Chapter 12 · Pay Up, Battery

"Say it, Ella. Say you're nothing without me," Cain’s voice drifted from the shadows, low and vibrating like a predator purring.

I was flat on my back, the cold stone biting into my skin. My breath came in ragged, wet hitches. Five feet away, Lucas’s red-eyed monster was frozen, its massive claws trembling in mid-air, paralyzed by the sheer pressure of the thing lurking in my shadow.

"Go to hell," I spat. A spray of blood hit the floor.

Cain stepped out of the darkness. He didn't just walk; he materialized, the air around him warping. He looked down at me, his eyes glowing with a hunger that had nothing to do with food. He leaned down, his face inches from mine. I could smell ozone and something ancient, like a tomb opened after a thousand years.

"You're shaking," he whispered. He reached out, a single finger tracing the line of my jaw. His skin was ice-cold, sending a jolt of electricity straight down my spine. "Is it fear? Or are you just realizing how much you need me?"

"I don't need anything from a parasite," I snapped, though my voice cracked.

Cain chuckled, a dark, dry sound. "A parasite?