He chuckles low in his throat, head tilting toward me. “I thought maybe the claws had dulled.”
I shoot him a look. “You’re always so annoying. Do I bring out your special flavor of unbearable?”
“You bring out a lot of things, Ashthorne.”
That earns him a slow blink from me, unimpressed. He grins wider like he’sexpectingthe eyeroll and likes it.
“Relax. I’m not here to bite. Not unless you want me to.”
I ignore the statement. “Why are you here, then?”
He looks out over the hedges for a second. “You’re interesting. New toy in the sandbox. No one knows what to do with you yet.”
“I’m not here to entertain you.”
“No,” he says, smile fading just a little. “But you’re making it awfully tempting.”
Luca tilts his head, his charm fading just slightly. “This place eats people alive. But you… You keep looking like you’re about to bite back.”
I don’t respond. Don’t need to.
He stands up, brushing invisible dust from his pants, then looks back down at me.
“You’re full of sharp edges, Isobel Grace Ashthorne. But I can’t tell yet if you’re a blade or a trap.”
“Maybe I’m both.”
Luca’s grin returns, slower this time. “Even better.”
He walks away without another word.
17 PRESSURE
Jace
My phone vibrates against my leg. I reach into my pocket and glance down. My fingers grip the phone before I slide my thumb across the screen.
"Jace." His voice sharp.
"Father."
"How is it going with the Ashthorne girl?"
I stare ahead at the common room doors. Looking around me. The hallway is empty. "Fine."
A short, amused breath crackles through the speaker. "From what I've heard, it does not seem fine," my father says. "She needs to be broken down, Jace. Completely. We cannot allow her to gain favor or strength. Weakness is what keeps her from becoming a threat. Do you understand?”
“Yes, father.”
“She knows nothing of our world,” he continues, voice tight. “Nothing of what it means to lead. You wouldn’t want to follow someone like her, would you?”
A trap. He always phrases his expectations as questions.
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Good.” His approval is almost worse than disappointment. “You, Jace, were born to lead. I carved you into a weapon for that purpose. Honed you to perfection. Do not make me question my craftsmanship.”
My fingers tighten around the phone until I’m worried it’ll crack. "She completed her first initiation task,” he reminds me, tone curdling. “That is a failure on your part.”
