She stepped around, reaching for it, but I shifted my grip, holding it just out of her reach, amusement curling at the corners of my lips.
“Lord Hassan, return the book to me,” she demanded, her voice firmer now—a thread of real frustration bleeding through her carefully composed mask.
I ran my fingers along the worn edges of the cover, my curiosity piqued.
“Hmm, it seems quite intriguing to me,” I mused.“I’ve never seen one like it before,” I lied.
Elizabeth’s breath hitched—not from frustration, but something more.
A flicker of fear.
She knew this book was no ordinary text.
It was dangerous.Secretive.Forbidden.
Her fingers clenched.
Then—she abandoned formality entirely.
“Please, Amir,” she whispered, urgency crackling between us.“Give me back my book.It belongs to our society.It’s not meant for you.”
A slow smirk curled at my lips.
“Hmm.You called me Amir.How forward of you.”
I let the weight of my name settle between us, watching as realization flickered in her eyes.
She was slipping.
She was unraveling.
And she knew it.
I flashed her a mischievous grin.“I must insist on being addressed by my first name from now on.”
Her lips pressed into a firm line, determination burning behind her gaze.
“Give it to me, Amir.Its secrets are dangerous.”
Dangerous?
She didn’t know the half of it.
But I couldn’t resist the game.
“Oh, love.Now you care about me and how deadly this book is?”My voice dipped, laced with amusement.“Yesterday, you wanted to murder me.What are you going to do if I don’t return it?Kill me?”
The space between us shrank, charged with unspoken desire.
With every lunge she made to retrieve the book, our dance grew more perilous.
My power surged.
Shadows coiled.Darkness obeyed.
I vanished in the blink of an eye—only to reappear across the room.
Elizabeth stumbled, reaching out—but I was already gone.
