Page 20 of Empire of Dark

Her eyes lifted to me, her look running across my face like she could read all the answers she needed to on it. “It helps you control them, you mean.”

“Call it what you will.”

“I call it manipulation.”

My breath hitched and I silently exhaled, leaning forward to grab the wine bottle and refill her glass.

“Tell me, why is it that you hate malefics so much?”

“Who said I hate malefics?”

“The hatred for my kind bleeds off of you. That was easy enough to see at the tavern. Easy enough to see for how you’ve reacted to me at every turn. I don’t even need to dig into your mind to see it.”

She set her fork down, clanking it hard onto the table and leaving several bites of food uneaten on her plate.

Finally. A nice crooked crack running straight down the middle of her calm façade.

Her words came, near to seething. “You think you see things in me you have no clue about.”

“No.”

Her green eyes hardened, slicing into me. “No?”

“I think I see exactly what you are, what you are trying to hide from me.” I picked up my wine glass. “And I will admit, what I see under the veneer you are attempting to put forth will be much more enjoyable in bed than the cool princess that appeared at dinner tonight. I will enjoy breaking you down, peeling away the layers you’ve erected to keep me out, for when I finally have you in my bed, I want the fire in your eyes that you are trying so hard to control.” I took a sip of the red. “And I will break you. Make no mistake on that.”

She gave me a sour smile. “You’re telling me you don’t want a perfectly pleasing panthenite to wreck?”

“No, actually. I want the woman who bears my next child to be strong and fierce and ferocious, for she will be the one protecting my child. I want her to be smart and cunning and willing to do whatever it takes to keep our child safe.”

She hiccupped a breath, blinking hard. “No one ever said anything about raising your spawn.”

“Believe me, when the time comes, you will want your child—my child.”

“You think far too highly of yourself.”

“You will think the same of me after your time here.”

She scoffed, but went silent.

Perfect—she was finally flustered. I could ask and maybe get an actual answer.

I pointed at the silver cuff wrapped around her upper arm. “Why do you always wear this silver band? I haven’t seen you without it.”

“This?” She glanced down at her arm. “It is part of me, so I rarely take it off.”

“Part of you? What exactly is it?”

“A titanium cuff.”

That was odd. Jewelry that large would normally be made with silver. “Why?”

She sighed, hedging for a moment before she lifted her left hand to the clamp and unclasped it. “It covers this.” She removed the cuff and showed me the skin underneath so quickly, I could barely see the triple infinity mark lifted in white scar tissue from her skin.

The same marking along the outside of the cuff that had been repeated, over and over until it encased the titanium band. Odd that she would cover the triple infinity brand on her arm with a titanium cuff of the same design.

I’d seen that unique marking before. On the back of Charlotte’s neck. I knew exactly what it was, but Ada didn’t need to know that.

I flicked my finger out at her arm. “What was that marking?”

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