Page 44 of Monster's Secret Baby

He moves up another step, and now we're close enough that I can see the faint scar above his eyebrow, new since I knew him. "Run again," he says, each word trembling with rage and something that sounds terrifyingly like fear, "and I'll tear the godsdamned world apart to find you."

The air between us crackles with tension, with every unspoken word and buried feeling suddenly sparking to life. He doesn't touch me. He doesn't have to. His presence alone is overwhelming, the heat of him, the scent of ink and charcoal and that indefinable something that has haunted my dreams for five years.

"You can't just appear and claim her," I manage, though my voice sounds thin to my own ears.

"I'm not claiming her." His eyes bore into mine. "I'm claimingyou."

21

ADELLUM

I'm starting to fucking break.

Harmony has taken all my patience, what little of my sanity I had left, and twisted it until this moment, where I am desperate for her, to claim her, to make her mine again.

I pin Harmony to the wall at the foot of the narrow staircase, my hands pressing against ancient wood on either side of her face. The kitchen is empty now, quiet except for the thundering of my heart and the shallow catch of her breath. My wings fold tight against my back, trembling with restraint.

"Five fucking years," I whisper, the words scraping my throat raw. "Five years I've been looking for you."

Harmony's eyes flash—defiance wrapped in fear wrapped in something else. Something she doesn't want me to see. Her chin lifts. "I didn't ask you to."

"You didn't have to ask." I lean closer, close enough to count the gold flecks in her hazel eyes. "I would do anything for you. I thought you fucking knew that."

Her pulse jumps in the hollow of her throat. I want to press my mouth there, feel the flutter of her life against my lips. Want to bite down until she remembers who she belongs to.

"Let me go, Adellum," she whispers, but there's no conviction behind it.

"I did that once." My voice drops lower, dangerous even to my own ears. "Look how that turned out."

The air between us feels charged like before a storm, crackling with everything unsaid. Five years of searching, of losing myself piece by piece, all while she built this quiet life without me. Her scent fills my lungs—earth and kitchen herbs and something uniquely Harmony that makes my blood surge hot.

My hand finally moves from the wall to trace the line of her jaw. She flinches but doesn't pull away. "I nearly burned this whole fucking continent down looking for you. Just to get you back."

Harmony's breathing quickens. I can see the war inside her—hatred and desire battling for control. "I don't belong to you."

"You've always belonged to me." I press my forehead against hers. "Just like I've always belonged to you. Just like Brooke?—"

"Don't." Her hands fly up, pushing against my chest. "Don't you dare use her in this."

The tension between us pulls tighter, a string about to break. I can feel her resistance fracturing, see the moment when something inside her shatters.

And then she's launching herself at me, fingers twisting in my hair, mouth crashing against mine with a violence that matches the storm inside me. I growl against her lips, one hand gripping her waist, the other tangling in her curls, pulling just enough to make her gasp.

The kiss is brutal—teeth and tongue and five years of fury. She tastes exactly as I remember, like coming home and discovering something new all at once. My wings unfurl involuntarily, curling forward to envelop us both.

"I hate you," she gasps between kisses, her nails scoring my scalp. "I hate what you did to me."

I lift her, pinning her more firmly against the wall, her legs wrapping around my waist by instinct. "What exactly did I do, little bird?" I bite her lower lip, hard enough to punish. "Tell me what crime I'm guilty of."

"You made me believe you." Her voice breaks, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. "You made me trust you when I knew better."

The accusation lands like a physical blow. I pull back just enough to look at her face, confusion cutting through my rage. "When did I ever lie to you?"

But she's kissing me again, fiercer now, like she's trying to devour the question before it can take root. Her hands are everywhere—my shoulders, my chest, tugging at my shirt like she can tear away the years between us.

I want to claim her and punish her all at once. Want to make her understand what these years have cost me. Want to mark her so thoroughly that running again would be impossible.

"I should punish you for what you did to me," I growl against her throat, tasting salt and sweetness.

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