Page 28 of Monster's Pretty Bride

His fingers wrap around my throat, squeezing just enough to make my pulse jump against his palm.

"You don’t belong here," he murmurs, his grip tightening. "And I think it’s time we show everyone what happens when a purna forgets her place."

I see it in his eyes.

The way he wants to drag this out.

Make it slow. Make it hurt.

"You’re nothing," he continues, pressing his weight into me. "Nothing but a little human plaything. Our warlord might enjoy breaking you slow, but me?" He leans in, his breath brushing my ear. “I like seeing things shatter fast.”

I spit in his face.

His eyes darken.

The next thing I feel is pain, sharp and exploding down my ribs as he slams his knee into my side.

I choke on the impact, my vision flaring white. The gargoyles watching laugh.

"Throw her off!" one of them calls.

"Make her beg!" another sneers.

My attacker grins.

"You heard them," he murmurs, dragging me upright. His claws bite into my arm, pulling me toward the boundary of the cliff at the side.

I thrash, trying to dig my heels into the stone, but he’s stronger, his wings flaring wide as he lifts me, shoving me against the ledge.

"Beg."

My breath rips through my chest.

I glance down.

The drop is endless.

The jagged stone below waits like a gaping maw, eager to swallow me whole.

"Go on," the gargoyle breathes. "Say it. Say you’re weak. Say you’re sorry. Maybe I’ll be kind."

I meet his eyes and I smile.

"Drop dead."

His expression shifts. The amusement drains. The thrill of the hunt turns to something colder.

"Fine," he murmurs and he throws me.

The world vanishes and the wind screams against my skin, my body plummeting, weightless and helpless.

My magic.

Do something. The instinct kicks in, the power buried inside me roaring to life.

I reach for it.

I command it.

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