Bite the hand

Chapter 14: Taming the Thorne

Miles Thorne walked into the center of the room as if he owned the very air we were breathing. He ignored the low, vibrating growls from Finn and the silver blade Leo had leveled at his heart. He only had eyes for me—the broken girl clutching obsidian daggers, shivering in a torn silk gown.

"Leave us," Miles commanded. His voice was calm and smooth, like aged scotch, carrying the quiet confidence of someone who never expected to be disobeyed.

The room fell silent.

Finn stepped in front of me without hesitation, putting himself between Miles and me. His body was tense, every muscle ready for a fight.

"Over my dead body," Finn spat. His voice was low and filled with anger. His amber eyes glowed brightly, and sharp claws burst from his fingertips. As he dug them into the concrete floor, deep scratches spread beneath his feet.

Leo quickly moved to Finn's side. His jaw tightened as he stared at Miles, ready to defend me if things turned violent.

Miles let out a slow, tired sigh, as though none of this surprised him.

"How predictable," he said, finally looking at them. His expression was calm, almost bored, as if they were nothing more than children throwing a tantrum.

There wasn't even a hint of fear in his eyes. Only quiet amusement.

"The loyal dog and the feral stray. Do you really think she’s safe with you? You don’t love her. You’re just chasing the high she gives you. You’re addicts, and she’s the fix."

He turned back to me, his expression softening into a mask of pity that felt like a slap. "Look at them, Lila. They don't see the woman. They see a battery. A way to feel more powerful than they are. They’re using you just as much as Darius did."

"That’s a lie," I whispered, but my voice lacked its edge. I looked at Finn—I saw the desperation in his gaze, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing keeping him from drowning. I looked at Leo, whose pupils were still blown wide from the "hit" I’d given him earlier.

Miles took another step, closing the distance. "Darius wanted a trophy. These two want a drug. But I? I want the martyr, Lila. I want the girl who understands what it means to suffer. The 'Queen' you’ve been trying to play is a lie. It’s exhausting, isn't it? Trying to be so fierce when all you want to do is hide."

He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead. His touch was cold, calculated.

"Come with me," he murmured, his voice a seductive lure. "I have a house in the mountains. No one will ever find you. You can wear your silks, you can walk in the gardens, and you never have to fight again. You can be the delicate, beautiful creature you were always meant to be. My hidden treasure. My secret."

A gilded cage. He was offering me a gilded cage and calling it a sanctuary.

In that moment, the two halves of my soul—the weeping girl and the ruthless queen—finally collided. The "soft" Lila realized that Miles Thorne didn't want to save her; he wanted to entomb her. The "Shadowbite" realized that everyone in this room, from the man trying to buy me to the men trying to guard me, wanted a piece of my soul for their own selfish ends.

Darius wanted my silence.

Finn and Leo wanted my power.

Miles wanted my brokenness.

None of them want me, I realized. The thought didn't break me. It forged me.

The last of my tears dried instantly. The shivering stopped. The frantic, hammering heartbeat in my chest went cold and still, replaced by a void that felt bottomless.

"You think I'm a martyr, Miles?" I said. My voice wasn't a purr anymore. It was a dead, flat sound that made Finn and Leo flinch.

""I think you're tired, Lila," Miles said softly. A smug, triumphant smile spread across his lips as he slowly reached for my throat. His movements were calm and confident, as though he already believed he had won.

"I think you're ready to let go," he continued, his voice smooth and almost gentle.

His hand moved closer, wanting to claim me, wanting to prove that I belonged to him. I slowly lifted my head and looked straight into his eyes.

I didn't see a savior.

I didn't even see a man.

I saw a target.

The fear that had been inside me faded away, replaced by a cold, steady determination. My heart beat hard against my chest, but my hands remained still. I refused to look away.

Miles thought I had given up.

He thought I was too weak to fight back.

He was wrong.

I felt the curse surge, but it didn't feel like the golden heat I’d shared with Finn or the electric spark I’d given Leo. It turned into something else—something cold, vast, and ravenous. My vision shifted. The world didn't turn gold or red. It turned into a terrifying, lightless abyss.

Miles's smug smile slowly faded.

He froze where he stood, his hand only inches away from my throat. For the first time since he walked into the room, confidence disappeared from his face.

"Lila?" he whispered, staring into my eyes. His voice held a hint of confusion.

"Your eyes..."

I already knew what he was seeing.

They weren't hazel anymore.

They weren't the bright amber of a wolf.

They weren't the golden eyes of a queen.

They had become something else.

Something far more frightening.

They were empty, bottomless pits of absolute black, with no light and no emotion inside them. It was as if they could swallow everything that looked into them.

The room grew strangely quiet.

Even Finn and Leo stopped moving. Their eyes widened as they stared at me, unsure of what was happening.

A cold feeling spread through the air, making everyone hold their breath.

No one spoke. I reached out, my movement so fast it was a blur, and slammed my hand around his throat.

Miles gasped, his hands flying to mine to break the grip, but I was a statue. For the first time, I didn't use the curse to "feed" him pleasure. I didn't use it to "take" his strength.

I used it to show him the truth.

I opened the void inside me and began to starve him. I didn't pull his energy out; I pushed the emptiness in. I forced him to feel the absolute, soul-crushing hollow where my heart used to be. I showed him the cold, the silence, and the terrifying weight of being nothing.

Miles’s eyes rolled back in his head. His skin went grey, his mouth opening in a silent scream as he felt his very essence being eclipsed by my darkness. He wasn't breathing; he was drowning in the void I had become.

"You wanted the girl I used to be, Miles?" I whispered, my voice sounding like it was coming from a thousand miles away. "She's not here anymore. There's only the hunger now."