I don't know the words to speak, so I simply stare at him. Our eyes meet and his pupils dilate until almost all of his icy irises are covered in darkness. No man has ever spoken such words to me before. They're the kind of words girls dream of hearing someday from a lover. I bite the inside of my cheek, resisting the urge to be swept away by his silver tongue. Willem waits, cocking his head to the side. His long hair spills over his shoulders and down to his chest at the movement, and I suddenly wonder what it would be like to run my fingers through it—if it's a silky as it seems.
“You’re a difficult one,” Willem purrs, breaking the silence. “I didn’t expect that.”
“Difficult?” I echo.
His gaze makes me feel like a rabbit in the sights of a diving hawk, too weak to escape its talons. “Perhaps Kane and I both underestimated you, little Pet.” He shrugs, eyes losing the predatory edge. “Yes, difficult. Mortals are, on the whole, untrustworthy creatures and weak-minded. I had expected the same, but you seem to resist the Will of creatures like me quite well.”
I shake my head, confused. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
He sighs lazily. “Explaining would be tiring, not to mention boring. This is no fun.” Willem starts towards the door, the ends of his wings brushing over the floor. I watch him go, gaping. He pauses, hand on the doorknob. “Ta.”
“Wait,” I blurt, slamming the door closed before he has a chance to slip through. A look of surprise flashes across his face for an instant. “You came here to tease me? To manipulate me—is that right?”
“Of course,” Willem says easily. “Without a little nudge, mortals are such boring creatures.”
“And what was your nudge to be?” I keep my hand on the door to hide the way it trembles. “To trick me with this Will of yours? Why? What could you possibly want?”
Willem's eyes flash with impatience and he drives me back with a single step. "Kane may feel remorse for being a brute, but I do not little Pet." His hand snakes out and snatches my wrist, squeezing it tightly. I whimper as pain sears up my arm and down to my fingers. "Dark creatures like Kane and I like it when you scream."
I wrench away from him, heart pounding with fear. Slowly, I slink back towards the bed, to the single dagger I hid beneath my pillow. My leg bumps into the soft cushion, and I ease down onto the mattress, trying to be stealthy. But Willem's eyes are locked on me. I know that if he truly wanted to, he could flay me with a flick of his wrist. My little dagger means nothing. But it's all I have.
Willem’s lips quirk into a grin. “Now, we’ll have some fun.”
The sun sets just as his words echo through the room and my heart jumps into my throat. He disappears into the shadows, but I can still feel his dark presence. My mind races as I wrap my fingers around the hilt of the dagger and pull it close to me. There’s a whisper behind me and I pivot, hands shaking.
“You brought a weapon into Death’s house?” Willem’s voice slips from the shadows all around me. “Naughty girl.”
I lunge up from the bed, fear driving me towards the door. But then Willem is in front of me, his wings spread the length of the room like a frightening visage. This is the Death that mortals know, that mortals fear. I skid to a halt, but not before his hands are around both my wrists. He squeezes until I drop the dagger.
“I’ll be taking that,” Willem growls. “What else might you be hiding?”
“Nothing,” I breathe, tasting fear.
His pale blue eyes are as cold and cruel as a glacier. “I’ll be watching you, little Pet. And if I suspect again that you mean my King harm, I’ll have your soul.” He tosses me aside and I land painfully on the hard ground. I manage to bite my tongue to keep from whimpering. He plucks the dagger from the floor and tucks it into his belt before looming over me. “The Night knows just how many times Kane has been betrayed by mortal filth like you and your father. If you hurt him, betray him, you’ll be lucky if I’m the one who finds you first.”
I quiver on the ground, eyes wide and locked on Willem. He scoffs at the hammering of my heart before stalking out of the room. The door slams shut behind him and I don’t hesitate to throw myself against it and lock it. I push a heavy bureau in front of it, knowing deep down how useless my efforts are. This is the second night I’ve felt as if I need to barricade myself in my room for my own safety. I don’t doubt Willem’s words. I know he would hurt me if I ever gave him a reason to. I have to tread carefully.
My heart is in my throat as I lock my balcony doors and press myself into a dark corner. My thoughts race wildly, and I wonder if Willem knows the true scope of my father’s betrayal—why else would he have said such things? But if they know, how am I still here—alive? I shudder, fear drenching me like I dipped into a pool of it. No, they can’t know. Whatever Willem speaks of, it’s something else entirely. And if they don’t know, then I’m safe enough to continue. I repeat this to myself over and over again until I believe it.
I stare at the door, half expecting Willem or Kane to come barging through, dark power dripping off of them. But the castle is quiet, and I’m not disturbed again. If I can’t go home—and
