“I have questions for you that I expect to be answered.” Loren returned to eating his own soup as she continued to move through pure will alone. As he expected, she did not reply, and so he pushed forward. “I want to know what it was that Ariadne was taking from my library.”
At last, a response. No words, of course, but the corners of Camilla’s mouth curled up as she studied him. From her expression alone, Loren gathered her thoughts: he looked like a fool for not knowing, and his brash actions in burning the book, then destroying the pages she had ripped free, only set him back. Not even the royal historian could piece it back together.
“I am looking for a verbal response,Miss Dodd.”
Camilla blinked. “The library belongs to the Harlows.”
Loren ground his teeth and sat back in his chair. “So youcanspeak. I was beginning to think your mouth was only good for one thing.”
Her lips pinched together.
“Perhaps it is.” He grinned wickedly at her. “Care to demonstrate your skills?”
“You are vile.”
There. That was the fire he wanted so badly. Those were the flames he wished to douse as he smothered her spirit and crafted her into what he desired. Perhaps she would be even more malleable than Ariadne—a better Queen of Valenul.
“Tell me what she was doing.”
Camilla set her spoon in the bowl and returned her hands to her lap. “I am sitting here with you for one reason alone: to protect those I love from you.”
“No.” Loren leaned forward at that to glare at her. “You are sitting here out of my good graces. That you fail to recognize my actions for generosity is a credit to your poor education. Perhaps if you spent more time attending to your studies than on your back for anyone with a hard cock, you would understand just how merciful I am.”
To her credit, Camilla did not blush. She did not blanche. She did not flinch. Instead, she leveled her hateful stare at him and continued to smile as though what he said meant nothing to her.
“What did Ariadne want?”
“To get away from you.”
Loren snarled in frustration. “You are insufferable.”
“And you are a fool.” Camilla tilted her head and studied him. “You truly believe she wouldeverchoose you over Azriel? You truly believe she would stoop so low as to run toyoufor anything other than to use you? Youtrulybelieve she wanted to beyourwife?”
“Enough.”
“You say I am no good for anything other than what is between my legs,” Camilla scoffed. “Yet you were so blinded by your own sick fantasies that you did not even see how much she despised you.”
“Enough.”
But Camilla pressed on, “Every touch made her skin crawl. Every word made her sick to her stomach.”
Loren’s blood boiled. “Silence.”
“No woman of worth would look upon you, Loren Gard, and see someone they wished to spread their legs for.” Camilla smirked. “Not even me.”
Shoving to his feet, Loren took up the knife from his array of cutlery. At first, fear flashed through Camilla’s eyes. She took in the blade as it flashed in the candlelight, then a peaceful resignation took over.
And that only infuriated Loren even more.
“Last chance.” Loren stood over her. “Tell me what Ariadne was doing.”
Camilla raised her eyes to him. “You will not kill me.”
“No,” he agreed. “But I can make you suffer. Tell me.”
Her smile widened. “Fuck you.”
At that, Loren pulled the pins from Camilla’s hair, releasing the beautiful golden curls. He tossed them onto the table. Several plopped into her soup, others onto the floor, until her hair hung loose around her shoulders.
