Page 51 of Touched By Darkness

“Yes,” Daemon replies, pulling the sheet up to my neck. “But first, she needs rest.”

“You’re not leaving her unsupervised in here, are you?” Dariana sounds incredulous.

The sound of a chair scraping on the floor fills the room. “No, I’ll stay right here. You guys should go.”

“What if she attacks you?”

Daemon’s deep drawl licks my skin. “I can handle her.”

“She doesn’t have control over her darkness yet,” Alaric tells him, sounding unsure.

“Good.”

“Good?” Dariana almost shrieks as Ronan wrestles her out of the room. “Until she learns to master the darkness without the light inside her, she’ll be unpredictable.”

Daemon says nothing, but I can sense him. Even with my eyes closed.

His attention burns into me and plows through every wall I’ve erected. He’s a man on a mission, with piqued interest and a restless mind. His dark eyes assess and cut me open, a skilled surgeon hunting for weaknesses to remove.

“I know you can hear me, new girl.”

Tossing off the quilt, I sit up in bed and try to shake my head to clear the last of the red mist, but it’s stubborn, clinging to me with sharp talons.

“Look at me.” His voice is a deep, commanding drawl.

My eyes flick up and lock with his.

He sits with his elbow bent on the armrest, his ankle on his knee, and his full attention on me.

I like it, but I also don’t want him to see me like this, naked and covered in guts and blood, with glowing red eyes.

I’m a monster.

An abomination.

“How long did he keep you locked in that room with the human?”

My voice is hoarse. “All night.”

“Did he give you any instructions?”

“Not to kill him.”

“But you did.”

My lips seal shut, and I lower my head in shame.

“Did I say you could look away?”

I grit my teeth as annoyance flares up inside me. I know from experience that Daemon likes to tell me what to do and assert his power over me, but that doesn’t mean I have learned my lesson yet.

“Look. At. Me.”

I do.

Of course, I do.

I’m weak, and he cradles my heart in the palm of his hand without even realizing it. He could so easily crush it.

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