Page 76 of Till Death

“Call me that one more time.”

I stood, circling the table. He spun in his seat as I curled a finger under his chin. “Feeling insecure, Husband?”

He snatched my hand, holding it in place. “I much prefer Husband.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Sit back down, Wife.”

Shaking my head, I tried to pull away. “I don’t take commands from assholes.”

He held firm, rising to full height, staring down at me. “Then consider it a request.”

“Say please,” I whispered, unable to control the way he commanded my racing pulse. I didn’t want to be attracted to him, but gods, he was stunning. The angry, possessive exterior was a hard shell around the kindness I knew to be living inside of him. Though buried deep, it called to me more than his darkness.

“Please,” he purred.

I backed away, reclaiming my seat as I held eye contact for as long as possible. He leaned forward, clasping his hands before him. “Let’s say you’re standing at a crossroads. At one end is a child, alone and scared, and on the other an old woman, lost. You can only help one of them. Who do you choose?”

“You made me sit down to ask a theoretical question?”

“I want to know you, Deyanira. I want to understand you better.”

“I’d pick the child.”

“Why?”

“Because eventually, the old woman is going to run into someone who will care enough to help. She’s not scared, and you never said she was alone, but you were sure to add in the anguish of the child, and honestly, a child is a much bigger target for despicable people than a lost old woman who probably doesn’t have a pot to piss in. They’ll get nothing from her.”

“Interesting.”

“You’d pick the old woman?”

“No. I’d choose the same as you did, but I’d probably have to think about it longer.”

“Not too fast on your feet, huh?”

He scoffed. “Let’s say you’re?—”

“No. I get to ask a question now. That’s how this works.”

Popping a piece of bread into his mouth, he gestured for me to continue.

“One side, Icharius, the other, Drexel. And you have to choose one to save and one to die.”

“Too easy. I’d kill the Maestro in a heartbeat. Too much history there.”

“Icharius literally took over the world in a matter of weeks, and you still think Drexel is the bigger enemy?”

“No.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin, settling deeper into his chair. “I think Drexel and Icky are in something together. I’m not sure what it is. I don’t think the boss willingly gave Quill to the king, but I do think that whole thing is suspicious.”

“Everything both of them do is suspicious.”

“Who would you pick?”

“Is that your question?”

Lifting a shoulder, he nodded. “Sure.”