Chapter 30 · Invitation to the Abyss

"Don't even think about moving," Sela snapped. Her boot was planted firmly on my chest, grinding my ribs into the cold stone floor.

I choked on a breath, the air feeling like liquid lead in my lungs. Every inch of my skin felt like it was being peeled back by a dull knife. Those black obsidian cracks—the marks of the Devouring Bone—were pulsing, humming with a hunger that didn't belong to me.

"Get... off," I managed to wheeze.

Sela didn't budge. Instead, she leaned in, her face inches from mine. I could smell the sharp scent of ozone and expensive perfume. Her eyes weren't just curious; they were predatory. She looked at me like I was a rare specimen she wanted to dissect while I was still screaming.

"You're shaking, Cain," she whispered, a small, cruel smile playing on her lips. "Is it pain? Or are you just terrified that I can see exactly what you are?"

I tried to lash out, my hand snapping up to grab her ankle, but my muscles locked. A surge of white-hot agony ripped through my forearm, and I let out a guttural snarl.