Page 8 of Clarity

“Stole?” he chuckled. “I found what you were looking for. You’re welcome.”

“I’ll thank you when you give it back.”

I blinked and he was behind me.

Pulling me to my feet.

Clasping the chain around my neck.

Pressing his body against me as he murmured, “I’m waiting” in my ear.

I closed my eyes, lifting my fingers to touch the scapolite amulet.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

And then I muttered a quick incantation that sent him sliding across the room, pinned to the wall.

“So much,” I added, grinning as I relished the surprise on his face.

I should’ve taken the opportunity to run.

But his face had already morphed to a mischievous grin by the time I realized it, too late for me to do anything before his hand was around my neck,tightthis time, andIwas pinned to the wall.

“Sneaky, sneaky,” he chuckled, using his free hand to finger the amulet.

To my relief though, he didn’t snatch it back off.

“This is why you were so frantic about it. It’s your power source…”

My family’s power source. And the last of us, after all.

He was cutting off too much air for me to do any incantation, but my hands were free, and my nails were long. Quickly, I scratched a simple rune into my skin—thank goodness for forgetting to put on lotion after washing my hands—that made me momentarily hot to the touch.

Immediately, Parris let me go, cursing as he looked at his hand, wondering what the fuck had just happened.

It was enough for me to take off.

Just not enough to get away.

Parris was too fast, which came as no surprise.

Still, I screamed in frustration when he grabbed me from the front, pinning my hands behind me before he dragged me up against his chest. “I told you not to make me chase you.”

“Fuck you!” I spat back at him, and he laughed.

“You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” he asked,compelled,to my horror.

The “yes” that left my mouth was my own, but it was absolutelynotsomething I cared to admit to him.

He bit down on his lip. “Do you want me to fuck you, Larivye?” he asked, and despite drawing on my own power, his was overwhelming.

Ihadto tell the truth.

I nodded.

Whimpered as he released my wrists to grab handfuls of my ass instead, using that grip to pull me against his dick.

“Can I fuck you?”

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