“It sure seems like you’re trying to, at least. To your credit, I don’t know what you’re planning, who you’ve contacted, or if you’ve told your little Alpha friends about me yet.”
When his shoulders tighten, I know I’ve found a point worth poking, and I dig deeper, trying to hide my satisfaction.
“You have told them, haven’t you?” I press, stepping closer. “About the auction, you buying me, the magic. I bet they’d like to know.”
His gaze flicks to me, far sharper than before, as irritation comes off him in waves. “Drop it.”
I smile, lacking any real warmth. “Why? Worried I’ll figure out your angle?”
“I don’t have an angle.”
“Everyone has an angle, especially you.”
“Not everything is a game, Naia,” Zane mutters, not doing well at hiding his annoyance. “And you don’t know everything. Not anymore.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. You’re always strategizing. Always looking for the opportune moment to make your move. Even before, that’s what you’ve always done,” I goad him, finding a new satisfaction in being as irritating as possible.
His expression darkens, and he resorts to silence to keep me from digging even more.
I lean in slightly, lowering my voice just enough to make it feel deliberate. “So what’s the plan? Are you just going to keep me here until I fall in line and decide you’re right?”
His eyes lock onto mine, taking this much more seriously than I am. “I’m waiting until you stop trying to run back into a bad situation and to realize I’m not doing this to hurt you.”
I huff a quiet laugh. “So never, then. Got it.”
With no effective way to hide his anger now, the tension in his features pulls, and I catch every second of it.
Standing up straight, I pace away again before he can respond, far too pleased with myself. Already, this is way better than staring at the walls.
“Have you figured it out yet?” I call over my shoulder innocently.
Zane sighs to himself, likely questioning whether or not he should entertain this. “Figured what out?”
“How you’re going to fix this mess you made.”
“I didn’t make it.”
“You escalated it.”
“I contained it.”
“By buying me,” I throw back pointedly, glancing over my shoulder to watch as his jaw tightens again. I can practically see the restraint he’s trying so hard to keep in place.
It makes me want to push harder.
“For someone who claims he’s not my enemy, you’re doing a great job of acting like one.”
“That’s funny,” he mutters, looking close to his wits’ end. “I was about to say the same thing.”
I grin to myself. “That’s because you’re wrong.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, you are.”
After a beat, Zane shuts the laptop a little harder than necessary.
Now that’s the sound of progress.
