Chapter 13 · Forbidden Resonance

"Get your hands off me, Cane!"

Selena didn't just scream it; she spat the words, her voice trembling with a mix of rage and something she refused to name. She tried to shove him back, but it was like pushing against a mountain of cold iron. Cane didn't budge. Instead, his fingers tightened around her wrist, pinning her against the jagged obsidian wall of the Void sanctuary.

"You're shaking, Selena," Cane whispered. He leaned in, his breath ghosting over her ear, sending a violent shiver down her spine. "Is it fear? Or is your body finally admitting what it wants?"

"I want you to rot in the pit you crawled out of," she snapped, though her breath was coming in short, jagged hitches.

Cane chuckled, a low, dark sound that vibrated in the small space between them. He shifted his weight, pressing his chest against her shoulder. The friction of his dark robes against her white silk gown felt like a spark hitting dry tinder. He could feel her heart hammering against her ribs—not like a frightened bird, but like a drum calling for war.

"Liars usually sweat. You're not sweating," Cane said.