Chapter 28 · Taboo Unveiled

"What the hell was that?"

Kane’s voice cracked like a whip. He wasn't standing. He was sprawled against a shattered stone pillar, dust coating his black armor, chest heaving. He looked at me—not with anger, but with a raw, naked shock that made my skin prickle.

I didn't move. Couldn't. My hands were shaking, the air around my palms humming. I looked down. My blood wasn't red anymore. It was glowing. A deep, violent violet that pulsed with my heartbeat, staining the white marble floor.

"Get away from me," I whispered. I backed up, boots scraping grit. "I don't know what I just did. Kane, I didn't mean to—"

"You didn't mean to blast me twenty feet into a wall?"

He stood up slowly. Predatory. He didn't look hurt; he looked hungry. He stepped forward, and the ground vibrated under his weight.

"That wasn't a sedative, Elara. That was a weapon."

"I'm a monster," I choked out. The word felt like lead. "Silas was right. I'm turning into something... something like you."

Kane was in my space before I could blink. One hand slammed into the pillar beside my head, pinning me.