Page 29 of Sold to the Nalgar
And what would he do next?
She stared at the sealed door, heart pounding.
Waiting.
CHAPTER 16
The door hissed open.
Cecilia jerked upright, breath catching.
Then she saw him.
Not in armor. Not a looming shadow of metal and menace.
Justhim.
And her breath stuttered for an entirely different reason.
He was humanoid. Almost. Every detail was slightly wrong… or too perfect.
His black hair, glossy as ink, fell over his shoulders in two loose braids, the rest tumbling freely down his back. His smoky-gray skin had a pearlescent shimmer beneath the gold lighting. Alive. Luminous.
And his face…
God.
She hated how beautiful he was.
He had sharp, refined features. High cheekbones. A jaw cut like a blade. A mouth too perfect for someone with no mercy. But his eyes…
They were disturbingly red; deep and glimmering like bloodlit gemstones.
They locked onto her.
Her stomach turned to ice.
They didn’t justlook.Theyclaimed,as if he could see straight through her, as if she already belonged to him.
He wore black, like her, his robe loose, belted, and open at the chest to reveal muscle honed by war. His body was magnificent. Wide shoulders. Strong arms. Lean, lethal power.
He stopped at the foot of the bed, took a slow breath…
And scented her.
Like a predator.
Cecilia recoiled, crawling backward until her spine hit the carved headboard. The robe twisted around her legs, the collar cold against her throat.
He didn’t move.
He just stared.
What does he want?
The answer rose, dreadful and obvious.
Her mouth went dry.
