Page 99 of Laid Bare

Even if it paints me as the monster the supernatural world thinks I am, and they take my life for it.

Watchingher explode in a fiery ball of pink fury sends my already accelerated heartbeat racing. Her flames rage with a beautiful savagery, decimating all those who tried to harm her and her mates. Even with the extra protection these bastards loaded up with before they came here, they didn’t stand a chance against a soul-shredded curiomancer.

Fuck. She’s perfect.

Her demon twins, though? Their bodies disappeared in a pop of hellfire before her blaze could even lick across the very spot of their demise.

The roar of her wrath echoes in my ears long after she’s gone silent. Tears fall from her stunning pink orbs, calling me to go to her. Engulf her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay.

I can’t, no matter how much my soul is crying out for hers. Because everything isn’t going to be alright. The ancient collar around my neck is proof of that.

Ifhehas his way, she’ll be fitted with one, bound to dohisbidding regardless of if she wants to or not.

It would be right to warn her. To tell her to get as far away from here as possible. Only I can’t. I’ve been given my orders and getting her to safety isn’t part of them.

I’m here to watch. To learn. To report back. This was never about kidnapping her. This was a test to see what she knows. What she’s mastered.

But my orders don’t stop me from stepping forward, entering the maelstrom of her anger, and lightly tracing my knuckles across the apple of her cheek.

She jolts from my touch, her magic dying instantly, leaving her breathless. Her vacant eyes stare right through me, and her bottom lip quivers, but she makes no move to touch me back.

And she won’t either.

Because to her, I’m not here. I’m just a figment of a touch that brought her back to reality.

But once she discovers her own invisibility rune?

All bets will be off.

“Soon my beautiful mate.” My words are a mere whisper in the wind as I step back and disappear into the pink portal at my feet.

“Soon.”

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