He shakes his head, his smirk dropping as his lips press into a thin line. I don’t. But my desires mean little in this instance.

I tilt my head, waiting for him to open his fist and let me see what it is. With a sigh, he obliges, clawed fingers uncurling one by one and revealing a small ball of yellow wax resting in the center of his palm.

What is that? I ask.

Something to dampen your power.

Malice shifts his hand toward my mouth, and I jerk back as far as I can, my eyes widening as a rush of adrenaline floods my system.

I don’t want it, I snarl, my lip curling back to reveal sharpening canines. If you want to kill me, you’ll have to try a lot harder than that.

Malice rolls his eyes but still closes his fist around the wax and brings it back to his side. The last thing I want is to harm you, Dagny. I’m surprised you still think so little of my affection for you.

I scoff, forgetting I’m supposed to speak into his mind as my irritation crests. “Your affection? That’s rich, coming from the guy who’s literally trying to poison me.”

Malice’s smirk returns, but there’s no humor in it. He leans forward, stopping when our faces are inches apart. His nostrils flare as he inhales deeply, and a low purr rumbles in his chest as his pupils expand, devouring the warm red of his iris in a single heartbeat.

“Perhaps I need to do a better job of showing you the depths of my devotion,” he murmurs. “Perhaps I need to make you understand.”

Malice inches closer, brushing his lips against mine and causing heated sparks to erupt between us. My eyes flutter closed as warmth builds in my core, spreading to the tips of my fingers with each powerful throb of my heart. There’s no denying the emotion Malice is able to draw out of me—no way to fight against it or suppress it—not even if I wanted to.

My back arches, pressing my breasts flush against his toned chest and drawing a desperate groan from his clenched teeth. Snaking a hand around my waist, his arm works as an iron vise, holding me in place as he closes the distance between us. And when his lips crash against mine, the rest of the world falls away. I forget about the danger we’re in. I forget about my responsibilities, my fears, my eagerness to be free of this prison—all of it just evaporates, leaving me with the taste of burned cedar on my tongue and fire in my veins as Malice claims me as his. His mouth works expertly with mine, each sweep of his tongue, every gentle nip leaving me breathless and shaking and desperate for more.