Gods, he called theWatchmen. The most embarrassing attempt at burglary topped by the pitying anger of 'Captain Sanctimonious.' She could hardly confide her true intentions to her brother, of all people. He’d only offer to help and that would be insufferable. But then, if she ended up in Watchmen custody, that might tip Cole’s anger into irrational so then her brother’s protection would become necessity. Which would leave her with no way of ensuring Seth was okay.
Fuck. Fuck. “Fuck!”
North blinked at her outburst, but otherwise remained unmoved. She doubted anything would earn a reaction from him, North was as frozen as this room.
She spun, her gut spurring her to at least try for the door. North’s arm struck like a coiled snake. His long fingers locked around her wrist, squeezing over her coat sleeve.
“Let me go,” she pleaded. He had no reason to pity her, no reason to offer mercy, yet she still searched for it in the ice of his eyes.
Nothing. His gaze remained unfazed. He looked bored to tears to have to bother with catching the pathetic thief that was clumsy enough to disturb his beauty rest. Not that he needed it.
As his arm drew her closer, she stared wild eyed into his unfairly beautiful face. Strands of fine, white hair fell over his forehead, bringing out the warmer undertones in his otherwise pale skin. And this close, she could see the iridescence in the gray of his eyes, a trait as distinctly faery as the longer points of his ears. She spent the last three years of her life living among actual demons and their hellish offspring. Colorful skin tints, horns, burning gold eyes were the standard. And Cole, well, Cole was attractive for a fae, but Kieran North was godly.
Sera swallowed. Her wrist was tucked into the firm wall of North’s chest. His clothes were freezing against her skin, too many layers for any natural body heat to warm them. That, or his skin was as cold as his stare.
“Running is unwise. I know this house inside and out. You’ll never make it to the door.” Not a threat or taunt. Just fact. Delivered like a tutor with a particularly simple lesson to a particularly obtuse student. ‘Two plus two equals four. And you are never going to escape.’
She licked her lips and his eyes darted to the sweep of her tongue.
Aha! So, the Ice Lord was not so frozen after all.
Sera knew two things about herself. One, she was stupid. Her mother had made sure she never forgot that she was born anidiot. Two, because she was stupid, her only asset was beauty. She’d grown to rely on using her looks to solve problems.
The jumbled, erratic pace of her thoughts stilled now that she had something to work with. Sera flipped the mental switch that had saved her more times than she could count. Her wrist twisted in his firm hand, her fingers gently teasing at the seam of his waistcoat—fuckingwaistcoat—and her shoulders adopted a sultry saunter as she stepped fully into his personal space.
She craned her neck, but Divine above, he was so tall. She had to balance on tip-toes so her nose rested at the strong line of his jaw. The intention was to let out a sultry breath against his cheek, but as she sniffed in, the scent of fresh, clean laundry with a hint of evergreen cluttered her senses and the little sigh that escaped her was entirely real.
“What are you hoping to accomplish?”
“I’m hoping,” she purred, shaking off the fog his scent had released over her thoughts, “that we can come to an arrangement?” Sera pressed her knee against him, drawing it up the stiff fabric of his trousers, not quite hooking her leg through his. She wanted to flirt, not jump him. She had to really hike up her leg to reach his thigh, but the suggestion was there. He was a man. He’d get the idea.
North’s head tilted and his free hand moved behind his back. “And you think I will cave to your unquestionable allure, as many others would, I imagine. You’re beautiful and, clearly, have the experience to tempt a lesser soul into falling for your empty promises. The knee is a nice touch.”
She stared into his soulless, monstrous eyes. Her caress turned to claws. “What, are your preferences more masculine?”
His lips moved, but it wasn’t enough to be considered an expression. Possibly, the closest he came to a smile, but even his humor was… sad. Like he had sadness etched so fundamentallyinto his being that not even the Ice Lord version of a smile could hide it. “No.”
She huffed. “The loner type? Sex not your thing?”
His head cocked again. She got the impression that he regarded her as a curiosity. A helpless little kitten that had gotten in over her head and now asked him amusing questions while she failed to charm him. “Not exactly.”
Now he was just being a dick. “’Not exactly,’ as in you don’t like sex? Or ‘not exactly,’ as in, you do?”
“You’re amusingly preoccupied with my sexual preferences when you should be more concerned with the officers making their way to this room as we speak.”
She groaned. “No, no, no. Please, I’m begging you. You never have to see me again, just let me slip out a window.” When she met his gaze this time, she was genuinely pleading for mercy.
He frowned. “Why? What are you afraid of?”
Cole’s retaliation if she was picked up by the Watchmen? Her brother’s stern lecturing? Shitty jail food? Name it. “I’m not afraid, I just…”
The door burst open.
“Ah shit.” Sera slumped. “Gideon’s going to kill me.”
“Who?”
The officers stormed in, three of them to subdue the harmless human. “We’ve got it from here, sir.” The first turned to her and recognition lit his features.“Sera?”
