Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate-Chapter 333: The Devouring

Of course, that wasn’t all Ol’gaz was capable of.

What happened next unfolded so quickly that Florian didn’t even have time to regret taunting the demon. By the time he realized the danger, it was already too late.

Ol’gaz slammed him to the ground, seized his collar, and hurled him skyward. His body hit the ceiling with a crack, splintering it, before crashing back down with a sickening thud.

The demon’s foot came down hard on Florian’s chest, pinning him like a broken doll.

Shards from the shattered ceiling and floor had carved a deep gash across his face. Pain screamed through every nerve—he couldn’t tell which bones were broken, only that everything hurt. Blood was pouring from so many places that he couldn’t tell where it started or ended.

He coughed, spitting out a thick, black liquid that splashed onto the fractured floor.

But Ol’gaz wasn’t finished. Not even close. The demon was furious—and it intended to make sure Florian never dared to mock it again.

Ol’gaz lifted its foot, releasing Florian. Though still seething, its face had settled into a chilling calm—unnaturally composed, save for its eyes. Those eyes burned with a malice and resentment unlike anything it had ever shown before.

This was new. This was a rage Ol’gaz had never known.

It couldn’t believe that this meek, fragile vampire boy had dared to glare at it—as if they were rivals. As if they were equals. As if he wasn’t meant to tremble at its presence.

This boy... No, any living creature on Earth should cower before Ol’gaz.

It was the ultimate demon—the one feared by the oldest of ancestors, by gods and ghosts alike. Its power was bound by nothing, limitless and eternal.

Ol’gaz crouched low, its face inches from the boy’s. It stared deep into Florian’s eyes, searching for the fear it expected to find—yet there was none.

That absence of fear only fueled its fury.

Its mouth opened—slowly at first, then wider. Unnaturally wide. Disturbingly so. It stretched far beyond what any vampire’s anatomy should allow. But Ol’gaz was no vampire. It merely wore the shape of one.

The jaw kept stretching, unhinging like a serpent’s, growing into a gaping maw. A dark, bottomless void.

Then, without a word, it lowered that monstrous mouth over Florian’s head.

And in one horrifying, fluid motion, it devoured him—head to toe.

It was an act as strange as it was terrifying, something that had never happened before. Not even the scholars—not even Perseus the all-knowing elder—would have known of such a thing.

This was Ol’gaz’s first time consuming a living being. Its host. The demon hadn’t planned it. It hadn’t planned to. But its rage had crossed a threshold so primal, so consuming, that it acted without thought.

But Florian didn’t vanish.

The demon’s continued existence was proof enough—Florian still lived. Ol’gaz, drunk on the satisfaction of his supposed victory, didn’t even notice. It never occurred to the demon to question why it still lingered, why it hadn’t crumbled entirely if the host had gone.

In truth, Florian was trapped.

Not dead, but sealed away—locked inside an invisible prison deep within the subconscious. Asleep, unaware of his captivity. But not for long.

He was stirring. Somewhere within the shadows of his mind, Florian was beginning to wake. And even in his unconscious state, instinct took over—he reached out.

He didn’t know he was doing it. He didn’t even know who he was calling. But his cry was clear. He was calling for her. Riona.

And the closer she came to the castle, the louder that cry grew—echoing through the bond only siblings could share.

***

Ol’gaz felt renewed—like it had just been reborn. Power coursed through its veins, its mood buoyant with the thrill of liberation. For the first time, it felt truly strong. Unstoppable.

It thought of Florian’s absence and smiled inwardly. His disappearance, his silence, meant one thing: Ol’gaz had finally outgrown the need for a host. It was free.

On the day of the imperial meeting, Emperor Kaan had anticipated yet another outburst from the young vampire boy. At the very least, he expected Florian to arrive with that same pitiful look of despair he so enjoyed—his misery had become the emperor’s daily amusement.

But the boy never came.

Emperor Kaan’s eyes swept the chamber, then narrowed. "Where is he?"

He didn’t need to say a name. Everyone knew who ’he’ was. So did Ol’gaz.

And the demon noticed it wasn’t just the emperor who was watching closely. Sir Roderick, too, seemed to scan the room with veiled concern. He hid it well, but not well enough. Ol’gaz had been watching him ever since discovering his secret alliance with Florian.

So when it answered, it made sure to look directly at Roderick.

"He’s gone."

The words hit their mark.

Roderick’s eyes flicked away, and he lowered his head—subtle, but telling. His hands, thankfully, were hidden behind his back. Had they been visible, the others might have seen how tightly he was clenching them, white-knuckled, fighting to stay composed.

Ol’gaz saw it all. And it savored the silence that followed.

Meanwhile, fear consumed the emperor’s aide completely.

He had risked everything—his position, his reputation, his life—to support Florian. And now, the boy was gone. novelbuddy.cσ๓

Florian hadn’t been strong enough to resist the demon. Roderick’s gamble had failed. A fatal miscalculation.

The weight of it pressed down on him like iron. He had trusted the wrong side, and now the consequences were his alone to carry.

***

Without Florian, Emperor Kaan’s dealings with Ol’gaz progressed rapidly.

Not that the boy had ever truly hindered them—but in his absence, the demon became noticeably more proactive, more enthusiastic in aiding the emperor’s ambitions to conquer the world.

At least, on the surface. In truth, Ol’gaz had its own agenda.

For now, their goals aligned well enough. They played the roles of allies, working side by side in uneasy cooperation. But both were only waiting—waiting for the moment when two figures would stand atop the world’s power.

That’s when the illusion would shatter.

Neither of them intended to share the throne. And neither knew the depth of the other’s betrayal that brewed just beneath the surface.

For now, Emperor Kaan was content.

Ol’gaz’s dark power had spread like a storm, cloaking the empire in shadow. And the demon, in turn, was nourished—bloated with the despair of every vampire caught in the twisted nightmares it had sown.

A servant stepped into the chamber, head bowed. "Your Majesty, they have arrived."

At last. The ones they had been waiting for.

Emperor Kaan’s lips curled into a smirk. His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Excellent," he said, rising to his feet. "Now... let’s test this new power of mine."