Page 35 of Every Shade of Shadow

I swallow hard, heart trying to chisel its way from my chest. But I need clarification. "Submit to you how?"

A ghost of a smile touches his scarred lips. The tattoos around his neck seem to move, alive. "In every way, my pet. Your body, your pleasure, your pain…they all belong to me now. Or I can go the Headmistress, hand in that book you removed from the library."

I fucking knew it. He probably has eyes everywhere in this place.

I know I should refuse, because this whole thing screams Horrible Fucking Idea, but the ache inside me is unbearable. I crave his touch, his possession, dark and forbidden as it is.

"Do we have an agreement?" he asks silkily.

I hesitate before giving a shallow nod.

"Say it," he commands, his eyes gleaming with lust and domination. “Say you will submit to me.”

I draw in a tight breath, let it fill my lungs. "I submit to you," I whisper.

It’s done.

"Good girl. Now—” he claps his hands together “—it's time for your first lesson. Stand."

And still my head pleads with me to run, to get the fuck out of here, but I move regardless.

I climb from the bed, standing before him, my nipples hard points against my nightdress, tight with need.

He stalks closer and smiles, tracing a finger down my cheek. "So eager to learn. That pleases me." His touch leaves a trail of fire in its wake. "Tonight, you will embrace the shadows, to draw power from places of darkness and sin within yourself. Because this is Shadowcraft in its purest form. It thrives on pain and pleasure in equal measure. Both are required. Are you ready?"

I swallow hard, nerves and desire warring inside me. Logic says I should leave. There’s no purpose in pursuing this, especially with a man like Darkwood—a monster. My body, on the other hand, says ‘stay.’

So I’m not surprised when the word that escapes my lips is ‘Yes.’

"Good." His gaze bores into mine, hypnotic in its own right. "Remove your nightdress."

My heart nearly stops at this command. But the hunger in his eyes sparks an answering need. I pull the nightdress over my head, tossing it aside so it puddles on the floor much like the fateful Dior. My cheeks are burning. I’m sure he can see the redness fanning over my skin. I wonder if he can sense how wet I am, if he knows the way my thighs grow slick in anticipation.

"Beautiful," he murmurs, watching with predatory intensity. "Now, listen carefully.”

He speaks of how to access the shadows, talking in measured, clipped tones that are almost hypnotic. His voice is slow, smooth, and deep unlike any other. It oozes with masculinity. It demands compliance.

His words wash over me as I stand naked before him, acutely aware of his gaze devouring every inch of my body. I try to focus on his instructions, but my thoughts keep drifting to how it will feel to have his hands on me, and more, because I have no doubt that is where this is headed.

He’ll take my virginity, fuck me senseless and then what? Discarded like the rest? Because there is no way I’m the first to be handed this opportunity. His touch the other day made that loud and clear. He knew precisely what to do, to keep me yearning for more.

No, these words, this way he has with power… He’s done this before. It’s calculated.

"Do you understand?" he asks, snapping me back to attention.

I swallow hard. "Y-yes, Professor."

"Show me."

Closing my eyes, I reach inward, searching for the dark places he described. At first, I find only light, but then there, in a corner of my mind, lurks a shadow—dim and murky. I grasp for it and feel a surge of power, dark and seductive, flooding through my veins. It’s almost familiar.

My eyes fly open with a gasp. The room seems to pulse and throb around me, as if the shadows themselves have come alive. And there in the midst of it all stands the Professor, watching me with undisguised hunger.

"Very good," he purrs, walking closer. He runs a hand down my neck, over my breast. I moan softly, trembling under his touch. "You have a gift for this, little lamb. Such power, and passion..." His fingers slide lower, teasing, and my back arches helplessly. "I will enjoy exploring the depths of both."

He claims my mouth in a bruising kiss, all heat and shadows and sin. I kiss him back with abandon, my body aching for his possession.

A hand slides up my breastbone, fingers closing around my throat as he claims me.

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