Page 119 of A Fate in Flames

But as quickly as he’d devoured me, he was gone.Vanishing into smoke.

I sat up too fast, heart pounding and skin slick with sweat.Cheeks flushed from the fire still burning between my legs.I pushed a trembling hand through my dampened hair.

What the fuck have I done?

I woke to that familiar thrumming deep inside my skull.A pulsing ache that settled behind my eyes like an unwelcomed guest.I dug my fingers into my temples, working desperate circles that did absolutely nothing to help.

The dream had been more vivid than ever.

He’d watched me burn, drinking in my agony.Relishing in every hellish second of it.There had been no pity in those eyes.No remorse.Only cold, unwavering intent.

I shuddered, pulling my knees tight to my chest.

It had to be a warning.

I gripped the sheets tightly, my whole body rigid with tension.Shame warred with something far worse inside me, worming its way up.

I had to remained focused.I was here for a reason, and yet…

I threw myself deeper into the sheets, burying my face as if I could smother the infecting thoughts.

He was getting to me.

I hated him.I loathed him—but I had never feltanythinglike that.Never.

His mouth—how it curved against my skin.The way his fingers had traced paths that still burned hours later.His voice, that low rumble as he unravelled me with such tormenting skill that I’d forgotten my own damn name.

I groaned, pressing my palms against my flushed face, trying to scrub away the sensation like it was something I could physically remove.

What was happening to me?

A shiver shot down my spine.

It was her.

Zaheera’s presence slid into my mind, wrapping around my thoughts like smoke.

“Sweet girl,” she purred, her voice dripping with that quiet amusement that made me want to punch something.“I told you not to fall for his charm.”

Even though she wasn’t physically there to see it, I rolled my eyes.

“I’m not falling—”

The words were stuck to my tongue, because deep down, I knew it wasn’t the truth.

Zaheera cut me off before I could force the lie out.

“The king takes pleasure in taking whatever he wants,” she murmured, slipping deeper into my skull, until I couldn’t tell where she ended and I began.

“Do not forget why you are here.Do not forget what he is capable of.”

Her words echoed in the empty spaces of my mind.

“It’s just… I don’t know what happens to me when he’s around.I can’t seem to resist him, and I know—” I exhaled sharply, blowing strands of hair away from my face, “I know I shouldn’t.”

“I warned you about the pull of this world.The pull of the Jinn—”

“I don’t feel this kind of pull to any other Jinn… just him.”