Hackles raised, I put a bone-chilling level of frost into my voice. “My name’s Sophia. That’s the term I’d prefer.”
A vicious emotion I couldn’t identify flickered in his eyes, there and gone again, and my body stiffened. Whoa. The danger pouring from him ratcheted upward. I fought the urge to back away.
The door was still open beside me. Could I outrun him?
I took in his long legs with a grimace.
Probably not.
“Pleased to meet you,Sophia.” He said my name as if it were a joke, his lip lifting in a sneer. “Before we agree to this, let’s discuss this arrangement.”
“O-okay.” I wasn’t aware I still had a choice, but now that he presented it that way, I wondered…could I say no?
“We’ll meet every Thursday at seven.”
I nodded.
“Everything said here will be reported directly to Theodore Harrison. No one else. Understood?”
Well, duh. Who else would I report to? “Yeah, got it.”
His eyes turned calculating. “From this point forward, you aremymessenger, which means this takes priority over everything else. Unless you’re serious, I won’t give you anything.”
I pinched the fabric of my pants to keep my hands from shaking. “What do you want in exchange?”
His voice went feral—dark and violent and terrifying. “I’d like to escort the NAO straight to hell.”
My eyebrows rose. Okay, then. “And what do you want from me?” I whispered, almost afraid to hear the answer.
“Compliance.”
My skin went cold.Compliancecould encompass so many things. In this transactional exchange, I wanted to understand exactly what payment he’d exact. Lucas Scott, however, didn’t appear to want to elaborate further. I would comply with his wishes, or he’d…what?
Return me to my people?
Force my agreement?
Kill me?
“So you agree?” he asked.
It took every ounce of strength I possessed to dip my head in a nod.
“I’ll have your word, please?”
Please?
What…was…that?
Was Lucas Scott apolitekiller? A fucking psychopath?
I placed a hand over my heart, more an attempt to guard it from hidden weapons than to show my dedication. “You have my word.” I tried not to give myself a moment to second-guess, but he said nothing, so I filled the quiet. “I’ll do as you ask, as long as you don’t interfere with any efforts to bring the NAO down. Whatever you want, it’s yours.”
He stared at me without blinking, the long silence making me squirm, making my heart pound, making my thoughts go wild. Had I said something wrong?
It went on so long, I had to glance away. My attention fell on the lit candle, the only light in the room.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked after a while.
