A sound like the mewling of a kitten spilled from her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut as blood rushed her cheeks. He was so far out of her league, beyond her comprehension. “I’ve never teased you, Rumpel. I will not do it now. You know what I am—you cannot touch me.”
The overwhelming woodsy scent of man and moss-rich forest enveloped her. Somehow his chair was closer to her now, his black boot within her line of sight.
“That is why they feared you in that hamlet, why they gazed on you with scorn.” It wasn’t a question. “I should kill them all.”
Her gaze snapped up. A part of her thought he might be teasing, but the brimstone burning in his fiery gaze and the cold sneer twisting his lips made her think that maybe he wasn’t.
“Why? You do not know me. My honor means nothing to you.”
Setting his cup on a small tea table that suddenly materialized beside him, he leaned forward, elbows on his knees as he clasped his hands together. “A siren is akin to a goddess in this land, a treasure beyond all things. I collect that which is valuable; I honor it, cherish it…”
“You lock it away.” She shook her head. “Hidden away behind glass cases, never to be handled or loved. There is no honor in hoarding such value so that it can never be seen or enjoyed by others.”
He cocked his head, not seeming angry at her apparent disregard for how he handled his property, but intrigued. Curious even. “And yet, if I lent it out, what is to say it would not be destroyed? A treasure is only as valuable as the person guarding it makes it.”
She shrugged. “So here you sit, in this castle in the sky surrounded by untold wealth and beauty and completely alone. How is that any better?”
He scoffed and then sat back, flicking his hand at her. “What would you know of it anyhow?”
Narrowing her eyes, she said quietly, “Was that real? What happened today?”
Earlier she told herself it couldn’t possibly be. But sitting in front of him now, what if it had been more than a mere game? Was he capable of setting something that sinister into motion, just to test her?
When he said nothing, she shrugged. “Tell me, Rumpel, did that child really die?” Her voice shook at the last part—she could still recall the sightless, innocent gaze.
Brushing a long finger across his cleft jaw, he shrugged. “And if it wasn’t? What then? Would the outcome have been any different? Would you have killed Brenna if you knew it really didn’t matter?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say yes, and though shame crowded her bones, the lie could not pass her lips. “I’m not a killer.”
“Aye.” His look was studious, as if he wasn’t regarding her outer shell but viewing her soul. Weighing it and finding it lacking.
Unable to continue holding his predatory gaze for another second, she glanced down at the carpet under her feet and wanted to growl because she’d just let him establish himself as alpha.
The only way to successfully manage such a volatile and sharp personality was to maintain equality. Glowering, she forced her gaze back to his.
His eyes danced. “But did she not deserve it? Deserve to die for what she’d done?”
Again she sensed he was testing her, judging her, and Dalia’s words rang in her ears. That she should lose. But he’d warned her to never lose. What was right? Who should she listen to? Who stood to gain the most? Because she had no idea what his ultimate endgame was, she had no idea where she stood at any point. It was maddening.
And in the end the only answer she could give was an honest one because the fact was she had no idea whether she’d already lost or won. The test hadn’t made sense when she’d returned and it still didn’t.
“In that moment I believed she did. But taking a life won’t bring another back. It would only make me as evil as she was.”
A smile curled the edges of his lips and she wet her own as an image flashed through her head of him taking her. Slamming her against him and forcing her lips to part for his hot, questing tongue.
Groaning, she clenched her fists and his chuckle set her rattling nerves on edge.
“I could ease your aches and you mine, Carrot, you need only ask.”
“Shut up,” she mumbled, perhaps not the most witty of comebacks, but he wasn’t good for her equilibrium. Wit flew out the window like a drunken bird when he was around.
“As you wish.” He grabbed his tumbler again.
“What is this about? Why am I here? What are these tests? I’ve failed one; likely I’ll fail the others… So why keep me?”
The movement of his throat as he swallowed enthralled her, made her skin feel flush and electric. “Who said you failed?”
“Didn’t I?”
“Did you?”
She huffed. “It’s a simple answer, yes or no. Did I pass the test?”
“It remains to be seen.” He shrugged.
“Then what is my purpose here?” Lifting her palm, she glanced around. “It’s beautiful, lovely, and I’ve never been more confused.”
He snorted. “You sound disappointed with my hospitality.”
“You’re nothing like what I expected, and honestly, it unnerves me.”