“Now, about the information you mentioned before…”
My breath catches. I quickly sit up straighter, scooting back just a little on the mattress, desperate for a sliver of space between us.
He brought you here totalk, Roran. Get it together. I’m getting Diana back. I inhale sharply and force myself to meet those silver eyes again.
“I might be able to help you get the location of the Red Dock. The last one, after they moved it.”
His grin disappears. He leans in, gripping my shoulders, urgency pulsing from his gaze.
“How?”
“Your father already approved the plan. He was just waiting for you,” I say. “There’s a VIP on Konfetki—he connects them to the international market. He knows the location. I'm sure of it. He handles all the deals, especially in Europe.”
I’d give him every damn word I’ve overheard for the past twenty-one years if he asked now. If he keeps looking at me like that.
He narrows his eyes, waiting. Few strands of hair fall over the crescent moon scar on his forehead.
God is punishing me too—I’m sure of it now.
“I know his type. I know exactly what he likes, what he orders. And I know that place like the back of my hand. I can get it out of him.”
“No.” His voice is a bark, sharp and immediate. He leans in again, and my heart leaps.
Not from fear.
From something far worse.
Something burning low and hot between my legs.
I bite my lip hard, and when his gaze drops there again, I force myself to stop.
His words earlier. Right.
I let out a shaky, awkward laugh and lean back farther into the bed.
“You won’t—”
“I already explained it to Chris and your father,” I cut in before he can launch into the same speech Luca gave me.
“No one will recognize me. I’ll wear a wig and one of the girls’ masks. I know all the entrances. I know how to sneak in.”
He just stares at me, breathing heavier now. His hands curl around the silk beside my thighs like he’s holding himself back.
Then I see something.
The faintest glow—light blue—pulsing from a few scars on his arm.
Then another mark. And another.
Then I start to feel dizzy.
Oh no. Not now.
Malec jerks away from the bed, spinning to face the far wall. He hides his arm against his chest, but I still catch the lingering glow before it fades.
I scan the room, terrified I’m losing it to my sickness again.
Did I just imagine that?
