Page 40 of A Story of Sinners

My eyes snapped to hers, and I flashed my teeth. If looks could kill, Eulalia would be dead. A small pathetic noise escaped me as Ryken settled in his chair, his gaze not straying once.

I needed him.

My legs turned to jelly as Brandon led the way through the quiet corridors, the chill of the air cooling my burning skin.

“What is happening?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I whined, my voice sounding pathetic. We climbed the staircase, and my eyelids slit to block the flames of the wall sconces. “I need you to lead me to my room and then leave. Immediately.”

I stumbled through the hallways, and time seemed to linger, my hands tugging at the neckline of my gown, desperate to free myself. When we reached my door, Brandon opened it and halted. “I’m not leaving you alone.”

“Yes, you are,” I said, maneuvering around him and slamming the door in his face.

The knob jiggled, making it clear he was desperate to get in, but something was taking over me, and I wouldn’t risk him. He would be torn to shreds if he dared enter.

A dark voice spilled from my lips, a voice not entirely mine. “Leave.”

Just like that, the knob halted its motion, and I breathed a short-lived sigh of relief. Then, another cramping pain shot through my core, causing me to double over as a cry tore from my chest.

My attention whipped to the candles, candles that needed to go. I crawled on my hands and knees, snuffing the tiny flames out with my fingertips. With the last flame extinguished, my vision descended to night. Blissful silence met my ears, and I sighed with appreciation. Yet, my body still yearned for something unknown.

Shadows filled the room as I kneeled, fighting the internal battle that waged inside me.

Malachi’s form solidified in the shadows, and my blood boiled at his sudden appearance. He came to mock me, to tease, and I wasn’t in the mood. I growled as he stepped from the dissipating shadows.

This. Was. All. His. Fault.

A feral noise ripped from my chest as sharp fangs tore through my gumline, filling my mouth with blood, and I jumped from my spot on the ground, arms raised and ready to attack.

“Die!” I screamed.

He chuckled and spread his wings. A small slither of smoke wrapped around my arms, binding them in front of me as another shadow twined about my neck, pulling me closer to him.

“What is happening to me?” I gritted out between sharp fangs. My body ground against his, an unconscious action I didn’t want to think about. “Why do I feel like this?”

Malachi tilted his head, a soft look in his eyes as he dragged a hand down my face. “The change I spoke of, my light,” he softly answered, gripping my chin and shifting my head to the side, slowly scanning my features. “Your eyes are black. They aren’t supposed to be black.”

“Yours turn black,” I retorted, leaning into him.

“But yours shouldn’t.”

I wanted to ask why they shouldn’t when we were supposedly one and the same, but another cramp tugged at my gut, and I cried out.

Malachi wrapped his arms around me, his wings forming a cocoon from the outside world. It felt safe…it feltgood.

I wasn’t in my right mind.

I shook my head and planted my hands on his chest, shoving him hard enough that he stumbled. “What is happening to me?” I grated out, my gaze darting wildly across his features.

He stiffened and looked at the ground. “You’re going into your first heat.”

What. The. Absolute. Hell.

The little bit I knew about the estrous cycle was minimal. Animals had them, fae had them, but I never expected to have one of my own. I never thought to study them, seeing as they weren’t relevant, but from the little I knew, it was a period where a female was desperate to be mated, taking any male who offered himself. I groaned, understanding why I’d reacted the way I did to Aiden’s kiss, Brandon’s touch, and Malachi’s nearness.

Gross.

My body shuddered with disgust and rage, and my skin burned as I advanced on him, not knowing what to do. He knew that this would happen but offered no warning. “And the present you spoke of?”

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