Page 16 of Ronan

Or because he knows exactly what it is?

Which is worse?

“I asked you a fucking question, monster. Who are you?” His delicate features contradict the fearless way he speaks, and for a moment, I stare, soaking in the strange familiarity in the planes of his face. When I stand, his eyes follow me, and he sneers at my hand as I reach for him. “Are you deaf or just an idiot?”

Why am I not surprised the fates have dealt me a match whose stubbornness mirrors my own?

“You insist on doing this the hard way, do you?” His eyes find mine again in question as I sigh and snatch his wrists, forcing him to stand as the soap bottle thunks to the floor. “You’re coming with me.” I march him from the cell, practically dragging him to an interrogation room as he struggles against my grip.

“So, so very smooth,” I hear Elas mutter from behind us as he closes the door with an iron click.

Chapter 6

Cameron

Tiny explosions crackle under the skin of my arm as I stare at the man across the table from me.

Wait, wait… no.

Correction—themonsteracross from me. The more I think of him as a man, the quicker I humanize him in my mind, and that’s the worst possible thing I could do.

He isn’t human… not even close.

He’s a predator, through and through, and right now, for reasons beyond my comprehension, I’m his prey.

No one has said a word since he dragged me into this room and shoved me into a chair. An unreadable blankness makes his face appear plastic, a mask of self-control, but his heavy, runaway breathing tells me it’s a front. He’s far from calm. And sure, maybe I was a little sarcastic, but honestly, I deserve a break. Double kidnappings are a great way to put me in a bad mood, as it turns out.

That’s something we have in common.

I’m angry.

He’s angry, although I have no idea why.

And the blue one in the corner keeps glancing between us with a goofy grin on his face, which contradicts everything I’ve ever known about monsters and confuses me more.

The silence gets too heavy, and my patience reaches its limit. “Why am I here?” I finally ask, and the monster tilts his head, leaning back in his chair as he crosses his arms. His right hand fidgets against his armor in a manner that shows his nerves, and in the dim space, it’s hard to tell he isn’t human.

The light was brighter in the hallway, and I could see his skin is a muted purple tone. Here in the shadows, it almost turns brown, and thick, raven hair hangs past his shoulders. His eyes appear black in the dark room and are strangely expressive, seeming too big for his face. Gray circles, smudged like watercolor washes, ring the bottoms. What should make him appear exhausted somehow only makes him lookbroody, and not in a bad way. Despite his constant scowl and imposing build, those eyes are almost innocent.

I don’t trust it for a fucking second.

It’s a ruse, I’m sure—another trick to lure his prey before he slices their head clean off their body. Leather creaks as he leans forward with a gaze that’s razor-sharp and just as assessing as mine. The urge to make a face at him is strong, but I resist, if barely.

I prefer to keep my head firmly on my shoulders today, thanks.

His continued silence makes me heave a sigh, slumping into the chair. “Listen, buddy, I’m exhausted. I don’t know howyourpast few days have been, but mine haven’t been great. Two blows to the head, doublekidnappings, and now I have to sit here and stare at your ugly mug while you refuse to talk to me.” His lip tears up in a snarl, but apparently my self-preservation isn’t as strong as I thought it was, because I’m not done. “If you’re too stupid to string two words together, perhaps I should chat with Blue over there in the corner to get some answers.”

His hand slams onto the table so hard it makes me jump straight out of my chair, and I attempt to hide it by crossing my ankle over my knee. Truth be told, I probably just look fidgety as I try my best to be cool and collected.

“You will talk tome.” His voice somehow comes out in a chesty growl, every single syllable annunciated with purpose. I glance towards Blue to find him still grinning. He’s the friendlier of the two by far, and something tells me he’d make the more entertaining conversationalist. “Onlyme. Do not look at him!”

My eyes slam back into his, taking in the anger that dances inside them. He wants me to talk to him, then?

Alright, I’ll talk. My mouth always has been my greatest weapon. “Fine.”

“Fine?” he repeats, his brows lifting.

“I thought parrots were more colorful,” I muse, and his nostrils flare as I try to hide my smirk. “I don’t know how things worked on the other side, but typically, when two people have a conversation, it involves more than repeating what I say and working on your smolder… although you get an A plus for effort, emo boy.” A choked laugh comes from the corner, but I don’t divert my eyes. “The only thing you’re accomplishing right now is getting on my nerves.”

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