Page 43 of Ruthless God

For the first time since this conversation started, something flickers in his gaze. He wasn’t expecting me to shift from my own fractured family to his.

Good. I’ll remember that.

“Gabriel was older by ten minutes,” he finally says, his voice clipped.

I hum, nodding slowly as I take that in. Then, with deliberate ease, I smirk.

“Ah. You’re the baby,” I say, dragging out the words just enough to let them sink in. “That makes so much sense with your…” I wave a hand vaguely in his direction. “…theatrics and all.”

His jaw tics.

Bingo.

For a split second, I swear I see something sharp flash behind his carefully controlled expression. Annoyance? Amusement? It’s hard to tell. But it’s there.

I settle back into my seat, a small sense of victory settling in my chest.

Claudius may be impossible to read, but now I know something about him. Something I can use.

And if Gabriel is alive, if Claudius is wrong about his twin being dead… Well, things just got a hell of a lot more interesting.

I must drift off at some point because the next thing I know, the rich scent of food is pulling me out of sleep. My stomach growls loudly in response, a sharp reminder that I haven’t eaten in… hell, I don’t even know how long.

I blink awake, disoriented for a second, before my gaze lands on Claudius sitting across the aisle. He’s casually cutting into his expensive-looking meal. It’s steak with a side of perfectly plated vegetables. The kind of meal that doesn’t belong on a plane but somehow looks right in front of him.

I sit up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“Rude,” I mutter, my voice still thick with fatigue. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Claudius doesn’t even glance up as he spears a bite of food with his fork.

“You looked peaceful,” he says, far too casually. “Didn’t want to disturb you.”

I narrow my eyes. Bullshit.

“More like you didn’t want to share,” I shoot back.

The corner of his mouth twitches into almost a smirk, but he hides it behind another bite of food.

“There’s plenty left.” He nods toward the seat beside me, where a second tray sits untouched.

I eye him suspiciously before glancing at the plate. Sure enough, there’s a full meal waiting for me, still warm and untouched.

Okay. Maybe I did jump to conclusions. But I don’t like that I was knocked out enough to not even realize food was being brought in. I shouldn’t let my guard down around him.

Still, I grab the fork and dig in without another word. The second I take my first bite, my stomach practically sings.

Claudius says nothing, just watches as I eat. Like he’s studying me again. Like he’s waiting for something. I ignore him. For now. Let him watch.

When my stomach is full, I lean back into the plush leather seat, sighing in satisfaction.

“That was really good,” I admit. “Thanks.”

Claudius doesn’t react immediately. He just watches me, as if weighing whether or not to say what’s on his mind. Then he does.

“I guess it’s a lie, then?”

I arch a brow, meeting his gaze. “What is?”

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