched her chin, forcing her to face the bowl, she remained unresponsive, resigned to her fate..

“Not drinking, huh?” Orion scoffed, taking a sip of the soup himself, “Then I’ll just have to feed it to you one mouthful at a time.”

“I’ll drink!”

Phoenix quickly changed her tune, even moving her hands, “Just untie me, and I’ll eat by myself.”

Her sudden compliance caught Orion off guard.

In the original book, Maximus had to feed Phoenix a few mouthfuls before she submitted and agreed to eat on her own, but now, she had surrendered without him having to do anything.

He untied the knot, and Xanthea picked up the bowl, taking a sip. This soup was actually delicious–if she was Phoenix, she would have given in sooner.

“Xan, you’ve broke character.”

Xanthea paused, her utensil in mid–air. Was he out of character? That was rare.

“No, I didn’t. The ‘forced kiss‘ part was cut from the script, so I skipped it.”

Though there was a bit of an arment, she feared that if it dragged on, he might actually kiss her, knowing how deeply he could

immerse himself in the role, as she had experienced just the night before.

“I have my own way of handling this, let’s not waste any more emotions.”

“Alright then.”

Xanthea looked at him. He seemed slightly upset about her skipping that part of the scene.

Even though he was just helping her rehe

“Got it, let’s start.”

he was surprisingly professional.

Phoenix struggled to swallow the soup under his coercion, and Maximus, seeing her finally agree to eat, couldn’t help but smile. “Phee, do you remember the days we spent together at Ignite Camp?

“Remember that time I messed up and got punished by the camp leader, locked in the water cell overnight? When I came up I was nearly suffocating, and you gave me mouth–to–mouth. When I woke up, you asked how I felt; but all I could remember was how sweet and soft your lips were.

And another time, we were on a mission pretending to be a couple, and I got ‘drunk and clung to you saying I felt awful, which was both true and false. False because I wasn’t really drunk, true because the way you were twisting made me feel uneasy. I pretended to be drunk Just to hold you, it was incredibly uneasy, and I even almost…

He trailed off, leaning close to Xanther and whispering the last few words in her ear.

Xanther’s eyes widened in shock, her hand trembling with the utensil at his words.

This must be what he referred to in the Realm of Illusions blog post. How could he say such a