Page 75 of The Madness Within

And I wasn’t sure if that terrified me… Or saved me.

Chapter Thirty

??The Price of Protection

Dorian

Ember had been quiet most of the day and that wasn’t normally like her. Last night, something happened.

Our bond was getting stronger by the day, which would explain the dream she had and why I was able to see it.

Of course she hasn’t told me about it yet. But I knew something shifted.

She was even quieter now, not with anger or fear, but with the weight of something bigger settling behind her eyes. Something ancient. Something familiar.

And still, she sat across from me in my study, legs curled under her, my shirt swallowing her frame, fingers flipping through a book older than most civilizations.

Her hair’s a mess. She smelled like lilacs and sleep. And I’d never wanted anything more in my life.

She bit her lip in concentration, eyes skimming the page like the truth might leap out and slap her. She didn’t even notice when her fingertips began to glow faintly, silver sparks, like static. Feral. Untamed.

She was starting to wake up.

And it’s beautiful.

“You’re doing it again,” I said, voice low, teasing.

She looked up, startled. “Doing what?”

“Using your power. You’re reading that page like it owes you something. The book’s responding.”

She glanced down. The silver light flared again, dancing along the tips of her fingers. Her breath caught. “That… that wasn’t me.”

“Yes,” I said gently, “it is. Your bloodline wasn’t just about survival. Your mother was a Watcher. And now, so are you.”

She swallowed, trying to hide how the words sank into her. “And what does that mean, exactly?”

“It means you don’t justseethe monsters,” I said, crossing the room to kneel in front of her. “You’re meant to expose them. Protect what’s left of the light.”

Her lips twitched. “You’re talking like I’m some kind of holy warrior. Which is ironic, considering I’m sleeping with the monster.”

I grinned. “Sleeping is generous.”

Her smile faltered. She looked down at the book again, the moment stretching between us like a fraying wire. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Because if she had, they would’ve come for you sooner,” I said softly, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “And she knew she wouldn’t be able to stop them. You were too young.”

Her eyes met mine, and this time, she didn't look away.

The power between us wasn’t just magic. It was gravity. And when I leaned in, when our lips met, it was soft.

Tender.

A kiss that didn’t demand anything. A kiss that asked.

I pulled her into my lap, her legs wrapping around my waist as my hands slid beneath the oversized shirt. Her skin was warm. Electric. Alive with something not entirely human anymore.

And when her hips rolled against mine, slow and deliberate, a growl slipped from my throat. “Ember,” I breathed, my mouth brushing her collarbone, “you don’t know what you do to me.”

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