my face. “Is that so?” He swapped the bread for the meat and reached for a smooth carving knife. He began cutting without looking, his unnerving gaze trained on me. Dexterous fingers moved with ease, and my pulse skittered in response.
“Yes. Won’t you cut yourself that way?” My mind snapped back to the moment he’d hovered above me, his neck so close I could see the veins beneath his skin. If only I could have made his blood part of our deal. But it wouldn’t have been given freely. I needed another option, another way.
Please cut yourself. Cut yourself, and let me pretend to fuss over you. Let me get a napkin and wipe away the blood so I can save it for the taming. Please.
He held my gaze, a distant smile teasing his lips. “Highly unlikely. Do you want one?” He started to work on the white cheese.
Toying with my ring, I prayed he’d miss his mark. “Sure.”
“What is that?” He nodded toward my ring before pulling two plates from an overhead cupboard and pushing the knife to the side. Disappointment caught in my throat, and I swallowed the exasperated sigh before it could give me away. He set the dinnerware out before him and began to assemble our sandwiches.
“Just a ring.” I hid my hand under the lip of the countertop. Rose gold with an opal stone resting above a thin leaf, it was a gift I cherished above all else. The remaining piece of my past I couldn’t throw away. “Do you cook frequently?”
Noc raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t call this cooking, but either way, the answer is no.” He slid my plate in front of me. Thick wedges of sourdough bread cradled a slab of ham and cheese. My mouth watered, and I sank my teeth into the sandwich before he could take it away.
And then I paused, half-chewed food coming to a standstill in my mouth. I’d almost forgotten where I was. What job he’d been hired to do. Even though I’d watched him prepare the meal, there was still the possibility he’d poisoned it. Maybe he’d thought twice about our agreement and decided he was better off without the hassle. I should’ve called Tila from the beast realm to test my food.
Noc studied the sandwich in my frozen hands and then glanced at my scrunched expression. He took a bite of his own meal. “I don’t poison guests unless they forget their table manners.”
I forced myself to swallow. “Noted.”
A faint smile pulled at his lips. “I take it you’ve had to watch your back for quite some time.”
“Mhm.” Deeming the food safe, I continued to eat in a more civilized manner.
“Why is that?”
I lifted one shoulder. “No one’s perfect. I did some bad things.”
Noc watched me for a moment before setting his sandwich down. “Tell me about yourself.”
There was a foreign strain to his voice that didn’t match his composed expression. He reached for a crystal bottle full of amber liquid and poured a hefty amount into his glass. A spiced burn lingered in the air, and he took a long swig.
“No.” I swallowed another bite. What was I supposed to say? The very people I had trusted most, the members of the Charmers Council, had exiled me without a second thought. If trusting them had been a grave error, then relaying anything to this assassin, active bounty or not, was surely a death sentence.
He chuckled, and a spark flared in his dark gaze. This bounty changed things. Yes, I’d broken the law. I’d traded beasts for bits, a cardinal sin for my people. But only because I had no other means of survival. Because I had placed my faith in a lover whose ambitions superseded our relationship.
If Wynn was coming after me now with the power of the Council at his back, the only thing I could do to survive would be to clear my name. Even if I escaped Cruor’s bounty, another would be placed. But owning a Myad would help. The legendary—and impossibly rare—creature’s trust alone would give them pause. All I needed was one moment, one chance to tell my side of things.
Noc’s voice brought me back. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing.” I brushed thick crumbs off my lips, and his eyes followed my fingers. “Why does it matter?”
He pressed his elbows to the counter and leaned forward. “Because you don’t fit.”
“Excuse me?”
His unexpectedly boyish grin pulled me in. “Meaning, you’re not the usual mark. You’re a puzzle piece that