Iwiggle my fingers into the leather glove, another layer to help ward off the chill as I descend Stony Stem, seeing but not seeing, stepping but not stepping, mulling overeverythingI just heard.
A week ago, my world washuge... at least in my mind. Now, it feels tiny compared to the bigger, overriding picture Rhordyn shoved down my throat when he dragged me to that meeting.
He must know I’m simmering. Probably the reason he had Baze escort me to my tower post-Conclave whilst he stormed down the hall in the opposite direction, leaving my curiosity to feast on that wealth of startling information like a starved child.
I have questions.
The man has me just where he wants me—interest piqued, rattled enough to want to know more. He’s not forcing me over my Safety Line, but instead, threading his arm inside my cage and feeding me scraps of the outside world. Perhaps trying to prove how fragile the bars I’ve put around myself really are.
The bastard.
Battling my other glove, I’m exiting the stairwell into the fifth-level hallway when the hairs on the back of my neck lift ...
I spin, drive my bare foot into an unprotected kidney, and corral a man twice my size up against the wall with my hairpin pointed at his carotid.
He puffs out a startled sound, cradling his abdomen, eyes wide with surprise.
The Bahari male.
“Well,” he chokes, “I wasn’t expectingthat.”
My hair unwinds, seeming to realize it’s no longer clipped in place, falling heavily around my shoulders.
“Do you make a habit of sneaking up on women?” I hiss, digging the weapon deeper, almost enough to draw a bead of blood.
It’s tempting. I’m on edge, and this asshole keeps dropping in on my alone time, reminding me the castle is swarming with strangers—something I’m trying soveryhard not to think about.
He lifts a brow. “If I’d wanted to sneak, we certainly wouldn’t be inthisposition right now.”
“You’re suggesting you let me get the better of you ...”
Those eyes gleam like sky-born crystals, and from this close, I can see specks of purple around his irises.
“I’m suggesting that I’m not opposed to being pinned to the wall by a beautiful woman.”
I shove back, leaving him lounging against the stone, a smooth smirk kinking the corner of his lips. There’s a mark where my hairpin was dug into his neck, and the sight of it gives me an odd sense of satisfaction.
Baze would be proud, even if this male is insinuating he purposely let down his guard. No man would happily allow someone to kick him in the kidney.
His eyes narrow, head tilting to the side, revealing a glimpse of his undercut. I spot the scrawling lines that are barbered into it—like an artist took a blade to the half-shorn canvas and turned it into a work of art.
Suddenly self-conscious, I hold the clip between my teeth and sweep my hair back, twisting it into a heavy knot at the nape of my neck before securing it in place.
His gaze doesn’t waver, hunting every movement like a shark who just caught the scent of blood. Though there’s something ...moreabout it. Like those eyes are peeling back my layers, one by one, assessing me for flaws.
“What a pretty flower to keep locked in a big, rocky tower.”
My head snaps back. “Excuse me?”
He jerks his chin toward the entry of Stony Stem.
I realize with a start that he’s insinuating Rhordyn keeps me imprisoned.
“No—” I shake my head, tone adamant. “He doesn’t. It’s not like that.”
“Doesn’t look that way to me,” he purrs, crossing his arms and ankles, looking far too comfortable at the foot of my tower. “Has anyone ever told you how striking the color of your eyes are?”
I ball my hands into tight little fists that hang at my sides.
