My eyes widened. "By your hands?"
He smirked, shaking his head. "Well, not directly."
"You're delusional." My new protection rune heated under my skin the closer he came.
"No, sweet mage," he corrected. "I am the watcher, silent and true. I'm hidden from your sights, observing your ways, obsessed with your gaze. Oh, dear, through joy and sorrow, I have witnessed it all, but my presence was like a whispering call. The shield cannot brew, for I am what your soul seeks true."
Every word sent goosebumps up and down my arms.
"What are you even talking a-- "
Pain radiated from my rune as power surged out of it, trying but failing to blast Matthieu away. He silenced me with his mouth on mine.
Bile threatened to spew, but he pushed a liquid down my throat forcefully, gripping my arms so hard I knew it would leave bruises.
I angled my palms toward him and summoned a torrent of fire, but not even a spark came from my hands. I tried to knock him off his feet with wind, and I tried to conjure vines to pull him off of me. I attempted to conjure water, but even my spirit vision wouldn't kick in.
Finally, his lips parted from mine, and bile burned my throat as vomit spewed from my mouth and onto his robe. My palm made contact with his cheek, stinging my flesh.
His face turned back toward me with a glaring red handprint on his cheek and an amused smirk dancing on his lips. "I like it rough, and if that's how you want to give it to me, I'll take it."
"I'm not giving youanything!"
"So you're saying you won't choose me?" His eyes darkened as he stepped even closer.
"I will never choose you," I spat at Matthieu, refusing to back down.
"Wrong answer, sweet mage." He chuckled before his fist slammed into my face.
My head knocked back, and pain exploded from my nose. I didn't have a chance to catch my breath before his foot drove into my stomach.
"I'm not done." He seized me by my neck as I lost my balance and yanked me closer to him. "Your bonded mages won't feel any of that phantom pain while you're in here. I've got one hell of a barrier constructed around this room. So don't be thinking they'll save you from me." His hands shook as he squeezed my throat, cutting off my windpipe.
I couldn't look away from his yellow eyes that burned with fury. I struggled against his tight grip, wishing more than anything that I could use my powers. I kicked at him, trying everything I could to make him let go.
But Matthieu wasn't ready to relent just yet. His fingers dug into my flesh painfully, and rage radiated off of him in waves.
"Choose me, Fawn. I'm the one who has always been there!" he shouted, spit splattering onto my face.
The only thing I could manage was to shake my head no.
His face turned red with fury as he pushed me away from him with all of his might. "Wrong fucking answer!"
I flew across the room and crashed into the wall with a loud thud. My vision blurred momentarily before coming back into focus. The air was thick with tension as we locked eyes, and his anger turned even more sinister as he grinned.
He stalked toward me, pure unadulterated evil radiating from him. I always knew it was there.
I scrambled away, trying to get out of his reach, but he grabbed my leg and yanked me back.
My back smacked into the ground, and he towered over me.
"Just say it! Say you'll choose me!" he shouted in my face.
Shaking my head, my heart pounded violently in my chest.
He drew his hand back, and his fist collided with my cheek again.
The sharp pain burned through my body as tears ran down my face. All I could do was curl up in a ball and pray that this erratic fucking nightmare would end soon.
