Chapter 41
Camila POV
I couldn’t breathe.
Ethan’s presence seemed to swallow all the alt in the room, leaving me gasping and pinned under the weight of something I couldn’t name. His golden eyes still glowed unnaturally, his pupils dilated as if he were teetering on the edge of something dangerous.
I pressed my back harder into the wall, my palms flat against the cool surface. He stepped closer, slow and deliberate, his boots crunching against the broken door frame. The sound sent a jolt of panic through me.
I thought I could handle fear- I had spent years pretending nothing could get to me. But this? This was different. My heart slammed against my ribcage, and my chest heaved as I struggled to steady my breathing.
He tilted his head, studying me like I was some kind of prey he wasn’t sure how to devour just yet. The glow of his eyes flickered slightly, like fire catching in the wind, and his lips curled into something between a smirk and a snarl.
I had to run. My body screamed for me to bolt, but I couldn’t make myself move. My legs felt like lead, and my mind
was a mess of static.
Then he lunged.
The world blurred as he was suddenly on me, pressing me against the wall with his body. His hands gripped my wrists, pinning them above my head in one swift, fluid motion. I gasped, my head snapping back against the wall as I tried to struggle, but it was useless.
“Ethan-” I choked out, my voice trembling.
His face was so close, I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin. His eyes bore into mine, and there was something feral in them- something that made my stomach twist with both fear and confusion.
“Stop,” I tried again, my voice barely more than a whisper.
He didn’t stop. Instead, his grip tightened, and before I could register what was happening, his mouth crashed against
mine.
It wasn’t gentle.
It wasn’t anything like I’d imagined a kiss would be- not that I had ever imagined this, not with Ethan, not like this.
It was raw and desperate, his lips rough and unrelenting as they moved against mine.
I tried to turn my head, tried to shove him off, but he held me in place with an iron grip. His tongue pressed against the seam of my lips, and when I refused to open my mouth, he growled low in his throat- a sound that sent shivers racing down my spine.
My resistance didn’t last long. His hand released my wrist and slid down to cup the back of my neck, tilting my head as his tongue slipped into my mouth. I whimpered against him, the sound muffled as he deepened the kiss.
It wasn’t just a kiss- it was a claim, a punishment, a firestorm that left me breathless and trembling. His tongue
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Chapter 41
tangled with mine, hot and Insistent, as if he was trying to consume every part of mes
I could taste him- something sharp and metallte, like the lingering trace of blood, mixed with a heat that felt all too Inhuman. My lungs burned as 1 gasped for air, but he didn’t let up, didn’t pull away,
Tears stung my eyes, and I pushed against his chest with what little strength I had left. But it was like shoving a brick wall. He didn’t even budge.
“Ethan, please,” I finally managed to choke out when he pulled back just enough for me to catch a breath.
“You don’t understand,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. His thumb brushed against my jaw, almost tenderly, as his gaze dropped to my lips again.
“I don’t want to understand,” I whispered, my voice shaking.
He leaned in again, his breath hot against my skin, and I could feel the tension radiating off him in waves.
This time, I acted on instinct. I raised my knee, aiming for his stomach- or anything, really- and managed to shove
him back just enough to break free.
I didn’t wait to see his reaction. I ran, my bare feet barely making a sound against the floor as I sprinted toward the
stairs.
The sound of his footsteps followed me. My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else as 1.scrambled
down the steps, my legs shaking so badly I almost tripped.
The hallway stretched out before me like a never–ending tunnel, then I heard it- the low murmur of voices coming
from the front door.
My blood froze.
Peering over the banister, I saw my mother standing there with Greg. His arm was casually slung over her shoulder, and he was smiling that smug smile that always made my skin crawl. They were laughing, like everything was fine, like the house wasn’t drenched in tension and fucking secrets
My panic boiled into anger. Without thinking, I flew down the stairs, my vision tunneling as I made a beeline for my
mom.
“Camila!” she exclaimed, startled, as I grabbed her arm and yanked her away from Greg.
“What the hell are you doing?” she snapped, wrenching her arm out of my grip.
I ignored her, my chest heaving as I positioned myself between her and Greg. My eyes darted to him, narrowing as they flickered back toward the staircase behind me. I half–expected Ethan to come charging down at any second, his golden eyes burning, ready to finish whatever had started upstairs.
“They’re not human, Mom!” I spat,/my voice trembling as I glared at Greg like he was the root of all my problems.
My mom blinked, clearly caught off guard. Then her expression hardened. “What are you talking about? Have you completely lost your mind?”
I didn’t answer her. My gaze was locked on Greg, my pulse roaring in my ears.
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Claimed By My Stepbrother
