“Coerced guest,” he whispered with a low chuckle, the mocking edge in his tone softened but not gone. With unhurried, fluid strides, he approached the table to his right where a stack of books in various genres were placed. Picking up a mystery paperback, he flipped it open and began pacing the length of the enclosure, splitting his focus between the pages and me. For a fleeting moment, I hoped he was reconsidering my proposal. Instead, he hurled the book with such force it sent the entire stack of books on the table crashing to the floor. I gasped, my eyes locking on the signed copy of my favorite paranormal romance lying among the scattered books. Regret clawed at me. I shouldn’t have let guilt push me into offering my prized and favorite books to the shadow god as some sort of penance.
My focus on the book seemed to catch his attention. Picking it up, he flipped through the pages until he reached the signature in the front. His eyes locked onto mine with a hostility so intense it made me want to avert mine—but I didn’t. I accepted the challenge. He whispered something, and a flame sparked on the book. It took everything in me to keep from launching over the line to save it before it could be completely ruined. Within seconds, it had withered to ashes. The pain from its destruction was visceral. I was foolish for sacrificing my precious books to appease this jackass. Foolish for naively believing that offering something meaningful of mine would show a humanity that would offset the cruel act of imprisoning him. Now, I didn’t feel bad about his situation. I wished I’d locked him in a worse place with fewer amenities.
His jaw ticked before his lips spread into a dispassionate grin.
“I don’t like being a captive,” he said.
“Really, you’re doing a great job hiding it. It’s definitely normal for an adult to throw tantrums. Don’t you let me convince you otherwise.”
He monitored my hands as they ran over my hair that I’d brushed into a bun. The coils retained their shape but did not contribute to me appearing intimidating. From the shadow god’s intense scrutiny, I gathered he came to the same assumption.
His lips parted, then snapped closed. Whatever he was about to say, I was glad he decided against it, certain it was just another snide remark and not an agreement to my proposal. I’d had enough of his annoying comments.
Meandering to the cart, he grabbed one of the apples from the bowl of fruit. He bit into it, nodding his head before devouring it. He made a game of me watching and waiting. My patience pulled taut to the point of snapping.
“It would be good for you to consider Kara’s offer,” William said in a tight voice, diplomatically making the suggestion I intended but managing to leave out the coarse language that definitely would have accompanied it if I had spoken. The shadow god was undeserving of my civility.
“I am considering many things,” he said. His eyes flicked in my direction, cold and steely as they homed in on me. “Which are you, Kara, naïve or arrogant?”
Before I could answer, he grabbed a mango from the basket. “Vampire, you are no longer needed at this meeting.”
My mind tried to make sense of the events that happened in a flash. Lights burst from sigils surrounding Cirrian as he launched the fruit at William with the speed of a bullet. William caught it within inches of it smashing into his face. Before he could react, Cirrian had William by the collar of his shirt. Then they vanished.
While I was grasping the turn of events, Cirrian returned to the spot where he’d grabbed William and was charging in my direction.
His eyes landed on the baton on top of the console. A baton would be ineffective against him. Cirrian focusing on the baton gave me the needed distraction. I exploded in a run toward the console where I stored a 9mm and a collection of knives. Among them was a Jagdkommando Tri-dagger, a blade of destruction that was about to get its first use. If I couldn’t get to the drawer, I had a nine iron in the closet.
Liquid quick movements placed Cirrian directly in my path. Rage for what he’d done to William and my dwindling options to save Amelia propelled me forward. I drove a left jab toward his jaw. Moving with a blur of precision movement, he blocked the strike with ease. Cirrian’s iron grip trapped my right fist, making a follow-up strike impossible. Adrenaline pumped through me, and my eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. The coven wouldarrive any moment. What would they find? My and Amelia’s dead bodies sprawled on the floor?
Cirrian evaded the knee aimed at his groin, but it managed to drive into his thigh instead. He grunted, which seemed to be more from shock than pain. His grip on me remained.
“Stop,” he demanded, his body oddly twisted to prevent me targeting his crotch again.
“Please,” he added softly. His gentle plea caught me off guard. When he let go of me, instinctively I took several steps back.
“Where is William?”
He shrugged. “I didn’t place much thought into where I took him. I just wanted him gone. It will take some time for him to get his bearings and return. And we’ll have enough time to chat. Isn’t that what you wanted, Kara?” I didn’t like the way he said my name. It landed somewhere between dark amusement and a derisive taunt. “Now it’s just me and you.”
In a few steps Cirrian had eaten up the space between us.
My heart pounded and my mouth was sand dry. I could barely form words. The ease with which he’d breached the containment made it impossible to relax. His quick fluid movements kept me on high alert. If the mango had hit William, it wouldn’t have killed him, but it would have caused immense damage.
“Relax, Kara. If I wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I would have?” he said.
I gave the impression of relaxing but was prepared to zip past him, grab my baton, and do whatever damage I could with the inadequate weapon. At the right angle, I could inflict enough pain to serve as a distraction, allowing me to obtain a better weapon.
“Before we delve into our conversation, you must satisfy my curiosity,” he said, inching closer. I maintained my positiondespite how he made me feel. I refused to give him the satisfaction of my fear. He leaned forward, putting us eye to eye. “Tell me, Kara, are you incredibly naïve or arrogant?” he whispered.
I shoved him back. His solid muscled body made it feel like I was trying to move a boulder.
Retreating, I put some distance between us. Which he quickly removed.
“Move away from me.”
He considered the demand but didn’t move immediately. Responding to my glare with a smirk, he took several slow dramatic steps back. His eyes traveled in the direction of the console, which I’d been discreetly eyeing.
With a bark of laughter, he muttered a command. The drawer opened and one of the knives pulled from its sheath and soared across the room into his palm. I angled my body in preparation for another kick to his crotch. I’d follow it up by jamming the heel of my hand into his throat, and end with a jab into his eyes.
