Chapter 8 · Steal the Starlight - Chapter 8: Steal The Light

"Touch me again and I'll rip your hand off," I snapped, though I didn't move.

Wren’s fingers were still curled around my wrist, her grip tight enough to bruise. She wasn't looking at me. She was staring at the black shard embedded in my palm, the one that pulsed with a sick, rhythmic violet light. The air between us tasted like ozone and burnt sugar.

"You're shaking, Ellis," she whispered. Her voice wasn't mocking for once. It sounded small. Terrified.

"I'm fine," I lied, my voice cracking. I tried to yank my arm back, but the shard flared. A jolt of ice-cold electricity shot up my arm, locking my muscles. I gasped, my knees buckling.

Wren caught me. She didn't just catch me—she hauled me against her, her chest heaving against mine. The smell of her expensive, citrusy perfume mixed with the metallic scent of my own blood. For a second, the world narrowed down to the heat of her palms through my thin shirt and the way her heart was hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird.

"You're not fine. You're dying," Wren said, her eyes searching mine. "That thing... it's eating you, isn't it?"

"Shut up. Just...