Page 70 of Owned

How the fuck was I going to start it?

My hands trembled slightly on the handlebars and my heart beat strangely in my chest.

“Avril— if it’s too much—”

“It’s not,” I snapped. “Now… what do I do next?”

Valen’s chuckle was soft, not mocking, but my skin prickled with irritation at the sound.

“Turn the key, twist the throttle,” he said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

I took a deep breath and shot him a glare.

His lips twisted, but his eyes stayed on me.

The key turned easily, and the bike roared to life beneath me with a shuddering vibration that made my teeth rattle. I clung to the handlebars like they were a lifeline.

“Good,” Valen said, now all seriousness as he stepped back. “Now—”

I sat back on the seat, still unsure of how it all felt, but the rumble of the bike tore through my body and drowned out the whispers in my mind.

Finally.

I lifted my foot off the ground with the intention of seeing if I could ease forward slowly and keep it balanced, but instead ofa steady forward trajectory, the bike lurched forward, narrowly missing him—my fingers slipped, and the motorcycle bucked wildly. I let out a scream as the heavy machine twisted out from under me with a punishing jerk, and I hit the ground hard enough to force the air from my lungs.

For an awful moment, I lay there gasping as stars danced in front of my eyes. Dark clouds twisted in the sky over the estate and I pressed my hands down on the rough grass.

Then Valen’s face hovered above me, his expression torn between concern and amusement.

“That was… better?” he offered before he reached down, grabbed my arms and pulled me to my feet before I could respond.

I glared at him and wiped at my scraped palms. “I’m doing it again.”

“Take a break,” he urged. “You’re pushing too—”

“I’m doing it again.” My voice was tight.

My body ached and the grimoire’s whispers surged in my mind—laughter.

It wanted me to fail.

Valen sighed, but stepped back without another word.

My muscles screamed as I wrestled the bike upright once more. This time, I managed to steady myself before starting it up again. The engine thrummed beneath me like an agitated beast and I tried to focus on anything but the strangely delicious ache that spread through me.

“Control it,” Valen called, this time with less humor, more edge. “Don’t let it control you.”

I gritted my teeth and pressed forward again, refusing to let the bike have the last word.

The darkness in my mind fell away as I flew forward, but my triumph was quickly dashed as I lost balance and crashed to theground once more. This time, I stayed on the ground, panting and trembling. Any bravery I’d felt was starting to fracture.

“I can’t do it,” I muttered as the buzz of whispers in my mind swept through my thoughts.

I closed my eyes tight as footsteps thudded on the ground beside me.

“Yes, you can— Avril—”

The soft creak of denim and leather cut through the whispers as Valen crouched next to me.

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