Page 69 of Touched By Darkness

They take in her quivering breaths, flared wings, and the red mist slowly clouding her vision.

Blowing out a cloud of smoke, I shake my head. “Fight the darkness, little witch. Don’t let it consume you.”

It recedes slightly but then returns when I push off the desk. I walk over with slow steps and tower over her while smoking my cigarette, as if I have all the time in the world. I take my time studying her while the smoke curls in the air between us.

She’s breathing hard, provoked and uncertain, and her hands fist rhythmically at her sides.

Crushing the cigarette beneath my boot, I cup her chin and bring her brown eyes to mine. “We’ll give you a head start this time, but know this: we will catch you.” I lean in and brush my lips against her ear as I whisper, “Run.”

She doesn’t hesitate.

She doesn’t stop to gauge if I’m playing tricks on her or not.

She bolts, running for the door.

Taunting the slumbering monster inside me with her raven hair as it flies behind her.

“You let her get away,” Ronan says, turning back to me with a question in his eyes.

My head shakes no, and I dig my packet of cigarettes back out of my pocket, then bang it on my palm. I light one up, squinting at the others through the curling smoke. “I’m offering her the illusion that she can escape us.”

Ronan’s lips spread into a Cheshire Cat grin, and Alaric chuckles deeply, amused by the promise of a hunt in my eyes.

“How far do we take it when we catch her?” Alaric asks, snatching my cigarette off me and placing it between his lips.

I frown, annoyed with him for having the balls to steal it in the first place. If it were anyone else, I’d slaughter them for disrespecting me like that. “As far as it takes to split her open and spill her secrets.”

“What do we do about Dariana?” Ronan asks, checking his phone.

“She’ll dust herself off and come back stronger.”

I grow antsy, my knee jiggling with the urge to chase her.

Alaric is barely down to the filter when I blow out a breath and set off, unable to contain the restless energy.

“Let’s catch us a little rabbit.”

RONAN

I fucking love it when Daemon gets in this mood. It rarely happens that he gives in to his lesser nature and lets a girl toy with him like this. Because, let’s be realistic, while Daemon believes he’s toying withherby chasing her down like an animal, it’s the other way around. He’s allowing himself to lose control around her, something Daemon rarely does. In fact, I don’t think she’s aware that he’s entrusting her with his monster.

We leave the classroom, and Daemon stops for a brief second to scan the corridor, his mind turning over. Did she take a right or a left? Like a greyhound, he sniffs the air, then turns left, moving with determined but silent, lithe steps.

He’s a big guy, but tracking has always been his specialty.

We emerge into the large open lobby, and Daemon makes a beeline for the stairs.

“Don’t you think she escaped outside?”

“She’s hiding upstairs,” is his response.

I exchange a look with Alaric, who simply shrugs and follows him up the grand staircase. I follow behind too, but unlike them, I’m distracted by a group of girls descending the steps. They giggle as they pass us, and I offer them a wink.

“Hurry the fuck up!” Alaric growls, smacking the back of my head.

Daemon is already at the top, a man on a mission to divide and conquer—or maybe just conquer, in this case.

His attention is zeroed in on the new girl, and his hunger won’t be satiated until he has caught his prize. All the other beautiful girls here fade in comparison to the defiant angel with large-as-sin wings and a bratty attitude.

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