Reyna wasn’t fooled. She stepped closer, pressing her hand against the hollow of my chest.
“You’re lying to me,” she said, her voice low, a mix of concern and suspicion. Her eyes locked onto mine, searching for the truth that danced out of reach. “You haven’t killed a soul tonight. You never left the tavern. So, I’ll ask again—where were you?”
“Drop the knife, and I’ll tell you,” I said, extending an open palm toward her, my tone laced with a false gentleness. It was bait, and I waited to see if she’d take it. With feline quickness, she recoiled, brandishing the blade before her like a talisman against evil. The dim light of the room glinted off the knife’s edge, mirroring the sharp determination in her eyes.
I couldn’t suppress the grin that tugged at my lips. This dance between us was as exhilarating as it was dangerous. I lunged, not to harm her but to disarm. She dodged gracefully, retreating a few steps, keeping the distance between us. Each move she made was measured and calculated—traits of a predator or perhaps prey determined not to be caught.
With a swift motion, I cornered her against the rough-hewn wall, clamping her wrists before she could react. The knife slipped from her grasp, the cold metal clattering to the floor with a metallic song. I leaned in close, inhaling deeply, taking in the intoxicating mix of her fear and defiance.
She aimed a knee at my groin, a calculated strike, but I sidestepped it with a smirk as laughter bubbled up from my throat.
“You’re feisty,” I said, relishing her spirit.
Drawing back slightly, I studied her face, the contours sharpened by shadows and resolve. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, but her eyes never wavered, burning with fierce determination.
“I know you’re not who you say you are,” I murmured, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “I know you’re a skilled assassin. It was you who killed Raul and chopped him into bits in that dungeon.”
Her chest heaved with ragged breaths, the intense stare in her eyes never faltering. “That vile man deserved every ounce of pain I inflicted upon him. After all he had done to me and Marcellious in that wretched prison, he knew what consequences awaited him. He attempted to rape me, subjected us to brutal forms of torture, and continued to be a loyal member of the ruthless Timehunter society. But I promised myself and my father that I would bring down their corrupt empire and every last Timehunter who supported it. It was a matter of survival for me, drawing on my background and instincts as a fighter to defend myself against that monstrous creature.”
“Defend yourself?” I threw my head back and laughed, the sound ricocheting through the dimly lit room. “The way you carved up Raul, severing his manhood like some grotesque ritual—it wasn’t just survival. You, Reyna, might wear the face of an innocent angel, but there’s a darkness in you that’s impossible to ignore. It calls to me. You need someone like me—someone who thrives in violence and danger—someone who can unleash the wild desires you keep locked away.”
My voice dipped lower, laced with a dangerous seduction.
Her expression twisted, not with longing but pure revulsion. “You’re the very embodiment of darkness,” she spat. “I swore to my father I’d never give my heart or body to a man like you.” Her words landed sharp, but her eyes betrayed her. Beneath the disgust, a flicker of something unspoken danced—fear, doubt, or perhaps curiosity.
“Darkness, am I?” I murmured, leaning in until our foreheads nearly touched. Shadows danced across her face, weaving us together in an intimate web of light and shadow. “And what about you? The woman who butchered a man into unrecognizable pieces, who took down opponents like it was second nature, who freed Marcellious and escaped that fortress with him—all that doesn’t make you dark?”
The words rolled off my tongue like a caress, dripping with eroticism.
I leaned in closer, my gaze fixed on hers, searching for every flicker of emotion. She didn’t flinch, but her voice came like a dagger, laced with defiance.
“I don’t care where you were or who you were with,” she said coldly. “You could’ve been with a lowly whore for all I care. It’s your business. Now, let me go.”
Her controlled tone couldn’t hide the raw anger simmering just beneath. The hurt that bled into her words only deepened my amusement.
“Who are you, Reyna?” I asked, my tone a mix of mockery and genuine intrigue. “How do you know so much about the darkness? And what’s your vendetta against the Timehunters?”
“My blood is dark and dangerous,” she murmured, a seductive whisper laced with ice. Though her hands were trapped, she didn’t struggle—no, she leaned in, pressing against me, her body fitting against mine like a slow-burning challenge.
Her lips brushed my jaw, barely there, her breath hot and teasing—a slow, deliberate game. I clenched my teeth, grip firm, but the smirk curling at the edges of her mouth sent a dangerous thrill through me.
I loosened my grip. A single hesitation. That was all she needed.
With a swift, fluid motion, she twisted against me, feigning surrender, her body pressing closer as if yielding. Her fingers skimmed down my waist, featherlight, and in a heartbeat—the dagger was hers.
Cold steel pressed against my chest, but I was faster. My hand shot out, seizing her wrist, forcing her arm back as the blade hovered between us, the deadly tip trembling in her grasp.
Her breath hitched. Not in fear—but in exhilaration.
Her chest rose sharply against mine, our bodies flush, her pulse as wild as my own. The dagger stayed tight in her grip, caught between our struggles, her fingers refusing to loosen.
She didn’t flinch.
“If you don’t let me go,” she said, her voice steady, edged with dark amusement, “I’ll use this blade to kill you—and control you.”
“Well, my love, I’m your perfect match.” The words lingered in the air, electric, like the moment before lightning strikes. The tension between us snapped, and I closed the distance, claiming her lips with a hunger that bordered on savage.
The kiss wasn’t gentle—it was a storm, fierce and consuming, a clash of need and chaos that left no room for hesitation. My hands gripped her waist, pulling her flush against me, our bodies fusing as if trying to erase the space that had dared to separate us. Her taste was intoxicating, a dangerous blend of sweetness and fire that sent heat coursing through my veins.
