Chapter 21 · First Course: Nightmares

"Stop it. Please, just stop," Selena gasped, her voice cracking. She was pressed flat against the cold stone of the Void's altar, her fingers clawing at the grit.

Cane didn't move. He just leaned over her, his shadow swallowing her whole. He didn't look angry; he looked bored, which was somehow worse. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw with a slow, agonizing pressure that felt like a brand.

"Stop what, Selena?" he whispered, his breath warm against her ear. "The praying? Because your God isn't listening. I think he's actually enjoying the show."

"He's... He's coming for me," she whimpered, though her eyes kept darting to the jagged rift pulsing behind them. The thing that had crawled out—that wet, clicking nightmare—was still there, circling the perimeter of the sanctuary like a shark in shallow water.

Cane chuckled. It wasn't a kind sound. He shifted his weight, pinning her wrist to the stone. He didn't use his full strength, just enough to let her know she was a prisoner in her own skin.

"Look at me," he commanded.

She tried to turn away, but he gripped her chin, forcing her gaze up to meet his.