His words hang in the air between us, and it suddenly hurts to breathe.
Making melike this.
Like I’m deficient in too many ways to count.
“You don’t get to tell me to trust people when you’re the one who incinerated any trust I had left.” Turning, I limp back toward my room.
THERE’S NO REALtime to rest and recover after the first challenge. Because the next is in Lunius, just three weeks away.
Since I know Tiernon—thePrimus—was serious about his threat, I force myself out of bed early the next morning, suppressing my quiet whimpers as I make my way toward the training hall.
Axia warned me.
I’m so wrapped up in pain and fatigue, I don’t hear the sound of footsteps behind me.
The scent of ice and damp earth hits me, and my back slams againstthe wall. My head hits stone with a thump and stars explode in front of my eyes.
Rorrik frowns down at me, cupping my face in his huge hand. He tilts my head, studying the place of impact.
“So fragile,” he murmurs. “So fearful. I can hear your heart racing like a tiny, frightened rabbit.”
I swallow, but it doesn’t help my dry throat. I’d hoped the emperor’s sadistic son had forgotten about me. I flick my gaze to the right, but we’re alone—except for a novice standing ten feet from Rorrik, his gaze carefully averted.
“Leave,” Rorrik says, and the novice doesn’t hesitate. A moment later, he’s gone.
When I open my mouth, Rorrik’s hand encircles my throat, cutting off my words.
“You always seem to be where you shouldn’t be,” he muses. “Shhh,” he says when I shiver, terror swamping me.
All I can see is the moment he disemboweled the man he called a spy.
“Where is the warrior I watched in my father’s arena?” He loosens his hand, making it clear he expects a response.
“If you’re going to kill me, just get it over with.”
His eyes light up with a kind of savage malice. “Kill you? Now where would the fun be in that? No”—he leans closer, his breath warm on my face—“I’m not going to kill you. That would be far too easy. Almost … boring. I’m going to take everything you love, everything you remotely care about, and I’m going toruinit.”
My eyes sting, my mind immediately providing me with an image of my brothers’ crumpled forms.
No. No, they’re safe. I made sure of it.
“Why?” I ask, and Rorrik’s eyes glint with amusement.
“Because I can.”
I study his face. Is this because I saw him with his wyvern? He has to know I’ll keep my mouth shut.
Or … is it because I caught him in a moment of vulnerability. A moment where he wasn’t wearing his usual mask? And yet …
This animosity feels strangely personal. It’s as if I’ve wronged him on a deep, unforgivable level.
Ah. But this is the emperor’s son. A vampire descended from one of theFirsts. A vampire who is likely unused to experiencing even mild irritation. I’d bet he finds even the smallest slight unforgivable.
Rorrik slips his hand from my throat, cupping my cheek gently. So gently. The threat is unmistakable, and I close my eyes, blocking out the sight of his face.
“Who have you told about your little spying session, darling?”
My heart thrashes against my ribs, and I suddenly can’t catch my breath. I’m panting too fast, and it feels like there’s a heavy weight on my chest.
