The Primordials: Lustless Prides (Book Three)

Chapter XII: Hunger Pangs

      Avarice sat on his throne, lost in his thoughts, after learning about being a klevonian. He'd been keeping an eye on the human for the past few days as she gathered her allies and shared with them the knowledge of her being the only descendant of his creator and the only one to awaken Viraa's powerful cintracy. This was an unforeseen yet pleasant new detail about the human.

      "So you were right about her being able to see the future somehow," Verin admitted, her voice breaking him out of his thoughts, returning him to reality.

      "Hm...yes, I suspected it due to how she dodged Junichiro and Wren's attacks," he responded dismissively, his thoughts now fixated on a new precious collectible.

      "You want her even more now, don't you," Verin stated, reading the fascinated expression on his face. "I must agree: that ability would be invaluable for us. And should she learn how to use it, it could threaten our goals."

      "So we'll take her," Avarice said imposingly, his conviction clear and unmistakable. He'd just discovered the rarest thing on the planet and would ensure it ended up in his possession.

      "The Holders will be ready to be deployed tomorrow, and Junichiro and the others will be on standby in case the Primordials interfere–"

      "They will," Avarice interjected. "I haven't decided whether it's worth keeping them alive or capturing them yet, but we can be certain that they will intervene. Ensure that Junichiro keeps an eye on the human once everything begins. There's something I must find, then I'll collect my prize from him personally."

      "You're going on the battlefield?" Verin asked, surprised.

      Avarice smirked devilishly.

      "What better way to douse the rebellious spirits of the weak than to show them the presence of God."

****

      Claeg sat quietly on top of the lab as he tracked the human and Primordials' movements through their c-chips. He had been listening earlier to Avarice and Verin's plot to take down the humans and Primordials. He decided that was his chance to help – to make up for nearly killing the fox before getting permission. If he could capture the human and bring her to Avarice...

      But Claeg wasn't dumb enough to believe he could face each Primordial there alone and win, so he adopted a more stealthy approach even though it went against his nature. As he sat there waiting for the perfect moment, his body gradually became unbearably hungry and itched for some action. Even his mental focus had started slipping.

      Already, the desire for blood and battle was getting so strong he was starting to forget why he was searching for the human in the first place.

      His hunger pangs were surfacing again. When he was human, it always occurred when he came across a new beast to hunt and wouldn't fade until he'd pursued it. But this was the first time it happened since wakening – it felt different. More intense. Consuming. An image of Naomi flashed in his head.

      Stay focused, he told himself.

      When the dots on the screen he tracked them with showed that only the robot and Alissia were in the direct vicinity of each other, he took that as his window of opportunity, leaped off the rooftop, and sprinted toward there with a big, razor-sharp grin on his face.

      Without realizing what was happening, Claeg's mind became clouded in his hunger. It had shifted into hunting mode, causing him to forget why he sought out the human entirely. His mind rationalized it by convincing himself to use her as bait to lure out the sustenance he was craving: Tymon.