“It’s Mercy. She’s on her way up to the house.”
My heart sinks at the name. Mercy Crèvecoeur, coruler of Pravitia. Even if I hadn’t seen her bloodlust firsthand at the Feast of Fools, her reputation precedes her.
“Get up, get up,” Gemini says quickly. He doesn’t wait for me to move, pulling me up and pushing me into the hallway. “You must hide. She can’t see you. Not yet.”
“Hide?” I say, bewildered, over my shoulder. “But she doesn’t even know who I am.”
“I can’t risk it.” He opens a closet door and tries to shove me into it.
“Youcannotbe serious!”
A faint knock is heard coming from the front door, and Gemini whips his head around, as if Mercy will somehow apparate in front of us, then turns his attention back to me.
“Be a good doll for me, pet,” he whispers, coaxing me into the closet.
Infuriatingly, I relent. Meeting Mercy is something I’ll gladly avoid for now.
“Don’t make a sound, and I promise, I’ll make it up to you.”
I know it’s an empty promise, but I still grit out, “You owe me.”
He flashes me an arrogant smile and closes the door, effectively locking me inside the hallway closet.
I can’t tellhow long I’ve been left here to rot, but it’s long enough for me to have made a complete inventory of the closet out of pure boredom. Even with my ear to the door, I can’t hear their conversation, so I rifled through his things instead. I’ve found countless fur coats, hats of all shapes and sizes, and an alarming number of costumes.
I’m seething when Gemini finally opens the door. Storming out, I clip his shoulder with mine before stomping into the living room.
Gemini, of course, finds the entire thing amusing.
Turning to face him, I cross my arms and glare. “You’re insufferable, you know?”
He approaches me on light feet, now sporting wide-legged pants and a yellow knit tank top. He must have changed before answering the door.
“Trust me, Veil Vulturine”—he quirks a smile, eyes bright and shining—“I’m an acquired taste.”
I stiffen when he gets close, my arms still crossed over my chest. His hands smooth up my arms, but I don’t move. Don’t react.
“Says who?”
“Says everyone,” he rasps, and his lowered voice sends a shiver down my spine.
His eyes are trained down, watching his hands slowly move up my arms.
“Like all your conquests?” I freeze, shocked to hear a bite of jealousy in my tone. I immediately regret my question and don’t particularly want to know the answer either.
His quiet chuckle tickles my skin as he lifts his head just enough to regard me from under his eyelashes. “Don’t fret, my beloved; you’re the only conquest I crave.”
My breath hitches at the new pet name, and it sends liquid heat pulsing through my core. I immediately chastise myself for being so easily manipulated.
“How long was I in there?” I say, changing the subject.
His smile widens, his fingers now curling around my arms and squeezing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he almost looked sheepish. “A little over two hours.”
I huff out an exasperated breath and step away from him. Turning on my heel, I take a few steps and then turn back to face him, lifting my arms in the air as a show of protest. “When will you stop treating me like your prisoner?”
Gemini’s smile fades, and he turns unusually serious. Which only makes his answer that much more foreboding. “When you start acting like the rightful heir of the Vulturine family.”
I drop my arms, the silence pulsing like a heartbeat between us. When I speak, my tone drips with dismay. “I wouldn’t even know how to, Gemini.”
