Cyrus’s eyes flickered over my face for an instant. His grotesque face actually registered some emotion then, and I thought it was regret. He didn’t like that he’d scared me.

He dropped Dahlia and let his features shift back to normal. “You tried to kill her!”

Now she did whimper, as though she knew her lies would prove useless. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry? You’re lucky this turned out so well for me, you sniveling bitch. Else I’d hand you over to the Fangs when they arrive.” He stalked a circle around her as he spoke.

“No!” She reached for him, clinging to his leg. “I killed that bookstore guy for you! You should be happy.”

He pulled away from her grasp as if he’d been touched by a leper. “You’re not allowed to kill whenever you please! How can you expect me to turn you when you have no self-control?”

Her face paled. “What do you want me to do? I’ll do whatever I have to. Just tell me what you want me to do!”

Cyrus rocked back on his heels, feigning consideration. “If there was a way to reverse what you did to him, what would it take?”

“An antidote,” she said as she wiped her nose on her sleeve.

“And where would I find this antidote?” he asked patiently.

Tears shone on her face. “In my room.”

“Why don’t you go and get it, then?” He dismissed her as easily as telling a child to run along and play.

“Thank you,” I whispered when she had gone.

“This is not a gift, Carrie. Don’t mistake it as such.”

“It’s not a gift, but it’s the decent thing to do. Even if you are being paid for it.” I glared at him, hoping to make him feel the true weight of my words.

He crossed to me and cupped my cheek in his palm. “Poor little girl. Is the Big Bad Wolf taking advantage of you?”

I tried to turn my face away, but he grasped my chin and forced my lips to his. I opened my mouth beneath his, my blood both searing hot and prickling cold as it coursed through my veins. His excitement fed my own. His sharp claws raked my back through my shirt, tracing the column of my spine. I couldn’t get enough of his tongue against mine, his breath against my lips.

He drew away, leaving me panting and flushed while he was as unaffected as someone who’d just received a dental exam. But when he lifted his hand to brush back a strand of his long, nearly white hair, his hands shook. “Believe that all you want, Carrie. But when you needed help, you didn’t call the Movement first. I wasn’t a last resort. I was a choice.”

My body shook with the violence of the truth.

We glared at each other in antagonistic silence until Dahlia entered. She cleared her throat at the doorway and shot me a murderous glance. “I’ve got your fucking antidote.” Cyrus reached out a hand to take the vial from her and she practically threw it at him. He pressed a kiss to her cheek and turned away. “Now, be a good girl and move your things to one of the servant’s rooms. Carrie will need the guest suite.”