Theaudacity—Viri couldn’t believe it. Couldn’t believehim.
“What I like seeing is you behind bars,” she returned coldly. “Exactly where you belong, reaper.”
His mouth quirked upward. “Reaper? So formal, Little Shadow?”
Pain slammed into Viri at the once-familiar nickname, something he alone had used. But she didn’t reveal the sudden squeezing of her heart, only thinned her lips and said, “Don’t call methat.”
Reeve’s gaze dropped to her feet, moving slowly, leisurely, back up again, humor brightening his eyes—along with numerous other things Viri refused to acknowledge.
“I suppose you’re not so little anymore,” he admitted. His voice was deeper than she remembered, soft with intimacy and heady with appeal. “And it’s been a long time since you followed me around like a shadow. But I can’t help myself. It still suits you,Viri.”
At the sound of her name on his lips, a shiver rippled throughher. Revulsion—nothing more, since she firmly stomped down everything else that dared so much as try to break free.
Counting to five, she quickly regained control, determined to treat this like any other interrogation. “You’re going to be locked down here for a long time, but you don’t have to be miserable—you’ll be given certain privileges if you cooperate. Books, exercise, visitation rights. I heard you’ll only speak to one person, but that’s evidently not the case, so—”
“Oh, it’s definitely the case,” Reeve said.
Viri pointed to herself. “Clearly not.”
He just looked at her, arching a brow, until realization barreled into her.
Shewas the person he’d said he would speak to.
Viri wasn’t a fool—she could see the trap for what it was, a cat-and-mouse game where he toyed with her emotions for his own sick entertainment. He knew enough about her past to make her hurt more than anyone else. Hell, he’dlivedit with her, witnessing every horrifying second and then abandoning her when she’d needed him most. If he wanted to play that hand, then fine, she would endure whatever he threw at her—but she was damn well going to get what she needed in return.
“In that case, let’s cut straight to the chase,” she said. “How do I find your master?”
“Mymaster?” He laughed darkly, the sound like a caress against her skin, making her fight another shiver. “I bow to no one, Little Shadow. Never have, never will.”
Viri ground her teeth at his repeated use of her old nickname but yielded that battle for the larger one. “The Reaper Priest—where is he? How do we—”
Reeve interrupted by yawning loudly and pushing off thewall. “I’ve been waiting hours for you, you know.” He stretched his arms over his head, his shirt rising just enough to show a glimpse of abdominal muscles contracting in the dim light. “I’m not sure who was more furious when I made my request—the revered captain of the Nox Custodia or your equally intimidating hunter boss. What do you call her, by the way? Chief? General? Madam Overlord?” An edged smile. “Oh, wait, I forgot that last one’s reserved for your precious Magistratus.”
Viri ignored the dig at Sarielle. “My ‘boss’ is Commander Roth to you,” she said shortly, the words sounding strange to her ears. While Darik preferred the Nox to address him by his title, Meera kept things more casual among the hunters. “Now answer my questions.”
Reeve huffed out an amused breath. “Where’s the fun inthat?”
Her patience thinning, Viri gritted out, “This isn’t meant to befun, Reeve.”
His eyes flared as she said his name for the first time in years, but he quickly returned to his cavalier amusement. “I’ll make you a deal,” he said smoothly, walking over to the glass until he stood right before her.
“No deals,” she said, her voice firm.
He ignored her. “We’ll play a game. An answer for an answer.”
“I said no—”
“I’ll go first: Who hurt you?”
“I’m not—” Viri stopped abruptly, blinking as his words processed. “What?”
He gestured toward her cheek and repeated, the words more clipped this time, “Who. Hurt. You?”
A storm of emotion flooded through Viri, too overwhelmingand confusing for her to control, so she settled on the most dominant feeling:rage.
“Youdid, Reeve,” she snarled, relieved that her fury kept her voice from cracking.
A muscle feathered in his jaw as he understood her meaning, but his tone remained light as he said, “I think I’d remember that. I keep a pretty strict no-hitting-girls rule. Call me old-fashioned, but casual violence doesn’t appeal to me.”
