Page 138 of Claimed In Darkness

Ifind her in the ruins of what used to be a temple. I chased her here.

The stone is cracked, the pillars jagged where time and war have torn them apart.

She stands in the center of it all, bathed in moonlight, as if she belongs to the wreckage.

As if she was always supposed to be something untouchable.

And still, I step toward her.

I never could stay away from her.

She does not run.

She watches me.

Silent.

Still.

Not the way she used to, with fire in her veins and a blade hidden behind her back.

Not like a woman waiting for a fight.

But like a queen waiting for her executioner.

She already knows what happens next.

It’s as if she’s letting this happen .

I despise myself for chasing her here. I can’t give her up.

I also hate her for making me come here, for making me see what she has become.

For making me do this.

We both know?—

I should kill her.

Right now.

While I still can.

Before she becomes something I cannot stop.

But instead, I touch her.

She feels like a ghost.

My hand finds her waist first, fingers pressing against the fabric of her tunic, sliding lower, desperate for something real.

For something human.

But her skin is too cool.

Her breath too shallow.

Her pulse is even more slower than last time.

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