Page 126 of Emylia

“She’s not yours,” Sebastian snapped.

“She’s not yours either,” Maalikai shot back, voice pulled over dying embers and embued with their heat.

He rose to his full height–dark features carved in shadow, all sharp edges and silent threat.

“She’s not yours,” Sebastian growled again, this time with murderous intent.

He didn't wait for Maalikai to respond. In a flash, Sebastian was across the room–fist already flying. But Maalikai caught it mid-swing, the other gripping his throat squeezing like he enjoyed inflicting pain .

Sebastian didn’t flinch. Barely moved. Just smiled. Dangerous. Murderous. Even from my spot on the bed, I could see the red sheen in his irises and knew he was only a breath away from losing all control.

As easy as breathing, he ripped Maalikai’s hand from his throat. With inhuman strength, he squeezed Maalikai’s fist, the crunching sound reverberated through the room in a sickening crack.

I was on my feet in an instant, covering the distance between them.

“Maalikai, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

His arm hung limp at his side, undoubtedly broken. But it was his eyes that conveyed my worst fear; discovery.

He knew Sebastian wasdifferent. He knew that the blood that pumped through his veins was something else. Maybe he didn’t knowexactlywhat he was. But he knew enough to falter. To reassess his chances of winning. Which in all honesty, was non-existent.

Maalikai didn’t panic.

He smiled.

That same wicked, taunting smirk I’d seen so many times before. Only this time, it wasn’t flirtation. It was a dare.

Sebastian’s grip tightened. His eyes now full crimson.

“Maalikai!” I reached for him.

As if to prove a point, Sebastian slammed him against the wall, the sound cracking through the air.

But it was Maalikai’s eyes that chilled me.

Not pain. Not fear.

A predator’s recognition.

Maalikai’s eyes locked on Sebastian, and the world tilted.

It wasn’t just a look.

It was a shift—sharp, sudden, and seismic. Like something ancient had just woken up behind his gaze.

Not recognition—revelation.

The kind that changes everything without a single word.

His posture went still. Not the kind of stillness that came with calm, but the kind that came before a storm—coiled, breathless, waiting. His jaw tensed. His fingers flexed once at his sides, like they ached for a weapon, or maybe just something solid to hold onto.

In that moment I knew without question–he’d pieced it together. Worked out exactly what Sebastian was. Knew it with a conviction sharp enough to condemn him, if he choose to use it.

Sebastian wasn’t just a golden boy with a sharp tongue. He was something else. Something darker. Something lethal. Like a beast of forgotten legends, carved from midnight itself, stalking through silence and shadow with a quiet hunger.

Something passed between them in that moment—something I didn’t understand.

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