rice

in the darkness, a constant reminder of the dangerous predator sharing my bed. Just before dawn,

light, the muscles of his back and shoulders were a landscape of sculpted p

tly pushed myself into a sitting positi

n't turn around. His voice was a

I lied, my head throbb

ht cut across his face, carving sharp angles and deep shadows.

bed and stood over me, a t

said, his voice low and intense

was the real test. I could try to bluff my way through

tilted my head back to

, my voice quiet. "I

is tone was skep

ep breath.

What I want more...

owed. A flick

"I chose you because you are the absolute authority of the Ho

ying you, I transform from Beatrice Cline, the discarded, irrelevant daughter of

my stepmother and her sycophantic relatives bow their heads when they see me. I can make everyone

hunger for vengeance,

suspicion in his eyes faded, replaced by something else. Understanding. In his w

ment of fact. There was no judgment in his

er against your enemies. And," he

itted withou

A quiet, humorless laugh that se

on, man or woman, to ever stand in front of me

face up. His touch was firm, his skin calloused. He forced me to meet his gaze, hi

nding different in his mouth. Darker. Mor

long my jawline. "The authority over Devin. It's your

expected it to be so easy.

"But in return," he said, his voice turning hard again, "you will remember your side of the bargain. You will play

I bre

oo

ed into the cavernous bathroo

he had touched me. My heart was pounding, not with

dy, the servant said. Which meant I'd have to face

re the most powerful man I had ever met. And instead of destroying