Page 155

I tense, the shock of his words shaking me from my stupor. “What?”

I feel him move closer to me, my body hyper aware of his presence. “You could kill them, this person. These people.”

I don’t move, staring up at his wavering form. Can he feel the same dark power in me that Torin could? It drove Torin wild with desire. He saw it as something to harness, something to control.

He crouches and starts drawing something on the ground. I narrow my eyes at him before looking down at the rune that’s taking shape in the mud between us. It’s not one I recognize, but I know it’s powerful.

When he’s done, he stands and brushes his hand against mine. “To reveal hidden things.” I look at him. Maybe today has just been too much because I do not understand what he is saying. “I can show you more. Teach you,” he says.

“Teach me?” I repeat.

It only makes sense to decline, to scream at him to leave me alone, but something stops me. This feels different. Torin never wanted to teach me to wield my powers responsibly. He wanted them wild and untamed because if I had control over them, then he didn’t.

I know I would benefit from his teaching. It is quickly becoming apparent that I cannot hide from my reality and the danger I am in, but there must be a price, something he wants, and I don’t know if I can pay it. Perhaps if I set some boundaries, I can turn this in my favor, ensuring the safety of not only myself but my relationship with Connor.

The darkness that rises and fills me with delicious hunger when the stranger is around must be tamped down. I can do that as long as he does not brush against the thinning membrane containing it.

“I have a couple of conditions,” I say, studying his featureless face, trying to read him.

“Which are?” I can hear the interest in his voice.

“You stop harassing me. Stop saying inappropriate things to me.” I pause briefly. “And we only discuss business,” I finish laying out my boundaries.

Surely, they will keep me safe, not only from him but also from the sick thrill I feel whenever I am with him, talking to him… thinking about him. Maybe putting some distance between us will protect me from the desires of the coiled darkness within me. I’ve been repressing it my whole life, but now it roils and stretches impatiently within me.

“Harassing you?” he asks, tipping his head.

I glare at him. “Yes, and you respect my relationship with Connor.” I tack on that last bit, given his penchant for diminishing it.

He crosses his arms over his chest. “I fail to see any benefit to me in this.”

“I’ll willingly hang out with you while you’re teaching me. You clearly want to be around me.”

“I want to protect you. It’s not the same thing,” he hisses, the vitriol clear.

“Well, if we eliminate the threat, you protect me. There’s your benefit,” I snap back, just as viciously.

“You’re using my…” I hear his jaw clench. “My focus on you.”

I narrow my eyes on him, trying to pretend my stomach doesn’t flutter at his words, but I also consider the word he chose and the hesitation before using it. It was as if he had stopped himself from saying something else, and I really wanted to know what that was.

“You want to die. Is that it?”

“Is that a threat, Stranger?” I snarl.

“Why won’t you just accept my help?” he growls back.

“Because you won’t accept my boundaries,” I hiss.

“Between you and me, there are none,” he growls, his voice raised.

“You and me? There is no fucking you and me. I don’t even know who you fucking are!” I shout back.

He grabs my face roughly, his fingers digging into my jaw. He’s not hurting me, but I feel how easily he could. “You will,” he says, his face inches from mine.

My breath hitches, and then he’s gone.

I fall to my knees, and without my anger fuelling my adrenaline, without the distraction of the stranger, the trauma hits me like a ton of bricks. It slams down on top of me, crushing me beneath its weight. I fall to my side, and everything goes black.