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“Next question,” he murmured, his voice low and thick.
When I opened my eyes and turned my head to look, he was studying my forearm closely. More specifically, where he recently bit and where it was bleeding.
“At least mask your wonder,” I muttered bitterly and with a sniffle.
“Don’t suppress your cries,” he said, turning to look at me with that terrible grin on his face. “Hearing them and seeing your tears gets my threads spinning.”
“You don’t seem upset at all about that male,” I observed, ignoring his offensive comments and amused gazes, focusing on how he’d nonchalantly responded to my earlier questions. “Eon’s half-brother. You didn’t pause. Didn’t falter. You shrugged him off without so much a blink. Isn’t he your… family?”
En snorted, returning toadmiremy blood trickling down my pale arm. “Family? That is a funny way to call them. I am not familiar with your world, little Elf, but here, especially for the Cyrva,familyis more of an… opponent? We compete against each other in everything to prove who is the strongest among us. The weak don’t last very long.Familyis only good for training us to survive in our world.” He gave me a curious look, his eyes scanning me. “Given your naivety, I suppose yourfamilyis milder.”
“It is,” I breathed, my chest aching at the way he described what family was like for him, at the detached way he said the word, as if it held no meaning for him. “But Eon mourned for him.”
En chuckled, still gazing at my blood. “Only because that particular brother played with Eon more often.”
Sad as I was, I could sense his disinterest in the topic, could sense andseethe wicked gleam in his eyes as he continued admiring his bite on my arm and my flowing blood. That look in his eyes did not bode well for me, so I hastily asked another question. “What makes Eon a half-breed, other than his parents?”
“Contrasting habits and…” He paused and gave me a meaningful look. “Violent tendencies.”
I gulped and lowered my head, willing an oncoming shiver to still in its tracks.
“What… what is the extent of Eon’s violent nature?” I couldn’t raise my voice any higher than a soft whisper. It was a terrifying topic to think about, but being scared and prepared was better than being scaredandconfused.
The palm gripping my wrist tightened. Another hand grasped my jaw, raising my head and forcing me to look at En.
“When you chose Eon,” he hissed, that guttural voice causing my bones to tense again. “You choseme.”
I frowned. He misunderstood what I meant. Then again, perhaps I made him feel insignificant because I was constantly mentioning Eon.
En’s chest vibrated with a low laugh, his head shaking from side to side. His hold on my jaw eased, but his touch lingered, lingered for a brief moment before a sharp claw prodded the underside of my chin.
When I peered at his face, the corners of his lips were curled up, yet his teeth were out of sight. His eyes seemed to be squinting slightly, as if he was genuinely beaming. It was a striking contrast to his previous smirks and unsettling grins.
Strangely, though, this wasn’t any better.
His teeth, those blades that could dissect even the toughest scales, weren’t being displayed, and his eyes—those scorching, glinting voids—seemed to swirl like the calmest river.
It was false security.
He was trying toensnareme.
“Forget Eon,” he cooed, poking under my chin again with the tip of his deadly claw. “You chosemewithout knowing how violentmykind is.”
31
Cyrva. The most dangerous breed. Brutal blood-seekers. Vicious and violent, more territorial than any other breed, capable of turning bones to dust with a single touch. Aggressive, impatient, demanding, inconsiderate, and unreasonable.
I knew enough about his kind to know what not to do and how to keep him… calm. I knew enough about his kind to consider each gesture I made and watch how I behaved, lest I offended him or provoked him into something without knowing. It was why I never truly fought Eon whenever he touched me. Spiders were naturally touch-driven and tactile. Actions were the way they communicated. Their behaviour and attitude could indicate a range of things, from their mood to a warning of what their next move would be.
I knew Cyrvas, more than the other breeds, delighted in blood and flesh. They all did, but this particular breedthrivedon it. Everything they did, from courting to playing, was rooted in blood.
I knew enough to realise that En was testing me right now.
“Well,” I began tentatively. “How violent is your kind, En?”
Saying his name had a positive effect—as positive as it could get with En; he stopped poking below my chinsharply.
“Cyrvas have two things, little Elf,” he said, tapping my skin twice. He leaned his face closer, and with a soothing tone, he whispered, “We sink our teeth into our mates and devour children who are not our own.”
