I swallow, stepping back—but there’s nowhere to go. The door is at my back, and he’s right in front of me, somehow managing to cage me without even trying. His gaze drops to my mouth for a split second, then his jaw clenches like he’s restraining himself from something. From what?
“If you follow my rules and do your duties, you’ll be fine, Katina.” Warning threads through his lowered voice, but his eyes… they darken, intensifying with a heat that builds the longer he watches me. Heat that steals the breath right out of my chest.
But then his words sink in and my eyes widen. “What?” The word comes out as barely a whisper.
“You want to know what the rules are? Good. First of all?—”
“No, no, what did youcallme?”
His eyes seem to glitter with something that might be satisfaction as he steps impossibly closer, erasing what little space remained between us. The air thickens even more, becoming almost solid, and my heart races out of control. “I told you Mia doesn’t suit you, didn’t I?Katinasuits you better.”
No, no, no.
His hand rises, his fingers tangling in the short strands of my hair, giving a soft tug that makes my scalp prickle with unwanted sensation.
I can’t breathe. The air feels too thick, the room too small.
Katina.
It’s too close. Too close to Katie. Too close to who I really am.
Panic explodes in my chest. Did he find out? No. That’s impossible. I was careful. I’ve been so careful.
But I can’t stop the fear from clawing its way up my throat.
His fingers slide from my hair to the side of my face in a gesture that’s almost tender, then down, curling around my throat. Not tight—barely even pressing—but enough that I feel the weight of his touch. Enough to keep me still, paralyzed, while my pulse hammers frantically against his palm.
“What are you thinking?” His voice rumbles through me. “You’re turning a most interesting shade of grey.”
I swallow and my throat moves against his hand. My lungs shudder as I try to draw air. “I’m thinking—I’m thinking I prefer being called Mia.”
His lips twitch, almost a smile. But his eyes stay intense, burning. “Too bad.Iprefer Katina.”
Panic coils tighter. I can’t let this happen. I can’t let him chip away at my cover, can’t let him dig any deeper.He can’t call me Katina.
“Please, Roan.” I grab his shirt without thinking, the fabric bunching in my desperate fists. “My name is Mia. It makes me sick that you’re insisting on calling me this other name and?—”
His mouth crushes against mine.
Oh.
Shock jolts through me. Hot and sharp and all-consuming.
His hand tightens on my throat, just enough to tilt my head back at the angle he wants, his lips pressing, demanding.
I gasp against his mouth and his tongue slips past my lips in a rough, hungry sweep that makes my knees go weak.
You’re supposed to fight this. Push him away. Maintain your cover.
But I’m crumbling in his arms instead, melting against him like I’ve been waiting for this, like every defense I’ve built is made of paper and he’s made of fire.
12
ROAN
It was supposed to be a light graze. To tease her and maybe myself. Warn her that she’s well and truly under my control now.
Just a taste. Just one small taste of what I’ve been craving since I watched her kill someone last night.
