“Don’t kill him,” she said. “Just make him hurt a little.”

Her hearing couldn’t be as good as a Dwyrkin’s—but it wasn’t bad. Plus, the subtle silence that descended as the little night creatures—crickets, birds, rodents— scurried to get out of the way of a dragon warned her. The subtle scrape of the soles of a pair of fancy men’s shoes was loud in her ears.

“Go,” she breathed, and the spiders flew as she stepped out from her hiding spot.

Amnan cursed, green eyes gone gold with fury, skin taut over his cheekbones. He was dressed as well as she’d ever seen, in black trousers and jacket with matching satin gloves, a high-necked white collar covering the base of his strong throat. His hair was still loose—he wasn’t dandy enough to use cream to slick the strands back into a ‘civilized’ style. The glossiness of the strands echoed the polished silver buttons on his jacket, winking in the deep of the night.

“Go away,” she said. “Next time they won’t miss.”

His eyes narrowed. “Why did you run?”

She ignored the growl in his tone—or at least she appeared to. Serephone suppressed a wince as the spiders crawled up her legs—she’d have to replace the sheer hose. Their tiny feet cut sharpest when agitated.

“Peace, my darlings,” she murmured. She knew they hated to miss their target.

“I hope you reveal your power to no one in this city, Serephone,” Amnan said coolly. “There are things that would use you for the skill with these. . .things. . .alone. Use you without your permission.”

“I don’t think so.”

His laugh was cold. “You think you can’t be broken? You’re naive.”

“I’m not naive. Any woman can be broken.”

He stared at her, and some of the tension emanating from him dissipated. “Only if she has no help.”

 
Serephone forced her jaw to relax, rather than snapping at him. “Why are you here?”

“Why do you think? None of the family wants to see you harmed, Serephone. I don’t want to see you harmed. You should have trusted me, I would have come with you.”

Did he think her a fool? “You would have tried to stop me.”

“No.” He paused. “Maybe, at first. But I’m not trying to stop you now. I only want to fulfill my promise to your mother, to make certain you’re safe.”

“Don’t tell me about my mother—she never would have sent a boy to do a woman’s work.”

His voice dipped, deep and dangerous as he glided a step forward. The spiders hissed. “I am no boy. On what field of challenge shall I prove it to you?”

Her body tightened, a shocking, unwelcome response to the deliberate caress of his words. Working in the club must be rubbing off on her—the wrong way.

“Stop it.” She pitched her voice low, flat, eliminating the betraying tremble.

“Stop what?”

“You know what you’re doing. If you think you can. . .seduce me into cooperation, you’ll disappoint me. Thought you were more intelligent than most of your sex.”

His brow rose. “Your gender prejudices are showing, sweet. And if you feel seduced—that’s not my problem.” His teeth flashed. “Maybe you have feelings you don’t want to admit to.”

She took a deliberate step back. “Not going to argue. My hunt—you go.”

“Do you really want your mother and my father in Seattle, making a ruckus over you?”

She thought about it, considered his tone. . .and shook her head. “They’re less annoying, though. Ma is reasonable, at least.”

“Your Ma doesn’t strike me as a woman who would do well outside her comfort zone. She’ll come in guns blazing, and there goes your prey.”

“So what’s your bargain?”