Page 27 of Shadowkissed

My pulse skips.

He steps closer, voice low now. “When you touched me… somethingshifted. Inside. Like something buried woke up.”

I nod. “I felt it too.”

We stand in silence for a beat.

Then I whisper, “I think whatever’s happening between us... it’s not just chance.”

“Fated?”

I snort. “I don’t believe in fate.”

“Me neither.”

Another pause.

“I’m not just fae,” I say even quieter. “I’m cursed.” I don’t know why I am saying all of this, but now I can’t seem to stop myself.

His jaw tenses, but he doesn’t speak.

“I was born from a pact. Blood and starlight. My mother made a deal to keep herself alive, and I was the price. My power—” I shake my head. “It’s not stable. It’s not...safe.”

He watches me. Not blinking. Not moving. Justlistening.

“There’s a reason Seraphiel wants me. It’s not just power. It’s prophecy. He thinks I’m the key to ending the Veil. To breaking the divide between our world and his.”

“And are you?”

“I don’t know,” I whisper. “But I’ve seen what happens when I lose control.”

Silence.

He sets his mug down and steps closer.

One hand lifts, slow as smoke, fingers brushing a piece of hair from my face.

“Thank you,” he says.

My brow furrows. “For what?”

“For telling me.”

“I didn’t tell you everything.”

“I know. But you gave me truth. That’s more than most.”

My breath hitches as his fingers graze my cheek. His touch is warm. Steady. And everything in me wants to lean into it.

I don’t. But I don’t pull away, either.

“I’m still dangerous,” I say.

“So am I.”

“I’m not what you think.”

“I don’t care.”

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