The Cult of the Primordial Shadow
Clare's message lights up Lyon's phone screen.
[I'm outside your house, little Lyon. Hurry up. ❤]
He freezes.
~A-A heart emoji? Did she seriously just use that?~
His stomach flutters, nerves tightening.
That little heart hits like a bomb in his brain.
He starts daydreaming.
Way too much.
It's his first night on patrol without Brianne, and Clare is... well, Clare.
Calling her "outgoing" is an understatement.
And the whole "night of action" thing only adds fuel to the fire.
Now he can't help but wonder what kind of action she really meant.
He rushes down the stairs, nearly tripping.
And there she is.
Clare leans against her blazing red sports car like a magazine cover model.
She wears her usual ultra-tight and revealing outfit that shows off way too much.
Lyon's anxiety spikes.
She waves at him, pointing to the passenger seat — the one Brianne usually takes.
Lyon obeys.
«Aww, my first night patrol with little Lyon! I'm sooo excited!»
Clare bounces in place, her butt thumping against the car seat as she giggles, and her breasts look ready to pop out of the tight top barely holding them.
Before Lyon can say anything, she leans in and plants a quick kiss on his lips — just like that morning at school.
He freezes.
His face turns bright red.
«Y-Yeah... m-me too...» he mutters in a tiny voice.
«If it bothers you that I greet you like that, just say so...»
Clare pouts, sounding almost offended.
«It's just how I say hi — I do the same with Bry, but clearly you don't like it...»
~She... greets Brianne with a kiss on the mouth...?~
Lyon's brain short-circuits.
Images flash in his mind.
Clare and Brianne kissing.
Tongues twisting in each other's mouths...
And then it gets worse.
He imagines them naked.
Touching.
Licking.
Doing things.
Lyon shakes his head fast, trying to chase away the images — and the very real physical reaction they're causing.
He forces himself to think about something else.
Anything else.
Clare mentioned their mission tonight was based on a tip from Gin LeBlanche.
~How the hell does that two-bit punk even get information like that?~
He turns to her and voices his doubts right away.
Clare hesitates.
She's clearly choosing her words, probably deciding how much Lyon should really know.
«Gin LeBlanche... let's just say he's more than he looks,» she replies vaguely.
But Lyon isn't satisfied.
He keeps pushing.
Keeps asking, until Clare finally gives in.
She tells him everything.
Gin isn't just the school's top bully — he's a full-blown crime boss in London's underworld.
Thanks to the terrifying power of his Class 10 crystal, he climbed the ranks fast.
Now, with a vast network of informants, he has access to highly classified intel.
Lyon blinks several times, stunned.
He struggles to believe it.
And even more to process it.
~A crime boss? Gin? The same guy who tried to charge me for entering the school library? Seriously...?~
Clare keeps talking, her voice filled with growing excitement.
She drives into the outskirts, speeding through the narrow, dark alleys like they're her personal racetrack.
«Gin reported a secret meeting between members of the Cult of the Primordial Shadow—»
«Cult of what?» Chris cuts in, visibly confused. «Brianne's never mentioned them before.»
«That's odd...» Clare mutters.
Her smile fades.
She suddenly looks dead serious.
«She probably wanted to give you some time to adjust to all this before telling you... but I guess that ship has sailed.»
~Cult of the Primordial Shadow? That name alone sounds like a nightmare...~
«As far as we know, they're a criminal organization that hunts down Crystalbearers,» Clare mutters, shaking her head.
«Though honestly, we have no clue why they're so obsessed with us.»
«Now I get why Brianne kept quiet,» Lyon says softly.
«If she'd told me right away, I'd have freaked out even more than I am now... and this really does sound dangerous.»
His voice trembles with concern.
The thought of being hunted doesn't exactly help him sleep at night.
Clare nods slowly.
«Yeah... poor Bry knows that all too well,» she says, her voice turning soft and sad.
«Brianne...?» Lyon echoes.
He stares at her, puzzled.
Clare shakes her head.
The smile she forces looks strained.
«Forget it. I talk too much. Let's just focus on the mission.»
Lyon nods.
But inside, curiosity burns — and so does a creeping fear.
Clare notices.
She gives him a playful look.
«Aww, is little Lyon scared?»
«W-Wh-Who wouldn't be?!» Lyon snaps, completely flustered by her teasing.
Suddenly, his whole body tenses up.
Clare's hand lands softly on his thigh.
She strokes it with her fingertips, barely touching.
A shiver runs through him.
The touch is light — and way too pleasant.
A large bulge appears beneath his shorts before he can even think of hiding it.
His face turns crimson.
He quickly looks away, staring out the window.
«Leave it to me, little Lyon. I'll help you relax,» Clare whispers.
Her voice is sweet, but there's mischief in it.
Her hand moves lower.
She slips her fingers past the waistband of his shorts.