Page 44 of Her Fallen Angel

"Don't mistake this for kindness." His fingers brush my hair back, the gesture possessive. "You're mine. Where you sleep is my choice."

The warning in his tone sends a thrill through me, but not from fear. Everything is his choice and he chose to have me right here. Next to him. His proximity sets my nerves alight, awareness crackling between us like lightning before a storm.

"I understand." I sink back into the pillows, hyper-aware of his body heat beside me.

His wing stretches over me, feathers brushing my arm. "Do you?" Challenge threads through his words. "Or are you just saying what you think I want to hear?"

I turn to face him, studying the sharp planes of his face in the moonlight. Scars mark his bare chest, testament to battles won and lost. But it's the shadows in his eyes that draw me in—the complexity beneath his cruel facade.

"I understand more than you think." My voice comes out steadier than I feel.

His hand cups my face, thumb tracing my bottom lip. "Dangerous words, little flame." But he doesn't pull away. Instead, his wing tightens around me, cocooning us in darkness.

The gesture speaks louder than his warnings. Something shifts between us, delicate as a butterfly's wing and just as fragile. I close my eyes, letting his presence envelope me as sleep tugs at my consciousness once more.

23

KAI’RIN

Iswing my blade in a vicious arc, the metal whistling through the morning air. Vhex side steps with none of his usual aggression, his movements careful and measured. Wrong. All wrong.

"What the fuck is this?" My wings flare wide, casting shadows across the training grounds. "If I wanted to dance, I'd find better partners."

Mykael circles to my left, his green eyes darting to Vhex for the tenth time since we started. Another silent exchange passes between them.

My magic surges, violet light crackling along my arms. The practice sword glows with it as I advance on Vhex. "Fight me properly or get the fuck out."

Vhex's amber eyes narrow, but his usual sneer lacks its edge. He blocks my strike with his blade, the impact too soft. Too controlled.

"What is your fucking problem?" I bare my teeth, pressing forward. "Getting scared?"

"Scared?" Vhex barks out a laugh, but it rings hollow. "Of your ugly face maybe."

Mykael's calculated footwork brings him closer, those sharp features arranged in careful neutrality. "Perhaps we should-"

"Perhaps you should stop treating me like I'm a fucking idiot." I spin, my wing catching Vhex across the chest. He stumbles back, finally showing a flash of real aggression.

"There's the bastard I know." I press my advantage, driving him toward the wall. "Now tell me what's got you both acting like worried mothers."

Another look passes between them. My blade slams into the stone beside Vhex's head, magic scorching the surface.

"Enough." Mykael's voice cuts through the tension. "We're concerned about your... current preoccupation."

"With the human," Vhex adds, straightening to his full height. "You're different since she arrived."

My grip tightens on the sword. "My business is my own."

"When it affects your judgment, it becomes ours. Especially when your fixation gets to this level," Mykael says, those calculating eyes studying my reaction. "We've known you too long to stay silent."

"Fixation?" The word tastes like ash. "You think I can't control my own property?"

"Property doesn't change you." Vhex spits blood from where my wing caught his lip. "Property doesn't scramble your thoughts and make you snarl at everyone who comes near. But that little human-"

My magic explodes outward, violet light searing through the air. The practice sword melts in my grip as I slam Vhex against the wall, forearm crushing his throat. "Choose your next words carefully."

"She's manipulating you." He wheezes but doesn't back down. "You can't see it but-"

The rage burns white-hot. My magic wraps around his throat, lifting him off his feet. His wings beat uselessly against the stone as dark spots appear in his vision.

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