Page 33 of Touched By Darkness

“And?”

“Your father gifted it to me. He said, and I quote, ‘This will do until you learn to throw fireballs at his ass.’”

Dmitriy chokes on his saliva. “What?”

“Never mind. Do you know what surprised me the most when I left Heaven?”

With an eye roll, he shoulders his bag. “Tell me.”

“My strength.” I send the ball flying at Daemon and it hits him on the back of the head with a hard thwack I swear I can hear from here.

I can’t stop the laughter that bubbles up from my chest.

“The fuck?!” Dmitriy looks pale.

“Do you think it’ll work? Is he sufficiently pissed off?”

“Oh, it’ll work. And that’s my cue to get the fuck out of here.”

He bolts, and I press a hand over my mouth to stop more crazed laughter from bubbling out of me like a stream.

When I look back, I meet a wall of muscle and two furious pits of hell that glare at me with such force I almost shrink back.

Almost…

“Admit it, Daemon, it was a good shot.”

His hand flies out, and he grabs me by my throat, then shoves me back against the lockers. I yelp, latching onto his wrist with my fingers. Holy fuck, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed his burning attention and the way he excavates me with his eyes as if he wants to see inside me.

But the emotion at the forefront, the one emotion that shouts the loudest, is relief.

Relief at being back in his orbit.

To be seen by him again.

His fingers dig into my throat, and his masculine, woodsy scent surrounds me as he leans in close. “You want to play, sweetheart?”

We’ve been here before. I remember another time when Daemon said those exact same words.

But I’m not the same innocent girl anymore.

“Let go of me,” I growl.Please don’t.

Daemon likes a fight, so I’ll fight.

He lifts me slightly, then slams me back against the locker. “Shoot another ball at me and I’ll make you regret ever setting foot at this academy again.”

My wings unfold to their full glory, and I revel in the surprise in his eyes as I shove him off with enough strength to cause him to stumble back. “Threaten me again, crown boy, and you’ll have a war on your hands.” I stride away with my head held high and a seductive sway to my hips.

Try to unsee me now, fucker.

As soon as I turn the corner, I slink into the nearest empty classroom and press my forehead against the closed door. My heart is thundering so loudly, I can barely hear the hum of students in the hallway. I’m alive, truly alive, for the first time since my return. I have his attention again, and it feels good.

It was hell to walk these hallways and feel invisible.

A wallflower no one noticed.

Truth is, I didn’t know if I would ever catch his attention again. Without the shine of innocence, white wings, and a promise of corruption, how could I make him see me again?

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