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“So you’re saying you don’t think I’m rock solid?” He sounds annoyingly doubtful.
I give a nonchalant shrug. “How do I know? I only touched you once.” My fingers twitch at my sides. “But maybe if I give it another try, I’ll have a better answer.”
His brow cocks. “You want to touch me again?”
I waver, questioning what the right answer is. But when I come up blank, I decide to go with the truth. “Yeah.”
He stares at me for an unnerving amount of time, to the point where I become fairly sure he’s going to say no. But then he shrugs. “Fine, if you must.”
I attempt not to get too overly eager as I reach forward and line my palm to his chest. But the instant my hand touches him, my heart starts to beat wildly. My legs begin to tremble as I run my hands over him, moving from the top of his chest to his abs. Then I trail my fingers across his collarbone, his chest, his stomach, all the way to the bottom of his shirt. When I reach the top of his waistband, my knuckles graze his skin. I shiver from the connection and repeat the movement again and again…
“Heartley,” Caspian growls out, sounding in pain. “I think you need to…” His words fade as I let my fingers wander underneath the waistband of his jeans.
I have no clue what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. All I know is that it feels so good, like my body is starved and finally getting a tiny taste of food for the very first time. And I want more.
My hands travel further downward…
“I don’t even know what I’m doing…” My dazed voice sounds so foreign. “Should I stop—”
His lips abruptly come down on mine so hard I swear I’m going to have a bruise. As quickly as the kiss began, though, he pulls back. His eyes are wild and filled with a hunger I can’t comprehend, but the sight makes my stomach twist in the strangest, most wonderful way.
“Oh my God, you’re driving me crazy, which is saying a lot,” he growls and then crashes his lips against mine again.
I groan as he bites my bottom lip and then parts my lips with his tongue. Never, ever have I felt anything like this. The blistering heat, the crazed frenzy, the hammering of my heart, the desire blazing through me. I want more. Crave more.
I open my mouth and reach for him, preparing to devour him the same way he’s devouring me. But then my body chills, as if someone doused me with ice water. From in the house somewhere, a clock chimes twelve.
“Happy birthday to me,” I mumble then kiss Caspian.
“I’m so sorry, Heartley,” Caspian whispers, his voice sounding so far away.
I jerk back and catch a glimpse of unfamiliar dark red eyes staring at me before pain rips through my body.
“I’m not going to give this one up so easily,” a voice hisses. “If you try to take her, I’ll come for her. Over and over again.”
I hear Caspian shout something, but his words echo away as everything goes black.
Chapter 8
Pain tears through my body, like vines ripping apart my flesh as I tumble into unconsciousness. I try to clasp onto reality, but every time my fingers reach the light, the pain becomes too overwhelming. So much pain. I can barely process anything else. The slamming of fists, a boot getting kicked into my side, hitting the floor…. Red eyes… Those goddamn eyes are burning a hole through me. Then the pain changes, shifts, into something different but almost equally as painful. Needles getting jabbed into my arms, hands slamming against my chest, my stomach being torn open…
Why is this happening to me…
The pain… It hurts so bad…
Be strong. For the briefest moment, I swear I can hear Caspian’s voice through my thoughts.
Caspian, are you there?
Silence is my only answer. And pain. So much pain.
I want to pass out. I want to scream. But I don’t have that much control over my body. Tears burn in my eyes as I continue to tumble into an abyss. And I wonder if I’ll ever quit falling.
Chapter 9
When I open my eyes again, I’m lying in a comfy bed with a mountain of pillows under my head and a velvet blanket pulled over me. For the wildest moment—and probably because of the pillows—I wonder if I’m in my cage and that I dreamt the whole Caspian/pain thing up. But when I sit up and look around, I quickly realize the four dark red walls, black tile floor, and dresser in the corner don’t belong to my bedroom. Plus, there are no bars surrounding me.
“Where the heck am I?” I mutter, scratching my head. “And how did I get here?”
And what about that pain I felt?
I shudder as I remember the agony, then glance down at my body, expecting my skin to be covered in wounds and nasty bruises. But I can’t find a scratch anywhere. I glance at a mirror on the wall and take in my reflection. The last time I looked in the mirror was… Well, I really can’t remember. But it’s been several years. The person staring back at me with wildly untamed black curls, big eyes, and full lips feels like a stranger. Yet, it has to be me since when I touch my lips, the girl does too. I’m not wearing the same clothes as I had on, though; black shorts and a matching T-shirt now covering my body. I wonder who changed me. Then I wonder if I should be weirded out about it since it was probably a stranger. I don’t feel very much of anything, though, except for confusion. Lots and lots of confusion. I try to recollect what happened, but nothing but darkness comes to me. Well, that and red eyes. But who—or what—did they belong to?
Just as the question crosses my mind, viney thorns map across my arms and weave up to my shoulders.
“What’s happening to me?” I mumble, my wide eyes fixed on the moving vines.
“You’re in transition.”
My head snaps up and my eyes zone in on a gorgeous and very familiar guy leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed and a cautious expression on his face.
“Caspian?” My hands tremble with the need to touch him and my lips beg to be sealed to his again.
The reaction is bizarre and—considering I have no clue what’s going on—completely unwelcomed at the moment. Well, almost.
“What is going on with me?” I ask, my gaze bouncing back and forth between him and my arms.
“You’re transitioning.” He speaks slowly, as if he thinks I’m an idiot. “I already explained this to you, Heartley, back at your place.” He straightens and takes a measured step toward me. “Your curse has been put into play and now you’re turning into a Maddening.”
Insert deflation on my part. “But I didn’t even get my few normal hours. Talk about a bummer.”
His brow crooks. “That’s what you’re worried about right now?”
“Sort of.” But I guess that does seem a bit strange. “Okay then, here’s a better question. Why am I cursed?” My gaze flicks back and forth between him and the vines crawling across my skin. “Because you never did explain that part to me. And what was that thing with the red eyes? And what is this place?” I gesture at the room, but my hand falls to my side as a darkness stirs inside me, mapping the same path as the vines on my flesh.
Feed.
Devour.
Break.
Feed.
Devour.
Break.
I don’t know why, but I get up and step toward him. He matches the move, reducing the space between us until he’s standing close enough for me to touch him. Then he tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear.
“Look, I’m not very good with these sorts of things,” he says. “I don’t do well with others, which is why I’ve spent so much time alone. But I promised Leader I’d train and take care of you and after that kiss…” His gaze flits to my lips, then he blinks and looks back at me. “But anyway, I’m going to make sure you’re trained properly.”
“Trained for what?” I ask, my fingers itching to touch him.
“To become a superhero,” he replies with a shrug.
At first I think perhaps I heard him wrong, but when he remains silent, I gape at him. “You think I can become a superhero? Wow, did I
take some of your sanity away?”
He struggles not to chuckle. “No. And trust me, becoming a superhero is better than the alternative.”
“Which is?”
“Stealing minds to feed your inner hunger.” He places his hand to the center of my chest, shuts his eyes, and breathes in deeply. “I can smell the hunger all over you right now.”
My heart flutters in my chest, mainly from his touch. “And you’re not afraid of me? That I’ll try to steal your mind?”
A smirk forms on his face as he opens his eyes. “You could try, but you wouldn’t succeed.” His hand slips up the front of me, curves across my neck, before finally residing on my cheek. “I’m way too strong.”
“Oh.” Puzzlement weaves through me. “So what exactly do I have to do to become a superhero? And what was the thing with the red eyes? And who cursed me—how did I get cursed?”
“Leader will explain all of that to you later,” he says, and I have the feeling he’s purposefully avoiding answering my questions. “But he refuses to come in until I take care of you.”
“Take care of me how?”
“By feeding your craving for insanity.”
I’m about to ask him how he’ll do that when he yanks me against him. At first I think he’s going to kiss me, but instead he holds my body tightly against him, until our chests, hips, legs—everything—is fused together. A warmth flickers inside me, a slow burning that works into a scorching fire. The fire keeps spreading, kissing my skin until I can barely breathe. I can almost feel Caspian inside me, or his power anyway. Hot and scorching and powerful. And strangely, sedating.
“Oh my God, that feels so good….” I moan, my head tipping back as my body slumps toward the floor. “Is it always supposed to feel this way?”
He catches me in his arms, his eyes scorching with something I don’t recognize. “Not even close.”
That’s the last thing I hear before my eyelids slip shut.
A memory tickles my mind.
“I’m coming for you,” the thing with red eyes whispers. “Your parents—they promised you to me. And I’m not about to let Caspian have you.”
Fear ravels through my body, but fizzles as Caspian’s power consumes every inch of me. Then I surrender to the wildfire roaring inside me. Still, though, I fear what’s waiting for me when I open my eyes again.
Chapter 10
Leader
“That went better than I expected,” I announce to my colleague as I return to my office. I run my fingers through my white and blue hair then drop down into a chair. “She’s very powerful too... I could see the power flowing off of her from the viewing window.”
He leans back in the chair he’s sitting in, fidgeting restlessly. “I still can’t believe you brought a half Maddening, half jinn in here. I swear, you’re losing your damn mind. No pun intended.”
