Kahli rose, feeling self-conscious in the sheer gown. It was like all the girls were there for two purposes—blood and lust. There wasn’t one girl who wasn’t beautiful. Every single one was stunning. Kahli was the odd one. Normally, she didn’t care about what she looked like. But here, they constantly talked about her—her eyes, her hair, her skin—everything was wrong, like she’d been built from spare parts that were centuries old. Kahli wrapped her arms across her chest, trying to conceal herself.

Will reached for a blanket and draped it over her shoulders, and then indicated that she should walk out the door. Kahli looked down at a sleeping Cassie. If the girl hadn’t told her about Will, she would have panicked. Well, she would have tried to kill him to escape. But knowing what she knew, Kahli didn’t think her life was in danger at that moment. It gave her more time to find a way out of this mess.

Kahli glanced at Will as they walked. He was silent, his spine straight, his hands at his sides. He didn’t look over at her. They were both still, silent, like each one was waiting for the other to attack. It gave her the shivers, that creepy feeling that crawled over her skin when something bad was about to happen. He was gone for several days. She’d stabbed him, but vampires healed quickly. But he was Bane. For all she knew, he had stitches in his side.

When they were in the hallway leading away from the maiden’s rooms, she asked, “Are you all right?” Kahli kept her eyes on the floor.

Her head was down, looking up at him from under thick lashes. It was either a ploy to kill him, or she was sincerely asking. He didn’t know which she was after. Will arched a dark brow at her, “Are you asking so you can take me down if I’m not? Because I don’t think another attack is the best plan at this point.”

Kahli stopped and stared at her feet. Will faced her, his blue eyes unreadable. “No,” her voice was a whisper. She’d been thinking about the things Cassie had said. Regret bubbled up inside of her, “Maybe I should have given you a chance, and I didn’t. I stabbed first and had no intention of—” she looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat, “of anything.”

“So, you’re giving me a chance?” His lips twisted into a smirk. “Is that what this is?”

Kahli sensed he was teasing her and her spine stiffened. Her defenses were already in overdrive. Eyes narrowing, she replied, “Perhaps. If you’re not an ass and actually keep your word.”

Will laughed. The sound shocked her. It was rich and deep, like she truly entertained him. “Out of the two of us, I’m the only one who hasn’t been lying since the moment we met. That was you.” Well, he lied once, but that didn’t count in his head. She stabbed him and saw something she shouldn’t have seen. Will wondered if she remembered his runes, or if the memory faded after the compulsion. He tilted his head and slid his hands into his pockets. Will was wearing a black silk shirt that clung to his body, dark jeans hugged his legs. His hair was somewhere between black and brown, and seemed to be tousled like he was running his hands through it all day.

Kahli’s jaw opened and for a moment, only air came out. “You… You said…”

Will was grinning. Shaking his head, he leaned closer to her face, his eyes locked on hers, “I never lied to you. From square one, I told you the truth.” When you weren’t stabbing me, he thought.

“You did not!” her voice rose, but she wasn’t mad. There was something that he did. She was certain of it, but she couldn’t remember. The incident seemed hazy, like a dream quickly forgotten.

Will knew what she was talking about. When he’d used her full name to compel her, the effects left her memory foggy. Thank god, because she looked like she wanted to kill him and that was the only thing he’d done wrong. Well, to her anyway. “Listen, I’ve been trying to talk to you. I wanted to tell you since I saw Reggie in the ballroom—”

“Tell me what? That selling me once wasn’t enough?” Somehow they were nose to nose. Kahli’s body was wound so taut that she thought she would pop. She clutched the blanket draped over her shoulders, strangling the fabric with a death-grip. Will’s gaze fell on her knuckles, which were turning white.

The girl was practically shaking, she was so angry. He wasn’t usually this dense. When a he did something that made a woman enflamed like that, he knew what it was and usually did it on purpose. This time was no different. He said things that he never had the opportunity to correct. “I tried to tell you, but things flew out of control. I never got the chance…” he ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head, “No wonder why you’re so mad. You think I saved you from the wolves and patched you up to sell you to a vampire? Of course it sounded like that. It was supposed to, but I didn’t sell you to him. I wouldn’t do that to you… But this isn’t the time—” Will realized his lips were a breath away from hers, his eyes met hers, and he knew she noticed it, too. They were standing close together, her night dress brushing against his shirt. How did they get so close? Will finished speaking, barely breathing, “Or place.”

Kahli watched his lips move as he spoke. What was he doing to her? It had to be him, using his vamp charms to, to… to what? He couldn’t have her. It’s not like he’d ask her out or something. Kahli looked at his perfectly pink lips and shivered. Closing her eyes tightly, she pulled away, putting space between the two of them.

Will sucked in air, his lungs filling like they’d burst, and exhaled. He tried to force out the insanity that this girl breathed into his life, but it was still there like an itch he couldn’t reach. “I promise that I’ll tell you what’s going on. You just need to give me a little while. There are times when I can speak more freely than others. Until then, you just have to trust me. And, Kahli, I keep my promises. Always.” Will’s gut twisted as he lied to her face. He wanted to be the kind of man who made a promise and kept it, but his life wasn’t so simple. There were other forces at work, forces that overrode his sense of virtue.

Kahli stared at him. The sincerity in his voice made the pit of her stomach twist. He seemed too good to be true, which meant he wasn’t. He was hiding something. He had to be. Why would he promise her anything? She was an animal to him, something beneath him. But the way he spoke, the way his eyes lingered on her face, it made her want to believe him. Shoving away the thoughts, she nodded. There was no time to think about things. That wasn’t the way her life worked. Surviving was all she’d ever known. And at that moment, it was just another test she had to pass to remain alive. Making the mistake of thinking Will was her friend would be fatal. It didn’t matter that Cassie liked him. Saying he was the nicest murderer amongst the vampires in the palace didn’t make him a good man. Speaking with intentions that were well meant, didn’t mean a thing either.

Instead of voicing her opinions, she just nodded. They continued to walk through the dimly lit halls until they came to an ebony door. Will pushed through. The interior of the room contained padded chairs and chases. Candles flickered on the walls casting a warm glow in the cool room. The wallpaper was flocked velvet the color of dried blood.

Will extended his hand toward the chase, “Sit.”

Kahli did as she was asked, “What are we doing here?” She glanced around as she spoke, her soft hair falling over her shoulders.

Will stopped in front of a massive desk. It had intricate carvings of plants that had gone extinct long ago. There were grapes and vines—things that couldn’t survive the ice and snow—tangling up the thick desk legs. Will pulled open a drawer and heavy things made scraping sounds against the wood.

“The queen requested a tasting. She has someone here that she means to impress, and apparently this is how she plans on doing it. You’ll have to,” he stopped, his hand on a cold golden needle, “I’m sorry. I didn’t tell you anything about this, did I? The other night went totally wrong and then they…” his voice trailed off. Will looked down into the desk. He was still, like he was reliving something that he didn’t want to remember. His eyes glazed over and when he glanced up at her, he said, “It doesn’t matter. The point is that this is the first time I was able to get to you since our little incident on the lawn, so you’ll have to learn as we go along.”

The floor of Kahli’s stomach fell. He was going to do something to her. And the vamps had done something to him. She was sure of it. That look was a combination of pain and grief. She knew it well. It had sat on her small face for years before she learned to hide it. Will hid everything. Most of the time his expression was a mask, so why did he let her see that? Was it a slip? Or did he do it for another reason?

For half a second, she didn’t care. Kahli stood and walked over to him. Will glanced up at her, cautious. “They did something to you. Because of me.” Kahli’s eyes searched his face. She already knew the answer, she just wished she knew what they did. Vampires could control humans, but what about Bane? Could he hold his own against the Queen? Or was he her lapdog?

Will ignored her and extracted three tiny tools and a golden plate. He laid them on the desk. Kahli continued, “I didn’t think they’d blame you.”

“They have their own set of rules. It’s not something you could have known.” His eyes flashed at her, deep blue and deadly. It was the same look he had when he was fighting the wolves. It made Kahli’s pulse skyrocket. “Are we calling a truce?”

She nodded, “Yes, it seems like we should. Temporarily anyway. Just tell me what you’re doing and why. I, um, have issues with vamps and blood.” A shiver slid down her spine. Her issue was she wanted to kill every vampire she found, and she didn’t want any of them tasting her blood. But things changed and now she was agreeing to allow a vampire to tap her like a maple tree.

“No,” Will gasped sarcastically, his hand over his heart feigning shock. “I had no idea.” She smiled at him. It was a nervous smile, one that said she was trying, but wasn’t sure if she could do this. “Hey,” he placed his hand on top of hers, “this part is easy.” He smiled crookedly at her.