Page 122 of Claimed In Darkness

She has never hidden from me.

I move without thinking. Cross the gap between us in two slow steps, every muscle coiled tight, every instinct screaming at me that if I do not reach for her now—I may never reach her again.

"Naira."

She still does not look at me.

Still rooted on the spot as if she has grown roots.

I flex my hands at my sides, forcing myself to stay calm.

Forcing my voice to stay even.

"Tell me what’s happening to you."

She exhales sharply. Not quite a laugh.

Not quite a sigh.

Something in between.

Something too fucking tired.

"You already know."

She says it too easily.

Like it is fact.

Like it is inevitable.

Like she has already accepted it.

I step closer.

She finally turns her head, and I see the sliver of her face, the flicker of firelight casting shadows across her cheekbone, the deep, dark stillness in her eyes.

Not rage.

Not cruelty.

Not even hate.

Nothing.

It breaks my heart to a million shatterede pieces.

"You don’t get to decide this," I say, voice rough, barely controlled.

Her lips curve at the edges.

A mockery of a smirk.

"Don’t I?"

I snap.

Before I can fucking think, I grab her wrist.

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