I studied her features in silence as if they held the key to the mystery that she was. I loved the cockiness with which she addressed me, and how she skirted right at the edge of flirting with me. I hated how much she was growing on me, and it made me wonder if this behavior was in fact her manipulating and playing me while I fell for it headfirst.
“I really want to eat you,” I growled.
“Do you?” she asked, raising a dubious eyebrow.
“Yes.”
She stared at me for a second, glanced around the room, then locked eyes with me again.
“If that’s the case, why bring me to your bedroom instead of your kitchen?” she taunted.
“This is not my bedroom,” I countered in a neutral tone. “This is just one of my guest rooms.”
Her eyes widened with genuine surprise. She quickly recovered, her face melting in a softer expression laced with something akin to awe.
“And here you are with even more proof that you’re not evil. To me, this indicates that you have no intention of forcing yourself on me.”
I stiffened and glared at her. “Sex should never be forced on anyone,” I hissed.
The brightest smile stretched her sensuous lips, and that soft expression settled on her face again. It did the strangest thing to me.
“See? I was right saying you were a good one.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why are you flirting with me?”
My question took her aback. She didn’t answer right away and seemed to sincerely reflect on it before shrugging.
“It’s my way I guess.”
“Do you think that will save you from any harm I might decide to inflict on you?” I challenged.
Although she instantly shook her head, she didn’t answer right away, weighing her response first.
“I think you’re someone who will do whatever you set your mind on, and to hell with the consequences. So my flirting with you, or any other way I might try to influence you, would have no impact,” she mused aloud.
I smiled, impressed. “That’s an accurate assessment.”
Her eyes widened.
“Why are you surprised?” I asked, curious as to that odd reaction.
“I didn’t expect you to be so honest,” she said, looking at me with fascination.
“I’m a doppelganger. We cannot lie,” I retorted in a self-evident manner.
“Right,” she responded, slowly nodding before giving me an assessing look. “Do you wish me ill?”
“I don’t know,” I replied truthfully. “The feral side of me wants to, but the other doesn’t.”
“Then listen to your other side,” she replied firmly, making me chuckle. “Why do you care about Ranael?”
That instantly sobered me. “Because he’s my half-brother and my closest sibling.”
The Inquisitor’s jaw dropped. Her shock was obviously understandable. No rational person would ever imagine a possible affiliation between such different creatures as my brother and I were.
“We share the same mother and clearly different sires. But that doesn’t lessen the strength of the bond between us,” I continued.
She nodded again. “Fair. If my sibling was under a similar curse, I too would want to find a way to free them. I’d be happy to share with you what little I know about the Demon Wolf. Ranael has been a great protector of our Order. Beyond the fact that freeing him would be the right thing to do, as Inquisitors, we have a duty to rescue him. That said, this isn’t my current mission. But with your help, we could catch Elliot and find out what else he knows about your brother.”
