style="font-size:15px;"> For some reason it bugged me that he could read me well enough to know that I was scared and upset about more than just being kidnapped. “Peter bit me.” It took some courage to say it out loud. Even then, I couldn’t quite bring myself to speak over a whisper.
“He bit you, did he? We’ll have to do something about that.”
The flat, disenchanted tone of Royce’s voice was scarier than anything else that’d happened to me today, including being bitten. That should tell you something.
What was I getting myself into? Hadn’t Royce stopped just shy of biting me himself last night? Maybe calling him for help wasn’t the fabulous idea I had thought it was. It stung when I realized that his little ploy to make me see him as the lesser evil in comparison to Max was working so well.
Worse yet, Max walked in just then, Peter at his heels. His eyes narrowed when he saw the phone in my hand.
I tried to get to my feet, to back away, but my limbs were flat out refusing to work the way I wanted them to. Max yanked it out of my hands with little effort, and he studied the screen briefly before putting the phone to his ear. A smile slowly curved his lips, one that would’ve been charming if it hadn’t been so evil.
“Alec Royce. What a surprise.”
Since I’m no Other with hypersensitive hearing, I couldn’t determine what Royce’s response was. He must’ve talked for a bit, because Max simply stood there, staring down at me with the occasional “mmhm” or “mm-mm” punctuating his end of the conversation.
After a few failed attempts, I gave up attempting to stand. My legs were too rubbery and weak to hold me.
Suddenly, Max started talking, his voice abrupt and harsh. It was unexpected enough to make me flinch. What had Royce said to him? “No. I know you had a hand in Anastasia’s death. For that, you pay the price. Your little toy will suffer because of your mistake. Remember what happened with Helen of Volos? Think long and hard on it, Alec. This is as much for her as it is for Anastasia.”
He passed the phone to Peter, then reached down and plucked me off the floor by my shirt collar. I almost passed out again, actually kind of wished that I had.
“Scream loud enough for him to hear you, lovely,” he said. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint my old friend.”
I couldn’t help but oblige him as he yanked me up against his chest and I was bitten for the second time that day.
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