Chapter 40

Aria

The morning light filtering in through the curtains is what finally rouses me from a restless sleep. As wakefulness slowly returns, so does the memory of what transpired between Callum and me last night. Shame burns through me as I recall the way I surrendered to him so completely, gave in to desires I should have resisted with every fiber of my being. What is wrong with me? How could I let him manipulate me like that, use my body's traitorous responses against me?

I grit my teeth, anger and disgust swirling hotly inside me. No more. I refuse to be weak, to let Callum gain the upper hand because he knows exactly how to play my body like a well-tuned instrument. I am the mistress of my own fate, not some puppet dancing to his twisted tune.

Determination steeling my spine, I try again to tap into that wellspring of power I can normally feel thrumming just below my skin. But there's nothing, not even the barest tingle or spark. Whatever chemical cocktail my mother injected me with