“Go away,” Alobaz said, still without turning.
His fiery stare was doing its best to fry me to a crisp.
Night leaned into the room to grab the door’s handle—a hefty vertical bar of metal—and caught my eye.
With his index and middle fingers, he pointed at his eyes, then at me.The universal sign for,I’ve got my eye on you.Watch yourself, or else.
Theor elsefollowed next, when Night dragged his thumb across his own neck—twice, for good measure.Apparently, slicing my throat once wouldn’t be punishment enough.
I sneered at him.Alobaz glanced over his shoulder, but Night was already pulling the door shut.
“They can’t hear us anymore,” Alobaz said.
I studied his face, searching for signs of what he meant.“I don’t think they’ll mind hearing my screams.In fact, I’m pretty sure you’ll make their day.They’re just waiting for it.”
“You think I’m going to torture you.”
“Well … yeah.Aren’t you?”
His eyes blazed with a new surge of anger.“No.”
“Um, not to seem displeased by this unexpected turn of events or anything, but … why wouldn’t you torture me?”
He stalked nearer.So close that, if I wanted, I could wrap my chain around his throat and squeeze the air out of him—air he ultimately didn’t need to survive.Sänglures were notoriously difficult to murder.
But I could perhaps incapacitate him in such a way that I could then deliver killing blows…
I should have wanted that.More than anything else, I should have been considering ways to free myself and accomplish my mission.
My fingers didn’t so much as twitch in readiness at my sides.Rafaela would be so disappointed.
He stepped closer still.I had to tilt my head up to meet his gaze.
He craned his neck forward and sniffed me.Fuckingsniffedme, like an animal.
My core clenched, when instead I should have been lunging for his throat, his eyes—even if I had to use my teeth and claws, I should have been attacking.
Again, he sniffed me.He moaned as if he were savoring the most scrumptious delicacy of his life.
“I will be making you scream.But when I do, it’ll be ’cause you can’t handle the pleasure.”
My core fluttered.
Beside my ear, his lips formed the words, “You’ll be screaming my name.”
My eyes rolled upward, and for a few breaths I panted.The image he painted was exquisitely vivid.
Finally, I had to step backward, put space between us, just to uncloud my thoughts.
“But … does that mean … do you know who I am?”
He gobbled up the scant space between us in two long strides.The back of my knees hit the bed.His chest was a breath away from touching my breasts, now contained by a band of linen and a shirt of gauzy cotton.
“I know.”His eyes dropped to my lips.He licked his own.“I can barely believe it’s you, that you’re alive after all this time, but I do know.”
“So … I’m confused.If you know who I am, then you know what I am.”
That potentially encompassed a whole host of problematic labels, depending on how much Cosette had revealed and how much Baz had already known about his infamous rival: crown princess of his mortal enemy, in line to inherit the throne; assassin who’d broken practically every diplomatic treaty in existence; who’d secretly killed royals across the world while pretending to be a carefree socialite; the woman who’d sworn her vengeance on him, and whose determination to complete her assignments was barely short of legendary; sister of Mateo, the one half to her whole, inseparable twins who drew strength from each other; the only sänglure who’d ever exhibited complete dominion over blood, who, before her abduction, had been the most powerful vampire ever to live; the female whose beauty was so extraordinary that it entranced anyone attracted to her.
