Page 64 of The Madness Within

He was so close now, the heat of his body making my heart race. I took a step back, but there was no more room to retreat.

“I didn’t ask for this,” I shot back, my voice trembling with defiance, even as my body betrayed me, my pulse quickening, my breath catching. “I didn’t ask for any of it. You think I wanted to beyourprisoner?”

His jaw tightened, and I could see the rage burning in his eyes. But there was something else there, something deeper, something that made the air between us crackle with tension.

“No, you didn’t,” he muttered, his voice quiet now, almostgentle. He reached out to grab my arm, pulling me closer, his touch almost possessive, but not rough. “You scared me half to death, Ember. You just don’t understand what’s at stake.”

I shivered, but I didn’t pull away.

He stared down at me, his grip tightening ever so slightly as the tension between us mounted. “But you’ve made your choice.”

I wanted to fight him. I wanted to scream, to push him away, to break free. But in the back of my mind, I knew something thatterrified me more than any threat he could make, I wasn’t ready to escape. I wasn’t ready to let him go.

His gaze softened, just slightly, and he ran his thumb over the back of my hand, a movement so intimate that it made my heart stutter. “I’ll make sure you’re okay. But you’re not leaving me again. Not yet.”

I wanted to say something. I wanted to scream at him, to shove him away. But instead, my voice caught in my throat, and I stood there, looking up at him, caught between the violence of the moment and something I couldn’t name.

Dorian might’ve saved me tonight, but I could feel the chains around my heart tightening, and it terrified me just as much as it excited me.

Chapter Twenty-Five

??The Beast’s Claim

Dorian

I didn’t mean for the words to come out as harsh as they did.

She could’ve died. That’s all I kept thinking. She could’ve died, and I wouldn’t have known until her blood hit the wind.

And now… she was standing in front of me, hurt, shaking, still so damn stubborn, but alive.

The scent hit me before she spoke. Her blood. Sweet. Metallic. Wrong.

I inhaled sharply, and my heart dropped. “Ember,” I said, but it wasn’t a growl. It was a plea. My voice broke around her name like it’s the only thing holding me together.

She was pale, lips chapped, dried blood streaked down her back. And even then, she’s the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

I took a step forward, slowly. My hands shook as I reached out and gently brushed the hair away from her face. Her skin was fever-warm, trembling beneath my touch, but she didn't flinch.

“You’re bleeding,” I whispered, not as a warning, but as a wound I couldn’t bear to see open.

“I’m fine,” she lied. She always did when she was trying to be strong.

But I could feel it, beneath her skin, the damage done. Not just by the werewolves. By the fear. The running. The way she’d rather fight the world than lean on me.

I placed a hand against her back, where I knew it hurt, and let the healing begin. The magic stirred instantly, responding to my panic, my relief. Light hummed from my fingers as flesh knitted together, the dried blood disappearing.

She gasped, startled, but didn't pull away.

Instead, her hand reached up, fingers curling into my shirt like an anchor.

“I thought I lost you,” I murmured, brushing my thumb across her jaw. “You were gone. I didn’t know if—” My voice cracked, and I bit it back. I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t even let the thought of her dying take shape in my mind.

She looked up at me, eyes wide and wet. “I was scared,” she said. “Not of you. Just… scared.”

“I know.” I pressed my forehead to hers, closing my eyes as I breathed her in. “But you’re here now. And I swear, Ember, if you ever run again…”

I trailed off. There’s no threat. Just the crushing truth: I didn’t think I could survive it.

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