He dragged them back by force of will, fighting their resistance. His jaw clenched with the effort.
"You're still not afraid." The words came out flat, stripped of inflection.
She looked at him. Really looked at him. Her chin lifted slightly.
"No." Her voice remained steady. "You don't scare me, Reaper."
The title fell from her lips casually, without the reverence or terror others showed when speaking it.
Her pulse jumped in her throat when she said it. Just once. Visible proof that some part of her recognized the danger, even if her voice didn't waver.
She should be afraid, even if she were too stubborn to show it.
Shadows surged forward again, testing that boundary. The temperature dropped so rapidly that their breath misted.
"I am the Lord of the Forsaken." His voice dropped to that whisper that had made armies surrender. "I rule over humanity's darkest final moments. The sight of me has driven mortals mad. My presence has ended bloodlines."
She waited a beat. "Yes. I've heard all of that." A pause. "Very impressive."
His hands clenched on the throne's arms. Ice formed under his gloved fingers, spreading across the bone. The crack echoed through the silent chamber.
Shadows pressed toward her again, aggressive and seeking.
She didn't step back. Didn't flinch. Her eyes narrowed slightly. A soft exhale escaped her, visible in the freezing air.
"You should run." The words came out rougher than intended. His throat tightened around them, voice dropping to something raw. "You should be terrified. You should be begging for mercy I will never grant."
Her head tilted. A moment passed. Then she shook her head slowly. "I don't think so."
His fingers dug deeper into the bone. Another crack. Louder this time.
This would end badly.For both of them.
But he couldn't quite make himself care about the consequences. Not when she stood there seeing things no one else had seen, asking questions no one else had dared to ask.
He should send her to Caelum. The Lord of the Mourned would take her gladly. Natural deaths were kinder, gentler. She'd fade peacefully in white marble halls under eternal golden light instead of learning to navigate shadows and ice.
She'd be safer there.
The thought made his shadows coil tighter.
"You're staying."
She blinked. The first sign of surprise she'd shown. "I'm what?"
"You're staying. In my court." He leaned back against his throne,forcing casualness into his posture. "Until I decide what to do with you."
Her eyebrows rose slightly. "And how long might that take?"
"Weeks. Months. Years." One shoulder lifted in a dismissive shrug. "Time moves differently here. I have nothing but patience."
The frost around his throne began to recede slightly.
"There are rules." His voice dropped to that tone that ended all discussion. "Break them, and I will kill you. Slowly. Painfully. In ways that will make you beg for the mercy of simple execution."
She straightened slightly.
"What rules?"
