Page 52 of Of Shadow and Moon

I realize, in that moment, that I very much like it when she’s angry.

I let my power slip further, a dark pulse of energy that flows into the air between us, thick and potent. I watch as it wraps around her, invisible but heavy, a force that coils into her chest, pressing down like iron chains. She blinks, her confident expression faltering.

Then, I let it go, let the full weight of my magic slam into her. It’s like releasing a flood, crashing into her with the force of everything I’ve held back. The smirk widens as I see her face twist, her body crumpling as she doubles over, a gasp slipping from her lips.

She clutches her stomach, panting, each breath labored, as if the very air has turned against her. Her skin flushes, her eyes widening with pain, her defiance shattered beneath the weight of my power. There’s something coldly satisfying about seeing her like this, broken down, left gasping for air, her shoulders trembling as she tries to push against the force pinning her down.

“You wanted to play with fire, Selestina,” I murmur, my voice a dark whisper, dripping with contempt. “Consider this a taste of the consequences, venom.” I watch her, savoring each second, as she struggles to stand, her hands gripping her sides, her breaths coming in shallow, painfulgasps. She looks up at me, fury and hurt mingling in her gaze, but she can’t speak, too overwhelmed by the weight of what I’ve unleashed.

Without another word, I turn and walk away, leaving her there in the darkness, doubled over, panting, struggling to gather herself. I don’t look back, but I can hear her sharp, uneven breaths as I disappear into the shadows, satisfaction settling into the cold, dark pit where my anger once burned.

Chapter 29

Selestina

Classes are finally over for the day. My hangover is still present almost fourty-eight hours later, most likely due to that fucking demonio.

The day drags on like molasses, each minute stretching longer than the last, each task pulling me further into a haze of exhaustion and lingering anger. My plan has been set in stone since last night, since the moment that smug, insufferable incubus prince decided to flood me with his power, to teach me some twisted, weird lesson in control.

But even now, as I navigate the corridors, my mind keeps slipping back to last night, to the unexpected torment Kaelion inflicted. He left me there, doubled over outside the library, gasping for air, the force of his power still coursing through me, burning through every nerve. I could barely stand, every movement sending shocks of pain rippling through my body, my breaths ragged and shallow.

His words still lingering in my head.

You’re venom…A sickness infecting this place, twisting everyone you touch.

He isn’t wrong. Which makes me hate myself more thanI already do. Under Alexander's control, I learned quickly that monsters are real. Not the monsters that hide beneath your bed or in the shadows, but those that hide in the depths of our souls. They live inside us, wrapped around our minds, speaking horrors we dare not speak. They wear faces of regret, shame, and rage, their claws raking through our brains, their teeth grinding on the edges of what we want to be. They don't creep up on us from the shadows; they're born of them, fed by the fissures in our hearts and the injuries we refuse to acknowledge. And the worst reality? We aren't their victims, we're their makers.

I never wentinside the library. Instead, I stumbled back toward my dorm, fighting the urge to let the darkness swallow me whole.

The walk felt endless, the night air cool against my flushed skin, a sharp contrast to the searing heat Kaelion had poured into me.

By the time I reached my dorm, the pain had dulled to a throbbing ache, twisting through my core with every step. I pushed open the door, half expecting Nasarea to still be awake.

But she was already asleep, sprawled across her bed with a blanket tangled around her legs, a single bite taken out of a blueberry muffin left on her bedside table, a smutty book haphazardly thrown on her, forgotten in her exhaustion.

It’s an oddly endearing sight, one that, on any other night, might have softened the edges of my mood. But not tonight. I barely register it as I grab my things, driven by a single need, to find some way to rid myself of the lingering ache, the seething energy that Kaelion forced into me.

The bathroom is silent and dim, the hum of distant voices muted by the thick stone walls. I twist the tap, letting the water flow, filling the tub with a heat that almost mirrorsthe burn still coursing through me. I watch the steam rise, swirling into the air, wrapping around me like a blanket of mist.

As the tub fills, I peel off my clothes, each movement careful, the strain in my muscles reminding me of the power Kaelion unleashed, drowning me in a sea of dark, seductive energy that left its mark on every inch of my fucking body.

I step into the water slowly, feeling the scorching heat lick up my legs, a fierce contrast to the cold that settled in my bones. It’s almost too hot, biting into my skin, but I don’t stop. I lower myself into the tub, sinking into the heat, letting it consume me, hoping it will wash away the remnants of his power, the pulsing, unrelenting ache he left behind. As I move my hand down to release this insatiable need to be fucked, a prickling sensation runs up my spine, a feeling of being watched, of eyes tracing over my skin.

I freeze, my gaze snapping up as I scan the empty bathroom.

That’s when it hits me.

Rhkyer is here, somewhere.

Watching me.

The thought sends a shiver through me, my core tightening even more. The scent of leather and earth lingers in the air, barely noticeable, but unmistakable.

I know he’s here.

Before I can question it further, I slip fully into the water, letting it rise up to my neck, letting the heat saturate me, sinking deep into my muscles. My hand drifts beneath the surface, trailing over my stomach, feeling the pulse of tension that still resides there, the raw need to dispel it, to find some relief.

I close my eyes, letting myself sink into the warmth, letting the water take away the last vestiges of Kaelion’s presence; his power, his smug, twisted satisfaction. I know what I need to do, how to dispel the lingering ache he left behind,

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