My throat burns as his fingers tighten, nails digging into my skin. Rising panic reminds me of another time, another set of hands trying to squeeze the life from me.
I can’t breathe.
My lungs burn.
His face contorts as he squeezes harder, and my legs begin to tremble and buckle.
This is it.
This is how I die.
As my vision blurs, I see movement at the door.
“Reth.” Domanikk’s voice is eerily calm.
“Fuck off!” Reth spits through clenched teeth.
“Rawson, leave!” Domanikk shouts.
I hear a reply, but roaring fills my ears.
Domanikk’s voice cracks like a whip. “Just go! I’ve got this.”
A hand cups Reth’s jaw, a thumb caressing his cheek.
Reth’s face softens slightly as he leans into the touch, his piercing gaze finally leaving mine.
“Remember this? Feel it, Reth; hold on to it. I won’t let you go.” Domanikk’s breath ghosts across Reth’s ear, his face at his shoulder. His eyes dart to me and widen with panic.
“Let her go. This is not how it ends.”
My eyes flutter closed; darkness falls over my mind as my lungs strain in my chest.
Not long now.
A slap on my cheek parts the darkness. My eyes jolt open to Domanikk’s insistent gaze.
“Fight it, Alaya. Fight him. Show him what you hold in your heart for him. Only you can bring him back from himself now.”
His words hook into the dark desires I’d buried, pulling them forwards. Heat rises to my cheeks as I remember his kiss in the Meadow—violent, overpowering, hot. How the pain of his crushing lips and the scrape of his teeth made that heat flare deep within, just as much as Domanikk’s gentle caresses did.
Domanikk smirks and brings his mouth to Reth’s ear, pressing a small kiss as he whispers close.
“Look at her, Reth. Look at the truth in her eyes. Lose yourself in her desire.”
Reth’s eyes spring open, looking down at me where his hands still squeeze my neck, and I feel them relax. I gasp, greedily filling my lungs. His eyes turn languid, hungry for what he sees in mine.
As his hands drop away, I start to slump. Domanikk rushes to catch me, holding me up as I bend over, heaving.
“What did I do?” Reth croaks, voice anguished.
“You didn’t do anything, my love. You just need to break her, make her yours.”
“Help me, Dom. Please.”
Domanikk pulls me upright, stepping behind me, his arms snaking around my hips as he holds me tight to his chest.
Looking over at Reth, I gasp. A tear traces down his face, his eyelids heavy, his gaze full of lust.
