I reached behind me and turned the lock into place, narrowing my eyes at Jared, who was baring his teeth at me.
“I said get out!” he repeated.
“What is that thing?” I asked, ignoring the urgency in his tone.
I’d just told him I wasn’t afraid. I hadn’t been afraid of him the night after the ball, but this was a little different. I suddenly wondered if the intensity of our coupling had more to do with this power of his, this curse, than his own desires.
He was standing with his legs apart, his body firmly rooted as he tried to reign that shadow of power back in. I could see the desperation in his eyes, maybe even a flicker of pain as his jaw clenched, his eyes still fixed firmly on mine.
“My powers,” he said after a moment. “My… dark powers. I’m losing control of them because of the curse.”
“What does it feel like?” I asked, running my fingertips over the footboard of the bed as I walked toward him. He backed away from me, shaking his head.
“Eliza, stop,” he commanded.
