"You should not provoke them," Kael said later, once we were alone.
His voice wasn't angry just controlled.
"If they already want me dead," I replied, "why pretend otherwise?"
He studied me closely, as if trying to peel me apart layer by layer.
"Fear keeps people alive," he said.
I smiled faintly. "So does defiance."
Something shifted between us.
The curse stirred, dark energy brushing against my senses. Instead of fear, warmth bloomed in my chest familiar, almost welcoming.
Kael noticed.
"You feel it too," he murmured.
"Yes."
Silence stretched.
Then he said quietly, "You are unlike any woman who stood here before."
I met his gaze. "That's because I'm not here to save you."
His eyes narrowed.
"I'm here to survive."