Fury blazed in my chest, and I took a step forward. Fenris chose that moment to put his body in between us, and shift back into human form.
“I think perhaps we should change the subject,” he told the Chief Mage. I frowned, noticing that Fenris was fully clothed. How did he do that? Did he have some kind of charm that allowed him to retain his clothing? If so, I needed to get my hands on it, stat. “After all, there is still the matter of the poisoning to be dealt with.”
My ears went on full alert. “Poison? What poison?” Was another shifter dead already?
The Chief Mage wrinkled his long nose. “Fenris detected hemlock in a drink that was served to me,” he said, sounding more annoyed than anything else. “A rather amateur assassination attempt, considering that I am immune to most poisons, but it must be punished nonetheless.”
Fenris inclined his head. “I would appreciate if you could lend me your lie detector wand so I may go question the kitchen staff. They might have seen someone or something, or one of them may even be responsible.”
The Chief Mage nodded, drawing out a long, wooden stick from his sleeve. “Report your findings back to me,” he told Fenris.
“Why do you need a stick to tell you whether or not someone’s lying?” I asked. Any shifter worth their salt could smell a liar – no magic necessary.
“The stick is more reliable,” Fenris said lightly, but his face tightened, and I knew I had struck a nerve. He nodded stiffly at both of us and left.
The door closed behind him, and I shifted uncomfortably on the balls of my feet, self-conscious about the fact that I was alone with a man I was attracted to… a man who had just seen me naked. He regarded me silently, his violet eyes glittering, but with the firelight reflected in them he seemed warmer than usual, less dispassionate.
“I like how at the first sign of an assassination attempt on yourself you rush to have Fenris investigate, but you’ve yet to do anything about the silver murders,” I snapped, more to dispel the sexual tension in the room than anything else.
“There you go again,” Iannis said softly, taking a step toward me. His eyes darkened, and I backed up unconsciously to try and maintain some distance. “Throwing barbs and insults in my face, after I’ve extended you an honor that most apprentices would kill for. What do you hope to accomplish by this, I wonder? Can it truly be that you have a death wish?”
“No.” My shoulder blades brushed the tomes on the shelves behind me, and I stopped moving. “I just don’t like being told what to do by someone who thinks he’s better than me.”
Iannis placed a hand on either side of my head, bracing his weight on the shelves as he leaned into me. I sucked in a sharp breath, and my head spun as I inhaled his masculine scent. My heart was pumping so hard I thought it would punch a hole through my chest, and I fisted my hands at my sides to keep from quivering beneath his penetrating and unmistakably hot gaze.
“I would be the first to admit I know nothing about how to fight with crescent knives and chakrams,” he murmured, his warm breath caressing my cheek. “But make no mistake, when it comes to magic, I am your better in every way.”
My breath caught as he lifted a lock of hair from my shoulder, rubbing the glossy black curl between the pads of his thumb and forefinger. “W-what are you doing?”
“Reminding you who is in charge.” He wrapped the curl around his finger, his eyes never leaving mine. “I could twist up the fibers of your being just like this strand of your hair, and you would die a painful death. Instead, I’m struck by this odd compulsion to help you, despite the fact that you push me away at every turn.” His lips curled up at the corners. “Strange that at this moment, we’re the closest we’ve ever been to each other, and yet for once you’re not pushing back.”
My cheeks flushed as a tingle spread up my arms and down my body. Part of me wanted to shove him away, but I was caught up in the strange spell of this moment, fear and desire chasing each other through my veins as if to see which one could overwhelm me first. My lips parted instinctively, and I wet them with my tongue, imagining what it would feel like if his lips were pressed against mine instead. I knew I should fight these feelings, but our bodies were far too close, his masculine scent surrounding me and making it hard to reason. All I could think about was the heat spreading through my lower belly and how the silk of the robe was suddenly harsh against my skin.
His nostrils flared, and for a moment I thought he might actually kiss me. But instead he cleared his throat and took a step back.