Page 56 of The Madness Within

“I’ve seen what you do, Dorian,” she whispered. “That room won’t scare me.”

“No,” I murmured, lowering my head until our mouths hovered a breath apart, “but what’s inside it might recognize you. And once it does… you won’t leave the same.”

She stared up at me, heartbeat thudding like a drum between us. I knew she wanted to speak. Knew she wanted to push me, provoke me. Maybe even tempt fate.

But she didn’t.

And that silence? That charged, defiant silence?

It was enough to make me want to drag her inside and let her see everything.

Instead, I stepped back.

Barely.

My eyes never left hers. “You don’t get to lie to this house. It watches for me. And it told me you were trespassing.”

“You’re insane,” she breathed, voice shaky now.

“No,” I said. “I’m careful.” I tilted my head, studying her. “You don’t get to pick and choose the parts of me you can survive. If you want to stay alive in my world, you’ll follow my rules.”

“And if I don’t?”

I smiled. Slow. Dark. “Then the house won’t whisper next time.”

I reached past her, gently taking her wrist, not to restrain, but to guide, and led her away from the door.

Not because I forgave her.

Because I needed her to understand how far she was allowed to fall before I stopped catching her.

And right now?

She was still mine to catch.

But barely.

I marched her to my study because obviously, she needed to see more in order to believe me.

Once inside, I made her sit down in a nearby chair while I paced the floor.

“You don’t get it, do you?” I finally spoke, my voice low and heavy. It’s a question I’d been meaning to ask her for a while now. A question I’d been dying to make her answer. I watched her shift, her body language stiffening. “You’ve seen just a glimpse, but you have no idea how dark it is.”

Her eyes met mine, sharp, defiant. "I’m not scared of you or how dark things can get. I’ve already seen the darkest of dark."

I chuckled darkly, letting the sound fill the room. “There are things out there you knownothingabout.”

She narrowed her eyes, probably expecting more threats, more empty promises, but this wasn’t the time for that. Not yet.

Instead, I crossed the room slowly, my movements deliberate, like I was savoring every moment. The tension between us thickened with every step. I could feel it, her pulse quickening, her breath stuttering just slightly as I approached.

“Let me show you something,” I said, my voice a soft whisper, but it's a command, not an offer. I placed a hand on the table, leaning over it, eyes never leaving hers. “You think you’ve seen evil? You think you know what it feels like tobeevil?”

I watched her lips part, her breath catching, but she didn't speak. She wouldn’t. She couldn’t.

I moved closer, just enough to feel the heat radiating off her skin, close enough to touch her if I wanted to. But I didn’t. Not yet.

Instead, I pulled out a small vial from my pocket. It was simple, glass, black, the kind of thing no one would think twice about.

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