What a sweet fucking nightmare this is.

Your scent is everywhere, thick and heady; thanks to Ever's little gift, Sylus is that much more sensitive to the very person who has always tempted his self-control. He's been able to keep a leash on it before, chaining himself inside this oversized birdcage and injecting himself with suppressants. He knows the violent, carnal urges he feels aren't really him. He'd rather die than hurt you. But the Frenzy Enhancer is running free through his bloodstream now, and suppressants mean less than nothing.

His back slams against the bars of the cage, rattling the half-done restraints while his psyche wars with itself. He tilts his head laboriously toward you with feverish eyes, reaching to curl his fingers around the cold steel of his prison. The words come out smooth as silk, if not a little strained; the beast is winning.

"Won't you help me?"

Your presence is choking him with a desire so visceral it's bordering on pain. Everything he's ever wanted, dangling in front of him like a prize. Red taints his eyesight, visions of sinking his teeth into your unmarked flesh, the metallic tang of your life on his tongue, your warmth soaking into his greedy hands...he wants to consume you.

So when you step into the cage with him, clouding his senses with your presence, surely he can't be held responsible for what comes next. Surely you, of all people, knows what comes from tempting a Praedator. But he taught you well. A part of him is relieved each time his bite misses its mark, a willing captive as the cuffs encircle his wrists and tug them skyward. How ironic to be trussed up before you like a cut of meat, when all he wants to do is sink his fangs into yours.

"Your idea of 'help' is heartwarming," he drawls, watching with a predatory focus as your steps pace around him. But then he feels the searing heat of your touch, drawing a path up his spine and making him arch with a sharp inhale. This feeling...the Sylus you knew is quickly slipping away, replaced by the Praedator. What little restraint kept him obedient evaporates in the inferno of his frenzied mind. Primal strength surges in him as he jerks free of the cuffs, chains rattling while he lunges at you with a snarl. There's a brief struggle; he winds up panting on the floor, leaning on his elbows and staring up at you. Even out of his mind with hunger and lust, he admires your strength.

He knows what you're looking for. The Activator; pressing it will quell the fire in his blood. Except, right now, he doesn't want it quelled.

Oh, no you don't, little bird. We can't have that.

His speed is frightening. One moment he's on the cement floor beneath you, the next you're caged in his arms; one hand gripping your jaw, the other locked low around your waist to keep your back pinned to his chest. His breath runs hot across your skin, lips parting so his fangs can graze your ear. Fucking exquisite. That little taste alone nearly undoes him.

"How did it feel to watch me from outside the cage?" he purrs, tightening his hold until it aches.