[ Out of every mask he has worn — and she has witnessed many, from Sturmhond's smugness to Nikolai's unwavering determination — the devious glint to his eyes feels, by far, the most familiar. More and more often, she catches herself wondering which face is the truest — or if they are all pieces of himself given in piecemeal parts, sections that form a greater portrait of him when locked together.
Whatever the case, she knows that territory comes with trouble. While the brush of his hand smoothing over stray wisps that had fallen into her line of vision has coaxed her (like a spooked horse, she thinks to herself with a muted scoff) into relaxing into his ridiculously fluffy pillows, her eyes still squint with feigned skepticism.
And, beneath that act, a questioning sort of curiosity that flares inside of her. Carefully, she locks her fingers around his wrist, a clasping bracelet that holds his hand steady. It is tempting to tear her gaze from his watching eyes, but she doesn't dare waver as she takes the tip of his finger in her mouth, licking the almost too-sweet taste of golden apple away with a slow swipe of her tongue and a deliberate graze of teeth. As if to prove she can match him in any game he offers.
She releases him with a wet pop, lifting both eyebrows as she drawls, ] If that was your way of testing to see if I've poisoned you, we're both doomed.
no subject
Whatever the case, she knows that territory comes with trouble. While the brush of his hand smoothing over stray wisps that had fallen into her line of vision has coaxed her (like a spooked horse, she thinks to herself with a muted scoff) into relaxing into his ridiculously fluffy pillows, her eyes still squint with feigned skepticism.
And, beneath that act, a questioning sort of curiosity that flares inside of her. Carefully, she locks her fingers around his wrist, a clasping bracelet that holds his hand steady. It is tempting to tear her gaze from his watching eyes, but she doesn't dare waver as she takes the tip of his finger in her mouth, licking the almost too-sweet taste of golden apple away with a slow swipe of her tongue and a deliberate graze of teeth. As if to prove she can match him in any game he offers.
She releases him with a wet pop, lifting both eyebrows as she drawls, ] If that was your way of testing to see if I've poisoned you, we're both doomed.