I stared at Soren for a long mont, frozen in place.
Scoffing, I threw my head back. Of course, last night was just a ans to an end for him. He would use it to his advantage now and find out what was in the box.
I’d made the deal that he would protect but now that we’d sealed it, he could use whatever leverage he wanted. He could tell that if I didn’t show him what was in the box, he wouldn’t help .
Just because I’d given him my body didn’t an he had to respect that or honor it. With how casually he was treating last night, he clearly didn’t realize how big of a deal it was for .
It was just his way of using . He got his own physical satisfaction, like any man would want, and now he was going to satisfy his curiosity, and his own ambition if he wanted what was in the box.
Every ti he tried to hide his intentions, I saw the truth co through.
He was no different than any other man.
Had last night been a joke?
Soren probably saw as nothing more than one of “those won” he’d referenced who showed up at his door in the middle of the night.
And maybe I was no better...
I glared at the floor and looped my arms around my waist. I’d been the one to offer my body as paynt. But I had truly wanted there to be an alliance between us, a real one.
Soren seed to have other plans.
My jaw tensed and I kept glaring at a knot in the hardwood floor. If I had any sense at all, I’d run from Soren now and leave him with the bitter mory of the night we spent together without ever fulfilling his true desire, to look into the box!
Sighing, I relaxed my arms and opened my eyes fully. Perhaps, there was another way to salvage this situation.
Last night was full repaynt for the tis he’d saved my life. From now on, whatever happened between us could be purely business.
“Have you already looked in the box?” Soren asked, pulling from my thoughts.
Thinking fast, I nodded. It was a lie, but I needed to keep the upper hand in this situation.
“I did look,” I said, offering no further detail.
Soren arched an eyebrow at and I smiled coyly.
As it was, I was still weak from the poison. My wolf hadn’t awoken yet, and wouldn’t for a few more years. There were bounty hunters closing in from all sides. I had no choice but to work with Soren and use him to my advantage.
If I had to put myself in this position where I had to manipulate and use Soren, I might as well establish myself as the shrewdest one. Otherwise, I might lose sight of Soren’s intentions.
Since it seed as if he planned on using , then I would use him right back. We could use each other until one of us ca out on top. One of us would eventually outsmart the other. I’d have to play this ga very carefully in order to be the victor.
And if he was going to use for his own purposes, I could put him in harm’s way without feeling guilty. That made this entire deal easier.
“Did it answer all your questions,” he pressed. He remained calm and composed. His eyes were still gentle as he regarded .
Whether he was feeling any tenderness at all from the night before or he was trying to make let my guard down, it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t fall into his traps.
“It did. But you don’t even know what my questions are, so seeing it won’t give you any more insight into ,” I insisted, pointing to myself.
Soren chuckled and shook his head. “Don’t be so sure.”
I faltered for a mont but I kept my expression cool and aloof.
“A bit cocky, don’t you think?” I challenged, arching an eyebrow.
Soren wasn’t stupid. He was one of the smartest, most strategic shifters I’d encountered. Taking advantage of him ca with risks. I knew that.
Not just because he was smart but because he was powerful and had a whole band of rogues that followed him. I hadn’t seen his ruthless, cunning side, but I had no doubt that it existed.
If I crossed him and he found out what I was doing... Well, I had a feeling I’d rather turn myself over to Alpha Chandler than find out what Soren would do to .
I bit my lower lip and gave Soren a sultry look.
He pursed his lips and set his book down. I could no longer read the emotion in his eyes.
“So, what’s in the box?” he asked.
Slowly, I licked my lips and ran my hands down my sides. My dress tightened slightly around my curves and the neckline pulled lower, revealing more of my breasts.
Smiling, I flipped my hair over my shoulder and laughed playfully. I was thinking on my feet, trying to distract him and co up with a lie at the sa ti.
“Inside that box is sothing so powerful that it could turn this world upside down, of course. Whoever gets their hands on it might even be able to... control the world, or destroy it,” I explained silkily.
Soren’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline.
I licked my lips again and pranced across the room to him, swaying my hips sexily.
His eyes fixed on as I moved. It was hard to tell what he was thinking but I knew he wouldn’t be devouring with his gaze if he wasn’t transfixed by .
I stopped in front of Soren, so close that if I took a deep breath, my breasts practically brushed against his chest. Smiling coyly, I lifted my eyes to his, half-lidded under my long eyelashes.
“Just so you know,” I said in a low tone that expressed both danger and temptation. “Only I can control what’s in the box. If I die... it would be useless.”
I reached out and pressed my finger to Soren’s bare chest. His eyes widened as I trailed my finger down the centerline of his torso, between his pecs and his abdominals. Just when I got to the waistline of his pants, I hooked the tip of my finger in his waistband and then pulled back.
Soren’s eyebrow twitched and he let out a nearly inaudible grunt. I wasn’t sure if he was angry that I was playing with him or angry that I stopped.
He remained silent but I held his gaze, still giving him an innocent yet sultry smile.
His eyes looked right through . I could practically feel his gaze wrap around my heart. It was like he saw straight into my soul and knew what I was thinking, feeling, and planning. I felt like he could peel away my lies and knew exactly what I was planning.
My lower lip quivered and my breath hitched, but I leaned a little closer, trying to play it off like it was our proximity, not his gaze, that had trembling.
Suddenly, I wondered what Soren really thought of . He was older and much more experienced and mature.
Was I just so child to him, playing gas and pranks under the watchful eye of an adult? Did he even take seriously at all?
I swallowed and lost my composure for a mont. Blinking, I quickly recovered and I smirked at Soren again, maintaining my confidence.
It didn’t matter what he thought of . This was about my survival and getting my answers. I didn’t need him to think highly of in order to get what I wanted from him.
Soren chuckled suddenly, his lips curving in a smile.
“Sounds good to . Do we have to chat about it all day?” he asked.
I sniffed and crossed my arms. Honestly, I thought he’d pressure more into explaining or demanding that I show him what was in the box.
He didn’t seem that eager to see it with his own eyes. The fact that he trusted what I said was baffling. I hadn’t even looked in the box and sohow, I’d convinced him I knew what was in it and how it worked...
“I thought you wanted to see it,” I said, testing his response carefully.
“Why would I need to see it if you’ve told what it is?” he asked, cocking his head to the side.
“Because I know you’re curious about it,” I said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Am I?” Soren asked absently. He turned to the side and shrugged casually. “I suppose I have so curiosity...”
I narrowed my eyes at him. It was hard to tell whether or not he was trying to act casual and like he didn’t care or if he actually didn’t care.
Was he trying to use reverse psychology on ?
“Alright, I admit, I do wonder what a world-dominating or destroying artifact looks like and how it is ant to be used,” Soren comnted.
I smiled lightly and kept myself calm and cool.
“Well, if you want to know exactly what is in it, you’re going to have to help ,” I said.
If Soren planned to use our deal to leverage his own desires, I was going to make sure that I used what power I had to get everything I could out of him.
“I already am helping you. Wasn’t that the deal?” he asked, chuckling lightly.
“The deal was for protection. But since I have sothing you want, I’m going to make a small andnt to the terms,” I told him.
“Oh, is that so?” he asked, smirking.
“It is so,” I said with a firm nod.
“Pray tell, what must I help you with now? And how will you be compensating ?” he asked. His eyes dropped to the low neckline of my dress and he licked his lips.
I got the feeling he was imagining naked!
“I told you, you’ll get to see what is in the box with your own eyes,” I reminded him.
Soren pouted slightly and then shrugged. “Very well. But it depends on what you need help with. A peek inside a box might not be enough to cover my services.”
I shuddered. Damn, he was good at this too!
I already anticipated that I might have to continue to satisfy his... needs to keep this arrangent going. My stomach fluttered at the thought and vivid flashes of his hands and mouth on my body flickered in my mind.
My breath caught as I steadied myself. There was a part of that hoped he wanted that kind of paynt because that sa part of wanted it too.
“Well, for starters, I need your help detoxifying . I’m useless with this Black Fire poison still in my blood,” I said.
“I suppose I can help there,” Soren said casually.
“And, I need you to help find a woman nad Helen. She’s from Miltern,” I added.
“Hmm... that’s two things. You only offered one look inside the box. Does that seem fair?” he countered.
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