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She moved as fast as a viper.
Her arm was a blur as she slapped the bastard viciously hard on his pompous cheek.
The crack of her strike ricocheted over the heavy music, decorating his white skin with a perfect red imprint of her palm.
He froze.
She froze.
The crowd blatantly watching them gasped, and the bartender who’d given them shots rapidly poured a few more, shoving the wooden board between them as if it would stop whatever war was about to ensue.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
I wanted to snatch the girl into my own arms and dare her to slap me the same way. I’d let her get one good hit in before I threw her on the bar, spread her legs, and feasted on the same pussy she’d denied her ex.
I’d find out for myself if she was frigid because a girl who could fight that bravely and slap that fiercely wasn’t meek or weak. She was courageous—probably too much for her own good. And definitely far too much for a man like me.
Her spirit was fucking kryptonite to a man like me.
It made all the monstrous, diabolical urges inside me come dangerously alive. They snarled and howled for a single taste. For the chance to dominate—
The Master Jeweler sidestepped, blocking my view.
A low growl echoed in my chest. The urge to shove him out of the way shot down my arms before I remembered who he was and why I was here.
Family.
Future.
A cure for the sickness inside me.
Gritting my teeth, I forced a smile.
He met it with one of his own, thin and arrogant, eyes narrowed with a glint I didn’t like.
“You asked why we can’t speak plainly? Fine.” Smiling wider, he crossed his arms and kept his voice low enough not to be overheard. “You came here seeking my approval to join my exclusive club. However, even with a personal recommendation from one of my members, you are not guaranteed access. Only proof of who you truly are will do that.”
“Who I truly am?” I raised an eyebrow.
“You can’t hide what you want, Henri Ward, but you also haven’t given me a reason to trust you.”
I stood as still and as cold as I could. “Trust isn’t something you’ll ever earn from me. Proof or no proof.”
He chuckled. “Bonne réponse. (Good reply.) And you are right, of course. Trust is not something a beast can give another as the very nature of a beast is to answer to no one. Forgive me, let me word it another way.” The glint in his eyes turned deadly as he swayed closer. “You want access to my Jewelry Box? Then you must convince me you are worthy.”
Roland shifted beside me, throwing me a worried look. “He is worthy, Master Jeweler. I wouldn’t have vouched for him if I thought—”
“Quiet, Olivan,” the Jeweler snapped. “I’m only asking a trifle. After all, he wanted to speak plainly.”
I crossed my arms, keeping my nervousness hidden beneath carefully controlled boredom. “Go on, then. Speak plainly. All I’m hearing is a bunch of nonsense.”
The Master Jeweler laughed and slung his arm over my shoulders.
I stiffened.
My skin crawled.
But I didn’t move as he whispered in my ear. “That woman. The one you can’t take your eyes off. Her boyfriend just stupidly announced to anyone listening that she is far from home. She is adopted and most likely won’t be missed for some time. She will be alone and in a strange city the moment that man walks away from her. She’s practically penniless and will most likely be desperate to find someone to help her get home. The minute her adrenaline wears off, she’ll be afraid, gullible…ripe for the taking.”
