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He reached over my shoulder and opened the door, ushering me away from Nivek and into the hall. I was shaking slightly when the door closed behind us and we were alone, but for the first time, I realized I was coming to appreciate Malik’s protectiveness.
It was crazy. For a moment in there, I had thought that Malik was being chivalrous. Or as close to chivalrous as he could manage. There may not have been honor among thieves, but at least this one seemed to have some sense of decency. And it didn’t hurt that he had rock solid abs and those dangerous eyes.
But now, I really needed to convince him to take me back, whatever it took. And if he wouldn’t do it, I would just have to find someone who would.
8
MALIK
I don’t knowwhat I was thinking. I don’t know why I was so worried about her, or how she felt. What I did know was that I could not stand another second of Nivek undressing her with his eyes.
“This way,“ I said, directing Cosma down one long hall and then another.
“Where are you taking me? You can’t just expect me to tell you whatever you want to know without the promise that I’ll get back to my people.“
She was growing frustrated, and I could hear it in her voice, just beneath the fear that made her words waver.
“Don’t worry. We’re just going to have a little chat.”
She pulled away from me, turning and stopping in the middle of the walkway. “Not until you promise to take me back. I don’t have a lot of answers for you, but I’ll try my best to tell you what you want to know.”
She did that thing again, pushing her shoulders back and stressing her curves, trying to trick me into saying yes. It was a distraction, and it was working. When I peeled my eyes away from her cleavage and returned them to her face, I caught the knowing smirk on her lips.
I was being played, and I needed to tread carefully.
“We’ll see,” I answered, brushing right past her and resuming my walk.
I listened, counting in my head as I imagined her gaping after me, and then whirling to follow. Sure enough, her footsteps rang out against the metal grates beneath our feet, and she caught up to me a moment later.
“We’ll see? That’s all you’ve got? First, you didn’t even bother to help those other women escape. Then, you refused to take me to meet up with my friends. And now you’re not sure whether you’re going to hold me hostage here? Is that what the Vaclan Brotherhood does? Huh?”
She rushed past me, stepping into my path again and shoving me backward furiously, her hands planted hard against my chest.
I chuckled despite the seething rage on her face. She really was a wild one, and there was something inside me that tingled with excitement at the revelation. I could feel the electricity of her coursing through me.
“You shouldn’t do that.”
“Do what? Push you around?” she asked, giving me another weak shove. “You don’t like it? How do you think I feel?”
Her fury morphed into indignation, and from the way she backed up, I got the sense that she knew she was being ridiculous. She was on the Vaclanheim and she had no way out. Making an enemy of me was only going to make her life harder. But then, it was kind of adorable. The way she pouted her lips and tried to assert herself, as if I might cave to her demands.
“Come. I’ll get you something to eat, and we can talk like civilized people. Then, we will see about locating your friends. Assuming they’re not looking to kill me.”
She scoffed. “Kill you? Why would they be trying to kill you?”
Shrugging, I answered, “Many people are interested in killing me. Hell, I suppose even you have reason to want me dead.”
“I can’t imagine why,” she remarked dryly. “But I can assure you they have no idea who you are,cupcake.”
We were walking together again, and I chanced a sideways glance at her. There was something alluring about the way she carried herself. There was even something enticing about the way she grew testy and snapped at me. I’d never met a woman so ambivalent about her own welfare that she’d argue with a member of the Brotherhood, especially one with a reputation such as mine. Perhaps she did not know the danger my people posed. Lucky for her, I could be reasonable when it suited me.
When we arrived in the kitchen, I gestured at a tall stool for her, and took my place behind the cooktop.
“I hope you like trying new things,” I said as I turned to search for some fresh miumiu eggs.
“And if I don’t?”
I shrugged. “That would be unfortunate. There are always new things worth trying.”
