Page 25 of Claimed By Fur and Fangs

Sienna stood frozen beside me, her mouth opening and closing, but no words came out.

"I never wanted you to find out like this," Aidan’s jaw clenched.

"This explains why I was confused on the day of the fire incident. Your clothes were torn and blood all over you but not a single scratch on you," my voice rose despite the panic constricting my throat.

"Amelia at least hear me out …" Aidan pleaded.

"This isn’t happening," I muttered, backing away further. "This isn’t real."

Aidan took another step toward me, his expression unreadable yet laced with urgency. "Amelia, please, just let me explain."

I shook my head violently. "No. No more lies. No more secrets!" My voice cracked as I pointed toward the door. "Get out."

"Amelia…"

"Out!" I shouted, my pulse thundering in my ears.

Aidan’s expression intensified, his lips parting before he stopped, shoulders dropping as a flicker of pain crossed his face.

But I couldn’t let him speak, couldn’t risk listening, so Aidan exhaled sharply, glanced at me one last time, and walked out into the night.

I turned to Finn, my chest still heaving. "You too," I said.

"What?" Finn blinked.

"I need time," I said, my voice hoarse. "I can’t deal with this right now. Just… leave."

Finn hesitated, glancing toward the door as if considering whether to fight me on this. But then he nodded stiffly. "Fine. Just know you can’t shut me out, Amelia."

He didn’t wait for a response. He simply turned and left.

Silence filled the room.

For a long moment, neither Sienna nor I spoke.

Then, she let out a long, shaky breath. "Holy. Shit."

I sank onto the couch, my hands trembling as I buried my face in them.

Sienna sat beside me, still wide-eyed.

"Did that just happen? Like, for real? Because I swear, I thought vampires were just in movies."

"Yeah… me too," I let out a weak, breathless laugh, one that held no humor.

We sat there for a few more moments, the weight of what had just happened pressing down on us like a physical force.

"I just… I just need to be alone right now," I sighed.

"Okay. But if you need me…" Sienna hesitated before nodding.

"I know," I whispered.

I shut the door to my room, crumbled under the weight of it all. Curled beneath my blanket, and prayed for sleep, but it only got worse.

Flames roared around me, searing my skin. I was trapped, bound by unseen forces.

Aidan stood before me, his face shadowed, eyes glowing eerily.

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