The corridors swallowed him whole the moment he left Alistair's sight. Each measured step he had held so perfectly in the prince's presence now wavered, faltering beneath the weight of the silence.
The door shut behind him with a finality that made his shoulders sag. At last silence. No gleaming, feral eyes watching his every twitch. No predatory smile teasing at the edges of his sanity. Lucian let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and pressed his back against the door.
"Gods above, that man is a beast in silk."
His hands trembled. He hated that. Alistair was madness wrapped in charm, the sort of creature who tore the wings off butterflies just to see how long they twitched. Lucian prided himself on taming men with a look, a word, a touch. But tonight? He'd barely escaped with his throat intact.
A humorless laugh escaped him. "Brilliant, Lucian. Toy with the kingdom's most dangerous psychopath. What could possibly go wrong?"
