Page 41 of Thief of Dreams
"Very." I snort. "Why wouldn't I want a male who's fool enough to fall for a simple glamour and a few pretty words, no doubt?"
His eyes narrow. "The low neckline might have had something to do with it. I was distracted. And her eyes were definitely saying yes. I thought you'd changed your mind."
"Even better. After everything I've said, you thought I'd finally fallen at your feet?"
There's a growl in his voice. "She wasveryconvincing."
Males often want what they can't have. No doubt Soraya used it against him. A little resistance, and then she starts to soften. Starts to fall for his charms.
It's an old trick that's won me through many a locked door in the past. Show a man you simply can't resist him, and his ego does the rest.
I'm not sure why it bothers me so much.
Keir flips the blade and snatches it from the air. "Goblin-forged blade. I assume these runes down the steel mean it can cut through any ward?"
"Any ward," I say with a sigh. "Any armor. Any flesh."
"So she meant to kill me."
Admitting it will probably not go well for me.
I press my lips together.
"Ah, you think you can hold out. I can wait for the truth," he purrs, grabbing another chair and hauling it in front of me. He straddles it backward, resting his forearms on the chair back. "It won't take long for those cuffs to eat their way through your glamour. You can already feel it, can't you?"
I shift uneasily. The itch is definitely getting stronger.
Is that…? Shit. There's a faint, luminous glow to my hands.
And I'm not the only one who's noticed.
"Interesting," says the Prince of Dreams.
Only, this time I'm convinced I'm in a nightmare.
"You glow," he muses. "Very few creatures glow. I think the truth of your nature is not so far away, after all. You could simply tell me. I might feel more merciful."
There's no love lost between the Blessed and the Forbidden. If he realizes what I am, he'll have my head on the next pike.
"What if I make a deal?" I blurt.
"A deal? Go on," he purrs. "What could you possibly give me that I can't take?"
"Information. You want your relic back? I can tell you everything."
"And in exchange?"
"You can't kill me. You can't harm me. You will forbid your men or anyone in or at the court from harming me."
"Or I could wait," he replies, eyeing the faint glow creeping up my arms. "It looks like it won't take long now."
Sweat trickles down my spine. "I could get the Dragon's Heart back for you."
At this he pauses. His eyes meet mine. "What makes you think I can't get it back myself?"
"Because if you do so, it means war. You'll be challenging a dangerous court. A powerful king."
"Will I?" There's a distinct lack of concern in his voice. "It wouldn't be the first time. And it won't be the last, no doubt."
