Chapter 33 · The Mark Betrays Her

"Get away from me!"

Kane’s voice cracked into a guttural snarl. He slammed his back against the stone wall of the bedchamber, chest heaving.

I didn't move. I couldn't. My chest felt like someone was driving a white-hot needle through my heart. The mark—that shimmering, cursed thing on my skin—pulsed like a second heartbeat. Hungry. Relentless.

"Kane, look at me," I gasped, clutching my shirt. "I can help. I can stop it."

"You can't stop a damn thing!"

He lunged. His hands clamped around my wrists, pinning them to the cold stone. His grip was iron, bruising. His eyes weren't human anymore—molten gold with slit pupils.

"You think because you saw my head, because you felt my pain, we're suddenly soulmates?" He sneered, leaning in. "You're a trigger, Elara. A walking, breathing trigger."

I winced. The mark on my collarbone flared, heat crawling toward my sternum, eating my strength.

"I'm not... leaving you like this," I whispered.

I leaned in. My forehead almost touched his. I could smell ozone and blood—the scent of a storm about to break. "The bond... it's changing. It's not just the curse anymore."

Kane let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-growl.