Clare's POV:
The moment Blaze realized I was a girl, something in him shifted. It wasn't just shock—it was something worse. Like a predator realizing its prey was far more tempting than it first appeared. His whole demeanor changed, his expression slipping into something unreadable, something I didn't want to decipher.
He had told me to wash up, practically sneering about how I reeked of the aftermath with Reed. But could I really call it sex? My mouth had been violated, used in a way that felt mechanical, dehumanizing. I had heard my friends whisper about it before, laughing, sharing stories. But this…this had been nothing like that. This had been power, force, and something far more primal. And now Blaze was looking at me as if I had just transformed into a prize he had already won.
The second he disappeared, I had thought—hoped—that maybe, just maybe, I had time. Time to shower quickly and slip away before he came back. But I had underestimated a vampire's speed.
