Venomous Whispers

HAZEL

My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it's trying to escape my chest. Before she can speak, the words burst out of me, raw.

"You don't own him," I say, my voice steady despite the fear simmering in my gut. "No matter what sick games you play, no matter how many times you try to break him, he's not yours. He never was. And he never will be."

Madam Rouge's smile doesn't falter. If