CHAPTER 196
Isabella slammed into Lucian with the force of a falling star. The impact sent a shockwave through the clearing that seemed to ripple the very air.
"I am not a mistake!" she howled at him, the words tearing from her lungs with a raw edge that left the air tasting of ozone.
Lucian stumbled back, his heels digging deep furrows into the silver-grey dirt, his boots skidding as he fought to maintain his balance against the sheer gravity of her rage.
His chest burned through his shirt where her palms pressed, a searing, holy heat that threatened to char the fabric and blister the skin beneath.
"Prove it!" Lucian still pushed, his voice thick with the strain of holding his ground. He grabbed her wrists, his fingers like bands of cold iron against her burning skin.
He didn't pull her off, he simply gripped her tighter, forcing her to stay in his space, forcing her to confront the monster he was trying to summon.
