Page 6

"Then why keep staring?"
"Isn't that what you want? You are putting on a performance, after all." His answer catches me off guard, and I search his face for the angle, for whatever game he's playing.
Something in my chest constricts painfully. "Don't pretend you care about that."
"I don't." He shrugs, broad shoulders rising and falling. "But I respect it."
We stand in charged silence for a moment, the sounds of the party swirling around us. I should walk away. Return to Drez'kor before he notices my absence. Play it safe.
Instead, I hear myself ask, "What's your name?"
"You want to know my name?"
I roll my eyes. "Is everything so difficult with you?"
His lips twist. "Vael."
"Vael," I repeat, testing the name. It feels dangerous in my mouth.
"You should go back to your captain now, Trinity." His eyes scan the room behind me. "He's looking for you, and I'm not in the mood to kill anyone tonight."
"Careful," I say, unable to stop myself. "I might think you're actually concerned about me."
"Don't mistake self-preservation for concern." Vael's eyes narrow slightly. "I came here for business, not to spill blood over a human woman—even one as..." His gaze travels over me again, slower this time. "Intriguing as you."
Heat rises to my cheeks. "Is that supposed to be a compliment?"
"Just an observation." He shrugs again, the movement rippling across his broad shoulders. "You're different from the others."
"Different how?" The question slips out before I can stop it.
"You don't flinch." His voice drops lower. "Most humans can't even look us in the eye. But you—you walked right up to me, grabbed my arm, and demanded answers." A dangerous smile plays at his lips. "Either very brave or very foolish."
"Maybe I'm just tired of being afraid."
"Fear keeps you alive."
I tilt my head. "Is that what keeps you alive, Vael? Fear?"
Something flashes in his eyes—surprise, perhaps, that I've turned the question back on him. "No. I stay alive because I'm very good at ending threats before they become problems."
"That sounds exhausting."
A bark of laughter escapes him. "Says the woman performing for a room full of predators."
"At least I admit I'm performing." The words come out sharper than intended, revealing more than I meant to.
Vael steps closer, so close I can feel the heat radiating from his body. "And what would Trinity look like, I wonder, if she wasn't performing?"
The question lands like a physical blow. No one asks what I want. No one sees past the mask. I've spent so long crafting this persona that sometimes I forget there was ever anything else.
"You'll never know," I manage to say, proud that my voice doesn't waver.
"Probably for the best." His eyes hold mine, searching. "I suspect the real Trinity would be far more dangerous than this carefully crafted illusion."
"You think you have me figured out, don't you?" I cross my arms.
"Not even close." He smirks. "But I'd like to."