“Or did you think,” he said, impatience edging into his voice, “that I was unaware of my mother’s barely concealed hatred for me?”
Oh, she’d been so sure of herself only moments ago, so certain she was not afraid of him.
She felt terrified now.
“Alizeh.”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “I agreed to kill you in exchange for my freedom.”
Something flashed in and out of his eyes at her admission, and she could’ve sworn it was something like pain. But then he took a sharp breath and straightened, his sardonic smile firmly back in place as he looked over her head, stared into the distance.
Alizeh took that opportunity to bolt.
She shot up from her chair and dashed down the path with supernatural speed, trying to form a plan as she went. She wasn’t sure what purpose it might serve to flee, but she couldn’t imagine he’d take kindly to her confession, and while she wasn’t sure what he planned to do about it, she could only imagine his mind would resolve to do something bloody. If his mother was right about him—and it appeared that she was—and Alizeh would certainly lose to him in a fight of force—which she suspected she might—then she had no choice but to run.
“Alizeh,” he cried.
She barreled through the double doors that opened onto her bedroom, but only after slamming them shut did she discover they didn’t lock, and in the moments she spent trying to bolt the blasted doors, she saw him fast closing the distance between them, his long legs carrying him along the grassy path at an impressive clip. She abandoned the door just as hetore it open; he was right behind her now, following as she darted uselessly through the serpentine space, preternatural swiftness proving useless to her as she turned in circles, realizing too late that she still didn’t know the layout of this room well enough to locate the exit with efficiency.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he called out, frustrated. “How many times do I have to tell you that Ican’tkill you before you actually believe me?”
She halted at that, her crazed mind devouring the reminder as the nosta burned against her skin. It was no wonder she couldn’t decide whether to fear him; it was obvious now why she wavered so much on the subject, why she struggled to feel danger in his presence. Her instincts were not addled; it was only that he’d been ordered by the devil not to harm her.
She had some kind of immunity.
Alizeh spun around, the movement so fast that Cyrus, who’d been chasing after her, didn’t have time to process the change. He abruptly crashed into her, sending them both hurtling before they finally slammed together, him pinning her to the wall so hard she gasped, air leaving her lungs in a rush.
Alizeh froze.
She was trapped under the unexpected weight of him, the crush of his hard body, the column of his throat a mere inch from her mouth. His closeness was so overpowering it dulled her senses, slowed her mind. He was a heavy wall of heat, his dark, masculine scent overwhelming her, activating some ancient response that made her heart race. At least he, too, appeared stunned, and in the milliseconds during whichtheir minds caught up to their bodies he’d lowered his eyes, nailing her in place with a look that liquefied her bones. She didn’t know if what she felt in his presence was fear or anticipation, but either one seemed cause for concern. She only knew that the anger he conjured a moment later belied the hitch in his breath, the tremble in his body. She watched him swallow as he slowly drew away, his hands sliding off the wall where he’d planted them.
He moved back, but not nearly enough.
“I hate you,” he whispered.
Alizeh blinked, her heart pounding too hard in her chest. “I know.”
He leaned in then, his throat working, his gaze fixed entirely on her mouth. “I hate everything about you. Your eyes. Your lips. Your smile.” His words grazed her skin when he said, softly, “I find your presence insufferable.”
The nosta flared hot against her sternum.
“Okay,” she said again, her pulse skyrocketing. “That’s okay.”
He was still breathing hard, his chest heaving between them. “But I’m not going to hurt you.”
Again the nosta verified his words, and Alizeh felt some of the pressure ease in her lungs.
“Do you believe me?” he asked.
Alizeh nodded.
He was so close, his eyes so firmly fixed on her face that she wasn’t sure she’d have noticed the surprise flit in and out of his features otherwise. It was clear he hadn’t expected her to agree, to trust him. He couldn’t have known that he’dbeen right to doubt her, for what she trusted was not him, but the nosta.
Still, a degree of tension seemed to leave his body, relief prompting him to finally step back. He looked shaken as he turned away, staring at the wall, the ceiling, the floor—anywhere but at her face.
When he met her eyes again, his were bright with unvarnished feeling.
“I need you,” he said roughly. “Don’t run away from me.”
