“My liberty isn’t up for negotiation.” I stomped a sandaled foot in frustration. “For rotting sake, let meout.”
“Fine.” A pause. Then, a low chuckle. “Only because you asked sonicely.”
I’d show himnicely,alright.
The doors creaked open, a slight wedge of space revealing the darkness of the hall beyond. Without hesitation, I shot for the gap, plunging into the hall.
Tassarion Everthorn hovered above the carpet on the other side. He was shirtless and barefoot, clothed only in black slacks. At seeing me, a grin cracked his stern, handsome face.
“Wings high, Phanti?—”
I lunged for Tassarion, blasting him head-on with blackfire.
“What in the?—”
He snarled, throwing his hands in the air to block the barrage of blackfire raining down on his head. Blast after blast, I battered him, allowing the power to burn through his already torn body. Engulfed in rage, Ifyused, becoming the element of blackfire itself. I lunged for his head, gripped his temples between my hands, and poured a vortex of blackfire into his mind.
Tassarion howled, twitching and thrashing, beneath my grip. I held him with unnatural strength amplified by my ethèr. I squeezed his head, directing the fire to torment his blood. To torment his bones.
“Nahomie,stop.”
Tassarion grabbed my hips, trying to wrench me away.
By sheer determination, I held on.
“That’s enough!”
Tassarion gripped my arms between his muscular hands and wrenched me away from him. He shook his head, his braids swinging left and right. Before I could turn away and fly off, he yanked me to his chest and braced me against his body.
“If I cannot inspire your admiration, Phantimèssa,” he snarled, the sound reverberating in my ears. So shaken I was by the savagery of it, Ifyusedback into my Seraphim skin. “I will inspire yourfear.”
Then Tassarion drowned me in a flurry of souls.
Burning stars, they were everywhere.
They raged and hissed, gnashing their teeth at my temples. My arms. Down the length of my gown. The Nanmiess grabbed hold of my body, biting, scratching, and tearing at me from every side. I was utterly overwhelmed.
“Stop!” I screamed. “Get off me.”
I swung my arms, trying to throw off the souls. But it was useless.
The ephemeral beings were relentless. They held on.
Then firm hands gripped my waist, tossed me over a shoulder, and began flying with me down the hallway.
“Tassarion, release me, or I will drown this manor in fire and darkness.”
I slapped my hands onto his shoulders, trying to wriggle out of his ironclad grip. He laughed darkly, gripping me tighter.
“I don’t regret keeping you, Phantimèssa. Besides,” he spoke on, smug. “Fire and darkness,” he chuckled, flying with me firmly in his grasp. “Been there. Done that. You’re going to have to threaten worse than that if you wish to scare me,Nahomie.”
I bit my cheek to keep from spitting out something disrespectful.
“Don’t say my name like that,” I snapped.
“Like what?”
He trailed my hips with the talons of his wings, igniting a fire in my blood. As badly as I wanted to tear his eyes out, I also wanted to straddle him and see how long it would take to break him.
