Fangs dip over his bottom lip and I shiver. He looks positively beastly.
Blood rushes in my ears.
“You don’t walk away from me. We weren’t done speaking.”
“I was done,” I retort, pulling against his hold. “You want my trust after you broke everything in me, but you won’t give me the same consideration?” I snort. “Doesn’t seem we have anything left to discuss.”
“And what was I to do, Max?” He lowers his face, nose brushing mine. Footsteps echo to our side and we pause, breaths halted as they pass. “Tell you of my grand plan? A plan that I spent years crafting?” His eyes stare at my mouth. “You were looking for a reason to run. In fact, youdid. I couldn’t trust you to keep that secret.”
I struggle, trying to push him away, but my body ignites with desire as his knee moves just the right amount. I’m suddenly aching for more, but I bite my lip, holding on tightly to my rage.
“You couldn’t trust me.”
A hand grips my neck, pressing me further against the wall as the stones dig into my skull. He snarls, “No. Ididn’ttrust you. I may be connected to you, but this was too damn important to impart unless I trusted you completely. And I had every reason not to.”
We glare, breaths hard, neither of us relenting.
“Zelos has eyes everywhere,” he whispers, pulling back his ire. “Any slip. Any whisper of a coup will bring everything down. I couldn’t risk it until I knew you’d be willing to listen. And we both know, you haven’t wanted to listen to me.” I huff but I don’t deny it.
“Until Zelos’ eyes were distracted elsewhere, I had to wait and take your mistrust, your fight, let you think I was horrible and hold on until you were open to believing me.”
I swallow. “Until you thought I was truly yours.”
He laughs, but there’s no warmth. “Oh, kitten, youaremine. You’ve always been mine. You just don’t realize it yet.” He pressescloser, his body another half of my own. “No, you didn’t fully trust me. If I had told you of the coup, while drugging your food in the dungeon, would you have believed me? If I told you days after releasing you and bringing you into the Dark Court, would you have thought it was the truth? Forcing you to share my room? Or another lie to twist you with manipulation?”
He’s right. If he told me too soon, I would have assumed he was lying.
I struggle again, trying to shove him away but my legs are pinned, hands immobile. I’m at his mercy. My body shudders, dampness pooling between my thighs as his scent envelops me.
“Besides, it’s not like you’ve told me everything.” His voice drops, full of promises and darkness I find myself reaching for. “What did the Mad Witch tell you in that cabin, kitten? You came running out of that hut, ready to destroy the world.”
My blood runs cold as I try to keep the emotions off my face.
“She knew my mother.” It’s not a lie.
He smiles slowly, devilishly. “There’s more. You’re not exactly lying but you’re holding back. I cansmellit on you.”
When I don’t answer, he shakes his head, rubbing his knee between my legs once more, as if reminding me of our predicament. “I’m not the only one here holding back secrets. You don’t trust me, fine. But don’t act so put out when I didn’t trust you with valuable information. Information that could kill thousands of my people. My siblings. You can’t be the mad when you’re doing the same.”
Crafty Fae. He knows I’m holding something back and waited until now to bring it up. Growling, I lunge forward, glaring, face red from irritation.
“Fine. You want to know?” He stills, tilting his head. I have his attention. “Then explain Sose. Fenrir told me you killed her. Is that true?”
“Stay away from him.” His eyes flash and his grasp crushes my wrists, bones clashing together painfully as I wince.
“Why?”
Something about the Woodland Fae puts the heir on edge. He’s usually possessive, but this is downright aggressive. I don’t know if I’m talking to him or his beast right now, as those fangs grow and the black submerges in his eyes.
“Because I am your mate and I command it.”
Snorting, I shake my head. “You don’t command me.” He didn’t in the forest and he’s certainly not doing it here.
He snarls, cursing under his breath. Hands twist against my arms before he lets go, slamming a fist into the wall. Servants pass by, not bothering to look at us surrounded in shadows.
“Max, listen to me.” His voice is nothing more than a growl. “Fenrir is not a Fae to let into your circle. He seems idiotic, kind, maybe even flighty, but he is calculating. Donottrust him.”
“Then explain it, heir,” I plead, warily watching his reactions. “Tell me about Sose. Why do you hate him so much? He said she was his love. Did you… take her from him?”
