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“Right now,” Kalisandre said through clenched teeth, “you are doing neither. So I would suggest you choose one.”

“Ah, like you did when you chose to betray us?”

At her silence, Graeson tried to peer down at her, but even in heels, she was still too short to see in his peripheral vision. When they had traveled together, though, he had spent many days studying her reactions. He could almost picture her now. A slight twitch at her left nostril as her lips pursed while she sucked on the inside of her cheek, trying to bite back the rising frustration.

Somewhere, sets of footsteps echoed in a nearby hall, followed by echoes of giggles. At the sound, Kalisandre stopped breathing behind him.

Graeson acted then. One hand grabbing her wrist, he turned the doorknob behind him and pulled her inside the room with him. He pressed her back against his chest and shut the door behind them, locking it.

Graeson pressed his ear to the door. The footsteps and giggling grew louder as the people turned down the hall Graeson and Kalisandre had just occupied.

Beneath his arm, Kalisandre’s chest rose, fast. “Let me—”

Graeson covered Kalisandre’s mouth with a hand. “Shush.”

Kalisandre jerked against him, but he held her firm with his arm wrapping around her arms and torso.

“Unless you want someone to find you in a dark room with a man who is not your betrothed,” he hissed against her ear, “I suggest you bite your tongue.”

Kalisandre stopped fighting.

The giggling was just outside the door now.

As they waited for the people to pass, Graeson took in his surroundings. Fortunately, the room they were hiding in was empty of any other occupants. It was a simple sitting room with only a few pieces of furniture. A table sat behind a stiff burgundy couch. In the far corner, coals hissed in the hearth. Someone had been here at one point today, but they hadn’t visited for at least a few hours.

With his back pressed against the one entry point of the room, He could feel every rise and fall of Kalisandre’s chest as much as he tried not to think about her body pressing against his. But he was only a man. If she were any other woman, he would have been stronger. He wouldn’t have let it cloud his thoughts. But it wasn’t anyone else. It was Kalisandre. She would always be his weak point.

Soon, the voices in the hallways faded, and Kalisandre bit down.

“Ow!” Graeson jerked his hand away.

“I said, let me go.” Kalisandre pushed forward, breaking through his hold, her distraction having loosened Graeson’s grip on her. She spun, blade in hand.

Graeson sighed. He was already tired of this game, but Kalisandre, it seemed, wasn’t.

Chapter37

KALLIE

“Putthe dagger to my throat, little mouse. I beg you.” Graeson lifted his chin, granting her full access.

With the fire roaring in her gaze, Kallie raised her hand and pressed the cold metal against his neck, just like he told her to.

His eyes darkened as he looked down at her with a cocky smirk pushing at the corner of his lips. “That’s a good girl.”

Kallie snarled. Yet, even though she bared her teeth, her hand shook. She begged it to stop, but her body betrayed her and leaned into him instead. Her chest pressed against his. His thigh between her legs. Heat licked her skin as her recent dream resurfaced, daring her to find out what would have happened if the thunder hadn’t woken her up.

She tossed the image aside and forced her chin up. Quirking a brow, she ignored the heat that rose in the pit of her stomach.

“Oh, come on. More pressure, don’t you think?”

His fingers wrapped around hers, applying more pressure on the blade. His leg shifted, and Kallie froze.

“What’s wrong, Kalisandre? Cat got your tongue?” he murmured against her ear. The vibrations of his deep voice cascaded down her chest, doing little to soothe the fire.

All Kallie had to do was slide the knife across his throat. Make Graeson bleed red, make him shed his soul from his body like Kallie already had. All it would take was one move, one swipe, one twitch of a hand.

Itshouldbe easy.