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The sound of his chair scraping the floor below put me on high alert. Our distance shortened, and I was left vulnerable as he towered over my sitting position. Menace echoed in silence as neither of us backed down.
A string of dread arrived with his footsteps. It didn’t compare to the chain of fright as his hand clasped my jaw. Or the alarm of my stretched and exposed neck as he pulled my head back. Deep breaths calmed my fear. His fingers tightened until I looked at his eyes.
With Lucca standing behind me and his hand wrapped around my jawline, he challenged.
“Don’t test me.”
“I want it back,” I gritted.
“No.” He let me go.
I stood, and as I took a step, my body collided with his. Hard and unmovable.
“What areyougoing to do, Katia?”
Lost between my next move and his body. My lips parted, and heat spread.
There were a few things I could do. They all required physical strength and my push dagger. But that fight was lost long before I entered this house.
Powerless in this made-man realm.
It has been this way for years. Nothing could change it, but neither could I.
“Ineedit back.” My voice changed. It wasn’t demanding, it was stating a fact.
“How many?” His head dipped while my eyes watched the detailed lines of a cross that marked his neck.
It was easier this way. For my words to flee truthfully, if I focused on anything else then what another could gain by my answers.
But answering how many I had with me was a hard answer to give. How could I answer when it meant they could all disappear?
It would mean leaving me bare and defenseless.
“How many weapons do you own, Lucca?”
“It’s not the same. You hardly had any luggage.”
“Knives are easier to conceal.”
“Which is why I’m asking.”
With our short, curt questions and terse answers came a sliver of communication. It was low, nothing friendly or gentle as we discussed arms. Another mark tallied to our fucked-up arrangement.
“Over thirty.”
He stayed quiet for a minute, and his cross wasn’t offering the same distraction as his scent bounced over my body.
“I’ll be sure to have a case for them before tonight ends.”
Surprised, my head lifted. I shouldn’t have; my hatred returned while his icy demeanor never left.
“Pick any room you would like them stored in.” Quickly he added, “But I won’t allow a knife inside my room.”
This was worse.
A void swept my chest, draining out the control and promise my blades offered.
Knowing I wasn’t able to fully comply, I had to think quickly.
