Page 61 of By the Moonbeam and the Mist
Steeler furrowed his brows, leaned back, and crossed his arms.
“Killing him is sounding better and better every—”
“But maybe we could flip the table on him,” I interrupted. When Steeler gestured at me to go on, curiosity evident in the way his brows unfurled, I cleared my throat. “What if we dangled it over Lexington’s head—something he wanted so desperately he’d do anything to obtain it? Even if it meant he had to play the game on our terms. Even if it meant he’d go behind Dyonisia’s back to get it.”
Steeler glanced at Garvis, who shrugged and nodded. Felicity beamed and clapped her hands.
Steeler himself leaned back in his chair again, a surprised smile lifting up one side of his mouth.
“I think you’re more devious than I give you credit for, Drey.”
CHAPTER
20
“Do I really have to touch your hand to do this?”
Steeler had Walked Garvis back to the ship and I’d bid farewell to Felicity moments before she’d clambered up to the rafters in the kitchen and fallen asleep with her tail wrapped around herself.
Now, the two of us stood in the middle of the pebbled beach, the sharp sting of salty breath from the ocean playing with my curls.
With his hand outstretched, Steeler gave me that smile I’d grown accustomed to in the last day—wide and full of teeth.
“You can touch other parts of me if you want, Drey. Any part you’d like.”
Of course he’d say that. “No, thanks.”
Gritting my teeth, I placed my hand on top of his, and felt a yank of what seemed like electricity before the world dissolved and we were back in that darkness full of far-off lights and dense, inky blackness.
A space between stars. Between worlds.
I clung to Steeler’s hand, the sole warm, textured thing in this darkness, and only let go after we fell into a very familiar classroom still filled with crates and hutches and my fallen knife and…
The sundew snapped around Steeler’s arms as soon as we’d fully materialized, screeching with triumph.
At the same moment, the string of nepenthes bucked and splashed more poison at him, while the flytraps lowered themselves to a snapping stance over his head. From the sounds of their shrieks and growls, it seemed like they’d been in a state of indignation all night, just waiting for their chosen victim to return so they could disable him again.
Well, Steeler had returned, alright. And in a matter of two seconds, he was back in the same exact position he’d been in merely twelve hours ago: on his knees, arms splayed wide by the stalks of sundew, completely at my mercy. Even the low lighting made it seem like it could still be nighttime, what with the cluster of trees blocking any morning light from streaming through the opaque window.
But now… now Steeler’s shirt was covering every scar, his face and hair were groomed, and I wasn’t scared anymore.
I’d already scooped up my crescent knife from where Steeler had flung it to the ground by the door. I stalked forward and pointed the curved blade at his branded shoulder, just as we’d planned. As if we’d rewound time and started this whole scene over.
“Answer my questions, or I’ll mutilate your magic.”
Steeler’s eyes dipped to my knife hand, pretending to flare in fear.
“What is this?” I reached forward with my free hand and dug in his front shirt pocket to bring out the pill. “What does itdoto me every week? Why do you make me take it?”
My blockade was up, but I still felt that dark, fathomless energy of his brush up against it as he said, in his Mind Manipulating tone, “Swallow it first, little hurricane, and then I’ll tell you.”
I pretended I’d fallen prey to his command. I sheathed my knife, pushed the pill between my lips, and forced it down.
One side of Steeler’s lip curled up. “Good. Now come closer, and listen very carefully.”
I stepped forward, supposedly on command, until my lower half was pressed against Steeler’s upper half. His eyes in line with my breasts.
“It’s a new stimulator I came up with,” he said finally, smirking up at me. “To control you from afar. To make youwantme even when you’re the only damned woman who’s never wanted me before.”
