Chapter 6 · Bloody Gift

"Still alive? I’m impressed. Most of the trash in this hole dies by the third night."

Sela’s voice sliced through the dark before her boots even hit the stone floor. She didn’t walk in; she invaded. The torchlight from the corridor framed her silhouette—sharp, lethal, and completely in control.

I didn’t move. I stayed curled on the damp straw, my breath coming in shallow, jagged hitches. Every inch of my skin felt like it was being peeled off by a dull knife. The Devouring Bone wasn't just waking up; it was eating me from the inside out.

"Get up," she snapped.

I groaned, my muscles locking. I tried to push myself up, but my arm buckled. I hit the floor with a wet thud.

Sela was over me in a heartbeat. Her boot pressed firmly into the center of my chest, pinning me to the filth. She didn't put her full weight on me—not yet—but the threat was there. The power dynamic was a jagged edge, and I was the one bleeding.

"You’re shaking, Cain," she whispered, leaning down. Her scent—something like cold rain and expensive steel—hit me harder than the pain. "What is it? Fear?