Page 265

I file that away.

The Void groans softly through the walls, like it's listening, too. Like it's hungry for what comes next.

So am I.

I roll off the couch in one fluid movement, bones stretching, joints crackling with satisfaction like the Void’s own version of bubble wrap. I land on my feet with a soundless grace I absolutely do not deserve and straighten to my full height, spine unfurling like I’m made of shadows and bad decisions.

She’s small. Compact. Coiled like something that bitesafteryou’ve made the mistake of calling it cute. Which she is. Inthat lethal way. The kind of pretty that shouldn't be approached without gloves and a safety net. But still—she’s short. That’s… interesting.

I tilt my head, curious.

“Hold up,” I murmur, eyes narrowing in the most serious, scientific way possible. “How tall are you?”

She blinks at me, instantly suspicious. “Why?”

“No reason.” I’m already stepping closer, hands in my pockets, mouth twitching. “Just need to know if you legally qualify as a cryptid or a very angry raccoon.”

“Theron—”

Too late.

I reach out and pat the top of her head like I’m checking the hood of a car. She swats at my hand, but I’ve already circled around behind her, crouching slightly to get a more accurate measurement.

“Yep,” I declare, delight spreading across my face like rot in springtime. “Confirmed. I’ve got atleasteight inches on you. Possibly more. Would you like me to chart it on a doorframe, or will you admit your proportions are illegal in at least seven Void territories?”

She glares up at me, and oh, gods, it’s delicious.

There’s fire under her skin, and she’s holding it back like she hasn’t decided yet whether she’s here to kill us or convert us into something she can use. I like her. I like her alot.

“Are you seriously this annoying all the time?” she asks, voice flat but not emotionless. No, there’s something under that—wariness, yes. But also amusement, tightly wound and sharpened like a blade pressed to her palm.

“Annoying?” I gasp, clutching my chest like she’s mortally wounded me. “You wound me, smol terror. I preferendearing.Orprovocatively charming.Possiblyferal adjacent.”

“That’s not a compliment.”

“Sure it is.” I lean in slightly, voice lowering just enough to run warm over the edge of her jaw. “From you? It’s practically flirtation.”

She stiffens. Just a flicker. Just enough for me tofeelit. Her eyes narrow.

“I’m not here to flirt.”

I grin wider. “No, you’re here to pretend you’re not fascinated by the monsters who want to know what you taste like when you lie.”

She doesn’t hit me. But gods, shewantsto. I can feel it radiating off her in slow-burning waves. It’s not anger. It’s something more primal. The knowledge that I’m not afraid of her, not the way mortals usually are. Not the way Ishouldbe. And it’s got her caught between threat and thrill.

Perfect.

I step back just enough to let her breathe, then flick a wink over my shoulder as I saunter off toward the hallway Severin just left through.

“We leave at dawn, darling,” I call, voice sing-song and bright as hellfire. “Pack your sarcasm and your best mortal-girl-with-a-dark-secret outfits. It’s time to show the world what we’ve been keeping in the dark.”

I don’t look back.

Dorian follows me out of the room, and I canhearthe smug in his laugh before he even opens his mouth.

“Well,” he drawls behind me, low and amused. “That was bold. Even for you.”

“I know, right?” I hiss back, wide-eyed as the door shuts behind us with a finality that sounds like someone locking in their doom. Probably mine. Maybe hers. Who’s to say?