Page 23 of Unmasked Prophecy

This is bad. Really bad.

Falling for a man like Talon could destroy me, but I feel unable to stop it.

He pulls away, just enough for me to breathe, my eyes still locked on his. “Feels good, yeah?”

I nod, unable to speak, my heart thundering. I’m filled with a thousand different things, and they all feel so damned good. If I could stay right here, never moving, I think I’d spend the rest of my life happy.

“Walk with me.”

It’s not a question, but a demand.

I nod again, my voice still lost somewhere between my lungs and my lips. Talon stands, extending a hand. I take it, hesitating only slightly, and let him pull me to my feet. The world sways, and I giggle, a sound so foreign it feels like it belongs to someone else.

The others watch us go, and I see a smirk on Mera’s face as we head into the shadows, away from the firelight.

Talon doesn’t say anything as we walk, and yet, he hasn’t released me. His hand is still firmly curled around mine. I stumble a little, and his hand tightens, keeping me from biting the dirt. The joint is going to my head now, and mixed with the alcohol the sensation is somewhat exhilarating.

It feels good.

Freeing.

It is a terrifying realization that this is exactly the reason people become addicted.

“That really your first time?” he asks, glancing sideways. “Gettin’ high?”

“Yeah,” I admit, my cheeks burning. “My, ah, family isn’t exactly the fun type.”

“Figured. Glad we could give you that,” he says, and there’s a warmth in his voice that makes my heart skip.

We walk in silence for a while, the cool night air wrapping around us. It feels good against my skin, calming the heat that’s still burning in my chest. I breathe in deeply, trying to steady my racing heart.

“What about the man?” Talon asks, his tone shifting.

“Who?” I say, even though I know exactly who he means.

“The fucker in the car. You said he was from the cult.”

I swallow, I hate Cyrus almost as much as my father. Almost. “His name is Cyrus. My father chose him for me. He thinkswe’re going to have some chosen child that will lead them all to eternity or whatever the fuck it is they believe.”

Talon stiffens beside me, his grip on my hand tightens. “They force you to be with someone against your will?”

I swallow. “Yeah. I guess they do.”

Something in him shifts, and he releases my hand, running it through his hair. “When I get my hands on those fuckers, I’m going to make them wish they were never born.”

My eyes widen.

“He fuckin’ touch you?” The question is sharp, his voice low.

I look away, shame rising in my cheeks. Of course he has touched me, I didn’t get a choice. I have never truly thought about how wrong that is, but now I’m thinking about how it might sound to him, it makes me want to recoil away from him in shame. Of course I didn’t like doing it, but at the time, I thought it was just how it was.

I know that it isn’t normal, but I also know that I didn’t have a choice.

“I’ll fuckin’ kill him,” Talon growls.

I pause, words caught in my throat, shocked by how protective he is. It warms a part of me I hadn't even realized was cold, a part that had never known the comfort of someone else's concern. The sensation is overwhelming, and I can’t come up with anything to say.

I just stand there. Wordless.

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