Page 111 of Every Shade of Shadow

The fuck, Sabrina. Seriously.

But who are you to judge? I tell myself. After everything you’ve done here, the debauchery still to come? You think you’re any better. And Darkwood? He’s sick and you know it.

I notice the Professor’s black boots in front of me. I sit back and pull myself up, taking a moment to regain my composure even though I can’t seem to shake myself out of this lightheadedness.

There’s a look of surprise on Darkwood’s face as he observes me. “Why?” he says.

I shake my head. “That’s not the Sabrina I know. I didn’t want to…I couldn’t…it’s cruel.”

He approaches me. “Cruel?”

Fuck this. “Yes,” I snap, shoving him—not that it has any effect. I wipe away a renegade tear. “Why did you make me do that? What purpose does it serve other than to get you off?”

That surprise is replaced by anger. He crouches in front of me. “Deep down, your friend wants to be violated. You just don’t have the stomach to see it through.”

“Bullshit!” I shout, my own anger growing at being forced into this. “How is this helping my powers? How is this training? Tell me!” I scream.

His cheeks pull in, eyes narrowing.

“I’m out of here,” I tell him, standing and taking my pea coat and not even bothering to put it on as I reach for the door. The prospect of staying in his chambers tonight has lost its appeal.

With a twist of his hand, I’m spun around to face him, dropping the coat. The anger in his eyes is…chilling. They’ve lost their familiar glow—that welcome shade of green is gone and replaced by nothing but infinite black.

“Did you just turn your back on me, little lamb?” he asks.

Enough of this. “Fuck you.”

One more twist of his hand and an invisible noose forms around my neck, tightening. But if he thinks I’m going to roll over and take this shit, he’s got another thing coming.

I cross my arms over my chest and throw them out to the side. Darkwood’s thrown back, the force around my neck disappearing as he rights himself.

“You stupid b—”

But I don’t allow him to get it out, drawing power from deep within me, from the shadows, and firing a bolt of dark energy right at his torso.

He deflects, but only just, forced back again. He growls, tossing his arms forward and exhaling through gritted teeth.

I’m ready.

I whisper fast, redirecting his blast right back at him twice as strong.

He doesn’t have time to prepare a counterspell, thrown back a good ten feet into the wall behind him, arms splayed as he drops to the ground.

The power inside me thrums as I stand there breathing hard, my body nothing but dark energy.

He starts to laugh, dragging himself from the ground and dusting himself off. “You see, my pet? Do you see now?”

I reach down for my coat again, once more for the door handle. I twist it and step back, part of me rebelling against my decision to flee like this.

I look back one last time, Darkwood still laughing to himself.

Why doesn’t he destroy me? Why doesn’t he fight back?

But he seems more amused than anything, which only pisses me off more.

He treats me like this and thinks what exactly? That I’m going to run back into his arms, beg him to take me?

No.

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