Page 99 of Shattered Obsession

I jerk against the cuffs, the chains clanging and echoing like a desperate cry for help. My heart races as familiar terror twists in my gut, but beneath that fear, something else ignites—strength.

Xander will come for me; I know it. I trust in his determination. But until he arrives, I must endure.

I think of every moment Damian stole from me.

Every breath.

Every choice.

Every piece of myself I lost in the darkness.

And I feel something inside me shift. For the first time, I don’t picture Xander saving me.

I picture myself surviving.

Not because I’m unafraid, but because I refuse to let Damian be the last chapter of my life.

He may have taken my power once.

But I get to decide how this ends.

I lift my chin.

Even chained, even terrified, I look him dead in the eye.

And I smile.

Not sweet.

Not scared.

A warning.

I am not prey.

My fear isn’t gone, but fear is no longer the loudest thing in me.

Somewhere beneath the shaking, beneath the panic, a new emotion takes form, and if he slips even for a moment, if I spot a crack in his facade, I’ll make sure this confrontation ends with him as the one who falls.

-Damian-

She appears so fragile down here, restrained to the old wooden beam like a discarded toy, head bowed, dark hair a tangled mess falling across her face.

As I pace the damp basement, the chains rattle behind me when she tugs at them, a sound that resonates like a melody in my ears. Each clang is an affirmation; she understands who owns her.

“You thought you could hide from me, didn’t you?” I let my voice bounce off the cold concrete walls. “You believed that boy could keep you safe. But he can’t protect you from yourself, Thalia. Not like I can.”

She responds with a bitter laugh that seems to shake her entire frame, ragged and shaky. “Protect me? You ruined me.”

I lean in, reveling in her fear and defiance. Her flinch only fuels my twisted delight.

“No. I made you,” I insist, stepping closer so she can feel the heat radiating from my body. “You wouldn’t even understand your own strength without me. I gave you the scars, the fear, the fire. And when you finally break again, as I know you will…” I stroke a knuckle down her cheek, relishing the way she jerks back from my touch. “I’ll be the one to piece you back together.”

The rage I see flaring in her eyes almost makes me chuckle. She still clings to the illusion of choice. I pull away, snatching the knife from the table and catching the dull bulb’s light on the blade’s edge. Her breath hitches, and I savor her fear.

“Maybe it’s time I remind you what happens when you fight me. You’ll listen this time. You’ll learn,” I say, crouching in front of her, twirling the knife between my fingers with a casual ease that belies its lethal potential. “And when he finally shows up…” A wide grin spreads across my face. “I’ll let him watch. Let him see that no matter how hard he fights, you’re mine.”

I long to see Xander break, to watch him crumble in agony, because nothing is sweeter than taking what belongs to another man. And as for Thalia, she will plead for me in the end, like they all did.