Silence. He only stared her down, head tilting the slightest degree, gaze unreadable and unyielding.
“Well then,” she shot back, pulse racing, “I guess I’m free to go.”
She spun, but his hand closed around her wrist before she could take a step. He swung her back to face him, controlled and unshakable.
“I can’t let you do that.”
She shoved him, hard, and pain reverberated through her body. Bad idea. He didn’t budge. He might as well have been solid granite. His eyes stayed locked on hers, burning.
Her chest heaved, jaw clenching with anger because she didn’t actually want to leave yet. She couldn’t without finding what she came for. But the way he looked at her like he was daring her to fight, to fail, had every inch of her body itching to defy him.
Jakobav’s mouth curved, more threat than smile. “Would you rather rot in my dungeon or stay in my bedchamber?”
Ella stepped toward him, fists clenched. “I don’t think you’d like my response, Prince.”
He didn’t flinch. “Say the word. I’ll throw you over my shoulder and carry you to the dungeon.”
When she didn’t answer, he bent, reaching for her legs as if to make good on the threat.
“Okay!” Her hand shot out, stopping him. She stumbled back a step. “Okay, I prefer your chambers. But only until my body’s recovered. Then I’m getting the fuck out of here.”
His eyes lingered on her, unreadable, dangerous. Then, softer, darker: “We’ll see about that.”
Unbelievable.
She had come here to slip through shadows, steal what she needed, and vanish before anyone ever knew she’d been inside the castle. Instead she had woken in the Prince’s private chambers, her enemy’s bed. He was controlling, sadistic in his demeanor, and unbearably overbearing. The entire situation was outrageous…and maybe, if she played it carefully, useful. If she could win even a sliver of his trust, perhaps it would give her the chance to search for the relic she had risked everything to find.
Ella’s lips lifted in spite of herself, a little hum escaping.
“Hmm.”
Jakobav’s eyes narrowed. “What now?”
“I want to know the rules,” she said. “Where I’m allowed to go. What I’m allowed to do.” Her jaw tightened. “Not that I’m agreeing to be held captive.”
That earned a smirk from Jakobav.
She braced, praying he’d say something likeI’ve never held anyone captive before.
His voice dropped. “This arrangement is a first for me as well. I’ve never had anyone sleep in my chambers before.”
Ella arched a brow. “You’re telling me you’ve never had a woman in your bed?”
His mouth turned darker. “Not one that mattered. And I said sleep in my chambers.” He leaned in, voice a razor-edged tease. “There has never been any sleeping.”
She refused to give him the satisfaction of a reply, but her flushed skin gave her away, warmth blooming where his eyes lingered.
5
BLOOD REVEALS
JAKOBAV
Maybe he should have killed her. She had broken into his fortress and crossed the wards, knowing she would probably meet her doom. He would not have hesitated with any other intruder.
She’d asked how she could possibly be a problem for him. Oh, how little she knew. She had just become the problem he could not stop circling. Yes, the Claiming should have been at the front of his mind. The solstice drew nearer, bringing with it the rising strength of the sacred pool.
Dravaryn bloodlines were expected to face its waters and emerge marked with the gift of a second power, if the realm deemed them worthy. And yet, not all who entered surfaced again.
