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There had to be a way to get at least one male to understand why I had been pushed to such a point. Pleading, I said, “You hear the song from a woman.I hear a song in the fog. What lengths wouldn’t you go to for your mate?”
“I will go to any length for my mate.” He looked at me as if he understood perfectly. Understood and despaired. “Even if my actions earn her hatred.”
Maybe there was some hope after all! It felt as if a thousand-pound weight fell from my shoulders, my relief setting me alight. “Then youdounderstand!”
It felt as if for the first time the two of us shared a moment of pure agreement—a mutual accord. Something that might’ve even seen that night set right.
Far more collected, General Cyderial addressed his guest. “General Thayer, it’s time for you to leave.”
“Understood.” Where I found hope, Thayer had only a look of measured concern, maybe even a look of pity for his compatriot. “I commend you on your restraint, old friend. Sheisa handful.”
Turning to go, the stranger gave me a quick measuring look. “It would be a worthy thing if you could learn to care for your mate as much as you seem to care for my Maeve.”
This again? “She’s not yours!”
Cyderial stepped between us, adding an edict to Thayer's dismissal. “The academy will be in full lockdown until this situation is resolved. Maeve is off limits so long as she resides on these grounds.”
No more jests or mockery, General Thayer retreated toward the door. “You have my word that I will follow your example, so long as I am able.”
The door closed.
Only Cyderial and myself in the beautiful, terrifying room.
Unsure what to say, I muttered a soft, “Thank you for keeping him away from Maeve. She won’t want him.”
“I can’t keep Thayer away from Maeve forever. He is a general. Nothing can prevent him from taking her whenever his self-control runs dry.”
“But… you just ordered him away.”
His reply was stern. “Fromyou.”
Scowling, he reached for a security panel near my shoulder. A series of codes were activated requiring voice identification and a retinal scan. Per lockdown protocol, the lights immediately dimmed, fading until only a soft red glow signified students were under the highest threat. Shutters would be falling over every window and entrance. Deadbolts tumbled into place, sealing every door within the academy, including the only exit from that room.
I was trapped in Cyderial’s office.
No men scratching at the doors would be able to breach the stronghold now. Not even another general. Maeve was safe.
But I was in grave danger.
The general who had killed my friends would order my gruesome execution next. Most likely a public hanging, so no impressionable young girls would be tempted to follow the terrible example I’d set.
Or, by the look of the vein jumping at his temple, the general might kill me right there with his bare hands.
13
Cyderial’s face hovered over mine. The low red light sharpened the planes of his high cheekbones, exaggerating shadows and menace. Red shone off his pale hair, those vicious eyes behind the drape of blond glowing scarlet.
If I had not already known the man was incapable of mercy, I might have begun begging at that very moment.
A thrumming base began building low in his chest, reverberating in the air between us like a feather-light brush of sound against my skin. Far different than the pounding drums of aggressive threat, yet somehow much more perilous.
I didn’t know this sound.
Unknowns made me nervous.
The awful pair of us were already close, but he eased closer still.
Too close.
