“Do you want confirmation of that?”
Curiosity getting the best of me, I bared my neck to him. Shock flitted over his features. Moving in closer, his breath was warm against my skin. My heart pounded, but I refused to waver. His fangs grazed my skin but didn’t puncture it. A shiver ran through me when his tongue brushed lightly across the pulse of my neck.
He stepped back, his pupils narrowed to pins. Breathing heavily, his eyes dragged from my neck, down the front of my jacket, then to my hand that had slipped into my pocket securing the stun gun. “You wily minx. When was the last time I felt the sting of a stun gun?”
How did he know it was a stun gun?
“It’s more than just a sting,” I said.
“To you perhaps. It is not a feeling I enjoy.”
He was proving to be a weird psycho. Stab me in the gut, “I’m good with that,” but electric currents through the body is where the pleasure ends.Bro, pick a struggle.
“What about lycanthropes? Can you shift into a wolf?”
He shook his head, flashing me predatory glowing eyes. The primal look on his face sparked the same self-protective instinct you’d feel when confronted with an apex predator.
His insurmountable display of magic from the glowing eyes of the lycanthropes, fangs that were more than a simple accoutrement and could do as much damage as a vampire’s, claws and eyes of demons, Cirrian’s existence was ever more unsettling.
No matter what supernatural guise he donned, I couldn’t imagine him blending in enough to go undiscovered. His aura was too distinctive. If I sensed it, surely others did, too. Perhaps I had an edge because I knew the truth.
How did he manage to walk among humans undetected? Ethereal beauty like his wasn’t rare; some humans were so striking they appeared otherworldly. There was something distinctly inhuman about Cirrian. The way he moved, the piercing weight of his gaze, his statue-like stillness. Magic radiated from him like no other.
Though, apparently he was blending in quite successfully. The interloping grim reaper just walked among us for funsies. From now on, I would question everything and everyone.
This new discovery made me unreasonably angry. Nothing in this world could be trusted. Not even my family. Why didn’t they tell me I was an ashinwa? What happened that prevented me going through the Spellrend? If I’d been successful, I’d have magic and wouldn’t have to rely on this fake-ass, cosplaying grim reaper.
“Contrary to what you believe, I’m not here for your enjoyment.” The blade-sharp words were pushed out through my clenched teeth.
A slow, infuriating smirk played at his lips. “And yet”—his tone teetered on the edge of humor and menace, too subtle to pin down—“you provide it so effortlessly.”
Our tension thickened. It felt as if the air itself was holding its breath. The flicker of a smile in his eyes told me he wasn’t done. The problem was, neither was I.
My fists were clenched so tight, my nails dug into my palms. “I guess when you exist in such a neutered state you’ll be entertained by anything and anyone.”
Fuck, that was mean.I’d became a prime example of the saying “hurt people hurt people.” My hopelessness and uncertainty left no grace for his taunting.
My comment didn’t land the way I wanted. Amusement skimmed across his face.
“Neutered,” he said slowly, savoring every letter.
“You can’t kill. Your very existence is you being a delivery boy for magic and souls. And it seems like the rest of the time is spent being a pitiful observer of others living their lives. So, I can see why you seek entertainment wherever you can.”
The energy in the room shifted, shrinking the space in a way that felt claustrophobic.
“Ah.” His fingers trailed lazily along my jaw. The smile didn’t touch his lips, but it was there in his eyes, showing how unaffected he was by my outburst.
“Kara, I will admit, I was quite drawn to the wily version of you. But this? The delightfully volatile menacing version is even more alluring.”
I refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. So, I forced down my anger.
Intense eyes regarded me as if prey had approached a predator. “You are right. The rules for the shadow gods prohibit me from killing.But, I have many ways of showing my displeasure when I need to. Tell me, Kara, have you ever experienced something so painful you wished for death? There are many times I’ve placed people in that very predicament.” His voice was low and smooth as satin. It could easily have been mistaken for compassion if it wasn’t for the way he looked at me.
He was death in human form. I should never forget that.
My eyes locked with his. “No. But I’ve experienced something so painful I had to live through it.” It’s what I was experiencing now.
Curiosity and what may have served as his version of sympathy shone. His arrogance kept him from questioning me, and my stubbornness ensured I wouldn’t supply information he didn’t request.
