Not just a wall, a steel fortress, locked tight. Impenetrable.
My breath stills for a moment.
Cage’s silver eyes narrow. He knows what I just tried.
Slow, deliberately, he lifts a finger.
“One,” he counts, his voice flat. “I do not fear you, little witch. You are in this wing to ensure you don’t run around at night. This room is warded. I will know every time you step in or out of it.”
I scoff internally. Yeah, totally not a prisoner.
“Two,” he continues, his eyes darkening, “do not ever try to get into my mind again.”
The air between us seems still now.
“A part of me is half tempted to let you in,” he murmurs. His voice changes to something almost…amused. “Just to watch you squirm like a rat in a trap. To let you crawl inside, only so I can crush you the moment you do.”
He leans in slightly, the silver of his eyes sharpening like the edge of a blade.
“I would enjoy digging through the rot inside you.”
The words aren’t a threat. They’re a promise.
I lift a finger, mirroring his condescending gesture. Now my voice drips with sweetness.
“One,”I begin, unable to contain the sass bleeding into every syllable, “don’t be mad at me because you got stuck with babysitting duty. Because that’s exactly what this feels like.”
I tilt my head further, feigning concern.
“You will train me? Watch me? Ward my room? Take me on little adventures? What’s next? Tuck me in? Dress me? Wipe my ass? If you plan to feed me, I prefer my food fresh.”
His lips part to snap at me, but I cut him off mercilessly, lifting another finger before he can get another stupid word out.
“Two,”I continue, my smirk growing, “if you think you will ever get in my mind, you are truly delusional. Your arrogance must be stifling. I am not a mage. I am not some vermin. I am—”
The bastard rolls his eyes and then, before I can finish, shoves his fingers against my lips, silencing me.
“You know, Millicent, you’re grown now, but you’re the same little brat you were back then, aren’t you?” His voice is casual, but there’s a venom laced beneath it. “I don’t want you here. I’m following my king’s orders, but given the choice, I’d burn what’s left of your coven. I’m surprised you even made it out.”
A slow, sly grin spreads across his face, watching for my reaction.
So he does remember me.He knows exactly who I am.
His words boil my blood. My instincts take over before my mind catches up.
I snap.
My teeth sink into his fingers, hard, like the feral beast he thinks I am.
Cage jerks back with a sharp “Fuck!”, shaking out his hand. But instead of showing anger, he actually laughs.
Laughs.
And I’m the insane one?
I glare up at him, seething, before spinning on my heel and storming into my room.
The moment I step inside, my pace slows, my anger momentarily eclipsed by surprise.
