Kaelen froze, his pupils contracting. He let go of my wrist, but he didn't move back. He knelt by the tub, his hand reaching out to touch my wet, raw shoulder. "Sera... I know the echo was hard. I know Marek's violation felt like a—"
"A violation?" I laughed, a sharp, hysterical sound that echoed off the marble. "It wasn't a violation, Kaelen. It was a mirror. He took what he wanted because he's a Warlord. And you... You watched. You watched me fall apart for him, and you used it. You used my trauma to get off. You used my degradation to feed your own sick, possessive hunger."
Kaelen's jaw tightened, a muscle leaping in his cheek. "I was trying to ground you! I was trying to keep your mind from shattering under the resonance—"
"You were marking your territory!" I screamed, the water splashing as I tried to stand up, but the weight of the "Sovereign" energy made me stumble. Kaelen caught me, his arms locking around my waist, pulling my wet, naked body against his chest.
