Warm breath skates over exposed skin, and I realize that the neck of my tunic has sagged down my arm again. Riall leans closer as though my bare shoulder has sent out a personal invitation to his mouth. A tingling tremor works its way up my back, and goose bumps crawl over my flesh in a way that makes me feel flushed and chilled simultaneously. I try not to think about what it might feel like for him to run the tips of his fangs up my throat, or better yet, sink their sharp depths into the juncture of my neck and shoulder. I ignore the shiver of pleasure that snakes up my spine and instead, focus on the smelting judgmental glint in Curio’s gaze as I try to push Riall away.
It takes him a moment to realize what I’m doing. It’s like shoving a mountain—a warm, muscular, delicious-smelling mountain—for all the good it does me. But then Riall registers my efforts and backs off, giving me space. He peels his body from mine, his arms dropping from around me after a slight pause as though he doesn’t want to let me go. I don’t acknowledge how it feels to drag my body against his as I slide down until my feet are back on the floor. I ignore the emptiness that fills the space between us as Riall steps back to give me the room I stupidly demanded.
Reluctantly, I force myself to step to the side away from the wall. I need room to attempt to think clearly, and yet as Riall moves further away from me, I want to command that he stop and climb back into his arms.
What in the blood moon is wrong with me?
Riall shoots a vicious glare at Curio as I try to clear my head of all the confusing and conflicting thoughts. I want to hurt them, take from them like they’re taking from me, and yet there’s a part of me that doesn’t want that at all. They flipped my switch from rage to reeling in less than a beat, and now I’m nothing but churning chaos and confusion.
“And what gives you the impression that we want you to be ourslaveas opposed to our…guest?” Tarek demands.
I get the impression that he was about to say something else other thanguest, but his icy eyes are frosted over with indignation, and I can’t see even a hint of what could be hiding in their fathomless depths.
I glower at him, defiance sparking in my gaze. “Guest?” I challenge.
His scowl deepens. “For now, yes,” he vaguely supplies.
I huff an unamused snort at the ambiguity in that statement.
“You bought me. You’ve brought me here. You removed your glamour and exposed me to secrets I didn’t ask to know.” My frustration rises with each unfettered fact. “I know what this means,” I continue, waving at them, at the absence of the glamour that keptmeprotected. “You’ve made me a liability. You’ve filled my mind with shit I don’t want in there.” I look at Riall and Curio. “Which of you wants to remindScorpiusabout what happens to fae who know too much in this killing business?” I snark.
Tarek’s gaze narrows, not amused by my cheek in the slightest.
“Why the fuck did you heal me?” I demand, trying to tamp down the savage storm brewing inside of me. “I would have rather died that night than trade one master for another!”
“You speak like all masters are the same,” Tarek retorts, obviously offended at being compared to Tilleo.
“Are you not?” I counter. “Was I asked what I wanted? Do you even care?”
Tarek chuffs with exasperation. “So we should have left you there in the desert?” he growls. “Let our ma—letyoudie, or worse?”
“You’ve done it before, why should this time be any different?” I snarl.
Tarek steps closer, danger written all over his face. I square my shoulders, refusing to let the heat that tries to surge through me at his threatening advance drown my outrage.
“This time was different. We weren’t in a position to do anything for you before; now we are,” he counters as though it’s as simple as that.
“Now thatIhave something you want, you mean,” I correct him.
Icy blue eyes glint with promise as they drop down my body and slowly rise until they’re once again fixed on my now flustered stare. I try not to squirm under his perusal, angry that part of me likes it. I’ve never had anyone look at me the way these Scorpions do. It feels like a scalding promise that’s also laced with a frigid threat. I both relish it and hate that my body is so quick to succumb to that call, whatever the fuck it may mean.
“I understand that, up until now, life has shown you a very limited view of things. You may think all of this is very black and white, but I promise you, Little Dagger, our existence is far grayer than you realize. Yes, we wantthingsfrom you,” he admits, his deep voice dropping even further as he practically hums the word, “but we’re offering you everything you could ever want in return.”
His promise washes over me, but I refuse to let it settle where it wants to.
“I don’t want to be owned.” I growl at them. “I don’t want to be bought and sold on the whims of greedy,weakfae. I’m not an animal. I deserve more.”
“We are not greedy or weak, and we didn’t buy you,” Riall defends, cutting off whatever Tarek was about to say.
“What does that even mean? Did you steal me?” I question, not understanding the latter part of that statement.
Fear flutters through me at the thought that they took me without permission. Will Tilleo send someone after them? Am I being hunted as we speak? The twitchy need to run begins to overtake me, but I work to calm myself and think things through. It’s the Order of Scorpions we’re talking about here, the most prolific house of assassins anyone has ever known. Even if Tilleo wanted me back, who would he send to get past these seasoned killers? Who would survive an attempt to drag me back to the ludere?
No one.
It would be a suicide mission, and I doubt some lowly blade slave would be worth the wrath of these three powerful fae. My racing heart slowly calms as I inhale deep reassuring breaths. Bewilderment replaces my apprehension, and I cross my arms over my chest as I glance back and forth between the three Scorpions, still waiting for an answer to my question.
Curio sighs and leans back against the table. “We didn’t buy you, because we technically already owned you. We finance the ludere.”
