And just like that, I release his junk, grab another piece of chicken right off Roman’s new plate, and stride out of the room, as I listen to the sweet sounds of Roman’s low chuckles behind me while Levi berates him for not sharing the news earlier.
Taking myself straight back to my torture chamber, I eat what’s left of my chicken leg, knowing for damn sure that I won’t be getting another one of those for a while.
12
A hand curls around my arm and my eyes spring open to find the back of Roman’s head in the early morning light as he drags me out of my tiny little bed. “Oh, thank fuck,” I sigh as I scramble to get my feet down before my body falls, but just as my ass is pulled off the edge of the bed, Roman’s strong hold pulls me up and keeps me from falling.
Roman immediately stops and my momentum has me running straight into his back, coming to a painful stop. He turns and shoves me back, his sharp glare snapping down to mine, bringing me to the realization that it’s way too early for his broody assholery. “Oh, thank fuck?” he demands, spitting my words back at me and making me realize just how stupid they were, though nothing is as stupid as the bullshit that came flying out of my mouth last night. But when I’m on a roll, it’s nearly impossible to bite my tongue.
My eyes widen as I stare up at him, only the longer it takes me to respond, the more perplexed he becomes. And damn, a man like Roman with that scary as fuck scar down his face, letting that arrogance and confidence fade away for just a second is the rawest emotion I’ve ever experienced from him. For just a moment, he seems almost human, and I’m not going to lie, it scares the shit out of me.
“I just …” I take a breath, trying to figure out how to explain my relief at him being the one to barge into my torture chamber, rather than his brothers. “I’ve been expecting Marcus. You know, after the whole knife through his hand thing. I figured that he had something particularly brutal in store for me.”
He narrows his eyes and somehow seems to get closer, yet he doesn’t move a single inch. “Trust me, Empress,” he murmurs, his deep tone rumbling through the room. “He does, but I don’t think he’s the one you need to be afraid of.”
His eyes shimmer with darkness and a cold chill sweeps through my bones at the thought of just how much worse it could get than that, but before it can become something more, Roman’s grip returns to my arm and he tugs me toward the door.
“The fuck do you think you’re doing?” I demand, my sleep-filled voice making my demand seem a little less threatening and more like a kitten screeching about a little bit of cold water.
Roman grunts and pulls hard, flinging me through the open door before jamming his hand against my lower back and giving me a shove. “Walk,” he orders with that same authority he uses to order his dimwitted brothers around.
I roll my eyes and let my dumb-bitch flag fly free. “No shit, asshole,” I snap, letting my attitude shine bright as I start moving my ass up the long hallway, but what can I say? I spent most of my night fretting about Marcus coming in after realizing I wasn’t strong enough to close the door. It was left wide open all night, leaving me completely unprotected, which is exactly how Roman was able to get in without warning. “What did you think I was going to do? Crawl?”
Roman’s hand presses a little harder into my back and I decide that now is probably the best time to shut my mouth and move a little faster.
We make our way through the long, dark corridor, and each step we take makes me even more aware of the man standing at my back. I don’t know what’s gotten into me over the last twelve hours. I played it smart up until I decided to go snooping through their home, well … mostly. Maybe the whole maze experience flipped a switch inside of me and I started fighting fire with fire. I honestly don’t know. It’s a dangerous game, but for some reason, Roman isn’t handling it like I thought he would.
It’s as though this fiery bullshit that I’ve been throwing at them has Roman intrigued, but not in a good way. I guess maybe he’d written me off as a lost cause, someone not worth the games, but all of a sudden, he’s watching me closer and I don’t like it.
Roman steps around me to open the heavy wooden door between the corridors, and within moments, we walk up through the steep concrete steps and out into the open ballroom. I go to make my way to the right, only Roman’s hand curls around my upper arm and tugs me to the left instead.