Chapter-35 Together At Last

The apartment was quiet, save for the faint hum of the rain tapping against the window. The scent of damp stone drifted through the half-open window, mingling with the lingering warmth of the space.

Frederique sat cross-legged on the couch, fingers drumming lightly on her knee. The room felt too still, the kind of silence that made her skin itch. Lira's absence left an odd void... one she wasn't used to.

But she wasn't alone.

Not anymore.

"You're thinking too much again."

Frederique exhaled through her nose.

"I can hear you clearly now. Like you're right next to me."

"I am."

A phantom pressure settled in her chest, warm but insistent. Frideria. Not pressing. Not demanding. Just there.

It was strange... how quickly things shifted. The gnawing dread that used to fill her whenever she felt Frideria stir had eased.

Now, it was... more like sharing space.

Frederique ran a hand through her damp hair, still drying from the earlier rain.

"So... what now? We're 'together' but I still feel like I'm missing something. What do we do?"

"We eat."

A sharp pang bloomed in her stomach, primal and undeniable. Frederique winced.

"I... I'm not that hungry. I can wait."

"You shouldn't wait."

The voice curled in her mind like a purr, light but serious.

"You know you feel it. The ache. That emptiness. It's... not wrong, Frederique. It's us. Feed it, and you'll feel stronger. Calmer. I won't push you. But I won't lie either."

Frederique swallowed hard.

It wasn't like before. Not the wild, feral compulsion that had torn through her in those first nights. It was subtle now... an awareness, a quiet craving just beneath her skin.

And for once, it didn't feel like a threat.

"Fridge."

"...What?"

"Lira left pasta. Smells good. Eat with me."

Frederique blinked, half startled by the suggestion.

She opened the fridge, feeling the ache of shared hunger gnawing at her stomach. A container of leftover pasta sat on the top shelf, carefully wrapped. Lira's cooking. She pulled it out, peeling back the lid. The scent was strong... herbs, garlic, cheese. Her stomach twisted tighter, the hunger so sharp she nearly dropped the container.

Without thinking, she grabbed a fork and dug in.

The first bite was so satisfying she nearly groaned aloud. Rich, creamy sauce. Warm, perfectly cooked noodles. But the feeling was…strange. Like it echoed. As she chewed, she felt it twice. Once in her mouth, once deeper... like an echo under her skin.

" Good." Frideria purred in the back of her mind.

Frederique blinked, swallowing. " You can…taste that? "

" We share a body. If you eat, I eat too."

Frederique scoffed, twirling another forkful.

" That's weird. Feels weird too. "

" You're not used to it yet."

Another bite. Then another. Her hunger was impossible to ignore. She devoured half the container before pausing, breathless.

" Stop holding back."

It was Frideria's voice, but not in words. The urge was what Frederique felt... urging her to eat faster. To devour. To stop caring what it looked like.

Frederique clenched her jaw.

" No. I'm not…a monster. "

" Neither am I, Frideria whispered. But we are hungry. Finish it."

Frederique hesitated, but the hunger was relentless. She couldn't stop. Bite after bite disappeared until the container was scraped clean. Her stomach ached, but not painfully... just the warmth of being full.

The shared satisfaction lingered between them, a strange harmony.

" See? " Frideria whispered, softer now. "Better, isn't it? "

Frederique wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, leaning back in the chair.

" Yeah. I guess so. "

A shift was happening.

Frederique felt it as she sat there in the quiet kitchen. The fear she'd once felt, the constant gnawing anxiety... it wasn't as sharp. The hunger was still there, but it wasn't just her enemy anymore.

She felt…free.

The thought made her frown.

' When had that changed? '

Standing, she stretched, feeling a heat in her muscles that hadn't been there before. Her skin tingled slightly, more sensitive than usual. Her body felt powerful, but not just in strength... it was alive.

And then there was Frideria. That playful hum of energy just beneath her own thoughts, not aggressive but watching.

" You're changing, " Friderique thought, walking toward the bathroom.

' So am I.'

The bathroom was warm, steam curling against the mirror as Frederique turned the water on. Stripping out of her clothes, she avoided the mirror at first, letting the heat from the water distract her.

But when she finally faced it... she couldn't look away.

Her face was the same. Almost. The softness was fading. Her cheekbones were more defined, her eyes larger somehow, the shadows under them darker but not from fatigue. She looked... intense. Predatory.

Her body told a different story. Her curves were still there, but firmer, leaner. The weight she'd been mocked for was vanishing, though not from starvation. She felt solid.

' Strong. '

Yet her stomach still ached with hunger.

" I'm making you better. " Frideria whispered gently. " Isn't this what you wanted? "

Frederique traced a finger down her ribs, frowning.

"I didn't want to be turned into a monster. "

" You're not a monster. "

Frideria's voice was softer now, as if trying to soothe.

" You're becoming what you were always meant to be."

Frederique closed her eyes, stepping under the spray of hot water. The hunger hadn't left. She doubted it ever would. But maybe, just maybe, she was starting to understand it.

And it no longer controlled her.

At least, not entirely.