City of Thorns (The Demon Queen Trials #1)(25)

He cocked his head, his cheek dimpling with a sly smile.

I actually felt sexy for once. And now, I liked thinking of his eyes on me, on the naked tops of my thighs…in fact, I had the most inconvenient desire to show him my whole body.

I strutted across the room, swaying my hips like he’d showed me a million times, one foot in front of the other.

“Good,” he murmured. “Now turn to face me.”

I spun around, my curls bouncing. His stance was casual, hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed. But something about the way his eyes burned, the way his jaw looked tight, told me that he wasn’t actually calm at all. What was going on beneath that calm, easy exterior? Rage? Lust? Still trying to stop himself from ripping out my heart?

And where had he slept last night?

Whatever the case was, he was looking at me like he wanted to devour me.

“What next?” I asked.

“Now, when you walk back to me, try pretending a droplet of water is slowly moving from your neck down between your breasts. Trace it with your fingertip.”

I started walking again, like a cat, and I moved my fingertip from my throat, down my chest. It was just like martial arts, wasn’t it? Figuring out how to move my body in the right way.

I stopped when I could feel his hot magic skimming over me. Getting closer than I was now, looking into his eyes, felt like it would be too intense.

He raised his eyebrows. “Very good,” he purred. “You need to always communicate through body language that you want to fuck someone. You make it clear through innuendo, eye contact, and touch.”

I tossed my hair behind my shoulder.

“That was cute, but for starters, you have to stand closer than three feet. You know, like you did yesterday.”

I swallowed hard, then walked closer to him. I stared up at him, imagining how it would feel to have his hands all over my body. Just a job, Rowan. This is just a job.

Amusement glinted in his eyes. “Now you’ll need to lose the deer-in-the-headlights expression. Try a half-smile, an arched eyebrow.”

I contorted my face on one side.

He grimaced. “Oh, no. Don’t do that. Remember, you are a gift.”

I let my face relax, then tried the smug expression.

His gaze brushed down my body. “Closer. Show vulnerability. Tilt your head back to show me your neck, like you’re allowing me to bite you again, like you’re inviting it.”

This close to him, his sensual power was washing over me like a wave. I found myself staring into his endless eyes, my pulse racing. My nipples pebbled under the silky camisole. What I really wanted was for him to bend me over, pull down my panties, and stroke me—

Stop it, Rowan. He’s not even human.

I knew what was happening. My id was taking over—the stupid, animalistic part of my brain that would fuck everything up for me if I let it. But maybe my id was what I needed here.

“Good,” he said quietly. “You’ve got the eye contact down, now try using your sense of touch a little as you talk to me.”

I reached out and touched his chest. I bit my lip as I traced my fingertips over the soft material, feeling the hard muscle beneath.

“You forgot to talk,” he said quietly.

Ah. That was because my mind had gone totally blank.

He was very convincing at looking at me like he wanted to rip my dress off, but that was the job, wasn’t it? He’d said that he’d try acting like I was sexy.

He reached for my arms and lifted them up, wrapping them around his neck so my body was pressed against his. As I reached up, my short hem rose behind me, and the warm breeze rushed over my upper thighs and the bottom of my ass.

Heat swept through my body. This was flirting? This felt positively indecent, and a hot pulse beat through my core. Looking into his eyes, I felt like I was going to plummet into a dangerous abyss.

My muscles clenched.

Demonic killer. Back away now, Rowan.

I pulled my arms from his throat, my jaw clenching, and looked away. My heart was pounding out of control, which was unfortunate, because now I knew he could hear it. “Okay, enough of that.” I swallowed hard. “I think I’ve proven that I can put on the Mortana act.” I plastered a smile on my face. “Why don’t you show me around the city?”

“You’ll need to stop blushing first.”

I smoothed out my hair. “Fine.”

“Have you memorized the map?”

I nodded. “I think so.”

“Just remember that if you drop the Mortana act by accident,” he cautioned, “you will end up in a pit of fire.”

“Great way to help me relax.”

But underneath the nerves and the fear, I was actually thrilled. Today, for the first time—after all these years—I was finally going to get a look inside the City of Thorns.

I was going to find my mom’s killer.





Chapter 15





Orion had led me into what I’d thought was a closet, but was actually an elevator. While we rode it down, I kept studying the map.

“You have to put that away when we get to the bottom.”

“I know.” I’d drawn the gates of the city so many times, but I’d never imagined what was inside it. This was forbidden information and deeply fascinating.