Page 54 of Bound to the Dreadlord

The air sharpens.

The words land between us, charged like an axe hanging above our heads.

My pulse kicks once, hard, against my chest.

I do not let it show.

"And?" My voice is low. Dangerous. "Do you think you are that woman?"

Her silence is the answer.

The space between us is too tight.

She does not retreat.

She should.

Instead, she pushes.

"Who am I really, Veylan?" Her voice does not waver. "Why did your father sound so afraid?"

The name hits too deep.

Like a sword driving straight in my heart.

I exhale slowly, flexing my hands, fighting the tension curling up my spine.

She should not be speaking to me like this.

She should not be challenging me.

But she is.

I am letting her.

A low sound rumbles in my chest, something between a growl and a warning.

"You are reckless, little one."

She does not deny it.

"Do you want to die?" I step closer, letting my words curl against her throat, letting her feel the taste of what I could do. "Do you think you are invincible because you have my attention?"

A sharp breath leaves her.

Not fear.

Something else.

Something too close to the fire inside me.

"You are not afraid of me," I murmur.

Her eyes flicker.

Her lips part.

"I should be."

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