“Y-You wouldn't hurt a lady would you?” the woman begged. The Raven huffed his amusement at the statement, and Hilith swallowed hard, apparently understanding that she would have to use a different tactic. “You don’t have to do this! I can be of use to you! I have skills that only an experienced woman could have,” she said, attempting to sound seductive but utterly failing in her terror.

Crowding her against the door, the Raven leaned forward so close she thought for sure she should be able to make out his face, but somehow his features remained elusive. “I am sure you do,” he said cryptically. His focus lingered on her as he reached over and easily plucked the knife from the doorframe, secreting it away as he did. The Raven’s entire demeanor spoke of cool detachment that, combined with his predatory gait and the unnatural blackness beneath his hood, made Breck’s earlier assertion that the man was not human seem more than plausible.

He reached up and softly stroked her cheek with feigned fondness. Hilith licked her lips salaciously, and just as her muscles began to relax, the Raven gripped her jaw forcefully once again. The woman whimpered in fear and pain, her chest heaved in a contained sob, and her eyes watered with impending tears. “Please …” she whispered.

The Raven cocked his head curiously and said, “Perhaps you can be of some use to me.”

“Yes,” she uttered immediately, furiously attempting to nod her head that was trapped in his firm, unyielding grip. “Anything you desire … Master,” she whispered. Hilith’s eyes flashed with renewed hope and … desire?

Rezkin could see Breck watching them, now, from the corner of his eye. The man was curious and angry, although Rezkin did not know if the man’s anger stemmed from jealousy or the fact that he had not yet killed the woman. Hilith believed she had managed to use her so-called Skills to convince the Raven to spare her life. In truth, Rezkin never intended to kill the woman—not unless she did something truly stupid like choose to be uncooperative—but allowing her to believe that she had gained even the tiniest hold over him would keep her trying to prove her worth. Even if she did not believe she could defeat him, being the kind of woman that she was, she might believe she had a chance at claiming the Raven for herself, thereby attaching herself to a most powerful, albeit terrifying, man.