Page 9 of Beautiful Ruins
“Tell me who sent you,” I rasped “or I’ll put you in a location where wire is the least of your concerns.”
Her gaze locked onto mine.Strong, defiant, and just as explosive as one of my own creations.
“You really think threatening me is going to make me helpful?”
“It usually does.”
“Well,” her voice was steady, “you should ask for a refund.”
I straightened slowly, a rough laugh dragging out of my chest before I could stop it.She was infuriating.Curious.Entirely wrong in this setting.
And standing right in the middle of it.
“You’re either very brave,” I told her, “or very stupid.”
She smiled—small, crooked, unrepentant.“I’ve been told both.”
And for reasons I didn’t like, I believed her.
I circled her once, unhurried, letting my presence close in without touching.I took her in again with colder eyes.
I couldn’t read her.Which meant she was unpredictable.And unpredictability meant danger.
“Someone put you in my path.On purpose or not, that part doesn’t matter anymore.”
Her smile faltered—not with fear, but with caution.Like she’d just realized the ground beneath her wasn’t solid after all.
“What does?”she asked.
I stopped in front of her, close enough now that the space between us felt charged.I could see the pulse jump at her throat, the slight hitch she couldn’t quite restrain.
“That you’re my prisoner, until I know why.”
The words settled between us.
Silence followed—thick, electric, but not hostile.She watched me the way I watched explosives before detonation—adrenaline rushing, aware that once this went off, there was no undoing it.
Her gaze held mine.
Then, impossibly, she tipped her head and asked, “Do I at least get breakfast?”
I stared at her.Actually stared.
Then I shook my head slowly, a short breath of disbelief escaping me.“You’re unbelievable.”
Her grin came back—quick, bright, entirely inappropriate.
And for the first time in years, something sharp and curious seized in my chest.
This girl wasn’t afraid of monsters.
Which meant she either didn’t understand them—or she was surrounded by them.
4
Izzy
When I woke up—again—I found myself stretched out on a bed that probably cost more than everything I owned combined.The mattress cradled me instead of sagging beneath my weight.The sheets were crisp and cool, smooth against my skin in a way that felt almost unreal.Floor-to-ceiling windows stood framed by luxurious curtains the color of a brewing storm, letting in soft daylight without letting the cold touch me.
