“So?” That dark eyebrow arched again. “What’s your excuse? Why shouldn’t I treat you like every other person who disobeys me?” When she still didn’t speak, he added, “Now would be a good time to beg.”
His eyes burned with challenge. The corners of his mouth curved, like he was anticipating her groveling.
Instead she said, “How much more powerful would that spell be if I stood beside you while you cast it with my blood coming straight from the source?”
His smile dropped.
The silence was so charged, she swore she heard the crackle of energy.
“You have some nerve,” he snarled, and he came toward her again.
She didn’t move, though every instinct in her body screamed at her to run. She waited for his approach, expecting him to loom over her again. But he took it a step further.
This time, his cold hand curled around her throat. His touch was even icier than the specters brushing against her legs. He tightened his grip until she couldn’t draw a full breath, the tiny bursts of air making her heart flutter with panic.
He stooped until they were at eye level.
“You’re still trying to manipulate me. That makes you very brave or very stupid. Or both.”
“I … can … help you,” she wheezed through her constricted windpipe. His hand sent chills racing through her blood.
“How couldyoupossibly be of service to me?” His pale eyes roved down her body like he was disgusted by the sight of her.
But he loosened his grip ever so slightly.
“I’ll help you cast,” she said quickly. Her voice was hoarse from being strangled.Fucking zombie freak piece of shit.She pictured stabbing a dagger straight into his skull. “I’ll not onlygive my blood willingly, but I’ll let you take it as it comes from my veins. I’ll help you prepare. I’ll do whatever you want.”
His brow arched, and she realized he was waiting for her to tell him what she wanted in exchange. Because in his world, nothing was ever given freely. There was no such thing as generosity to a creature like him.
“In return … I want access to this library.”
“No.”
“I won’t damage anything. I won’t take anything. I just want to study.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
“Are you kidding?” Suddenly, she didn’t care about the fact that the hand curled around her throat could snap her neck if he simply flexed his fingers. “I want to learn. I want knowledge, and I can’t begin to imagine how much information is here. If I’m going to be stuck in Hell until you figure out your stupid spell, I might as well do something useful with my time.”
He searched her gaze, eyes narrowed with suspicion. But he was actually considering her proposal, she realized, and her heart raced with anticipation.
She was well aware that if he gave her what she wanted, it wouldn’t help her escape any faster. But until she came up with a better plan, she was trapped, and she wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to explore this library. She might never get a chance like this again in her life.
He straightened suddenly, releasing her throat. She sucked in a hungry breath. They stared at each other for a moment, and then he spun and stalked away, heading toward the door.
She expected him to leave without responding, but at the last second he turned back, looking over his shoulder. His tail flicked restlessly behind him. His souls churned at his feet like agitated smoke. She had to admit he was impressive, with that streaming head of white hair and those towering horns.
“You will not move anything from its original place. You will not damage anything—not so much as a creased spine or crumpled page. You will not interrupt or interfere with my work in any way. You will not look at or touch anything on my desk. And you will not enter the other room in the hall.”
She nodded eagerly, scarcely believing her luck.
“And this time, if you disobey me, I will throw you back in that dungeon so fast, you won’t have time to beg for mercy. There will be no provisions brought to you from Earth. There will be no special exceptions made. You’ll be treated like any other of my prisoners, chained spread-eagled to the wall, hanging by your wrists. Do you understand?”
“Perfectly,” she croaked.
He turned once more and made to leave. Just as his hand curled around the handle, she thought of one more way to push her luck.
“Wait.”
