Chapter 14 · Broken Sanctuary

"Get your hands off me, Kaelen. Now."

Sloane didn't just say it; she hissed it. She was pinned against the heavy oak workbench, the scent of sulfur and dried herbs clinging to the air. Kaelen’s grip on her wrists was like iron—not enough to bruise, but enough to make it clear that her physical strength was a joke compared to his. He was too close. His chest was a wall of heat pressing into her, and his breath flickered against her cheek, hot and jagged.

"Why?" he whispered. The voice wasn't the obedient tone of the boy she’d raised. It was deeper, vibrating with a hunger that made the hair on her arms stand up. "Why do you push me away when I'm the only thing keeping you alive?"

Sloane glared up at him, her heart hammering against her ribs. "Because you're not supposed to *want* anything. You're a vessel, Kaelen. My masterpiece. Not my bodyguard, and certainly not whatever this is."

He tightened his grip, just a fraction. His eyes, usually a clear, haunting blue, were bleeding into something darker—a swirling, abyssal void that swallowed the light of the flickering candles.