The heavy, stagnant air of the Archives seemed to vibrate as Alex looked down at the girl who, only minutes ago, had been lecturing the room on perfection.
His smirk was sharp, a jagged blade of amusement cutting through the amber gloom.
"What happened, Jennifer?" he murmured, his voice a low, gravelly taunt. "Where did all that fire go? I thought you were dying to prove your worth. To show these girls the difference between a Queen and a subordinate."
Jennifer didn't answer. She couldn't. She was anchored to the floor on her knees, her manicured fingers digging into the rough, unfinished wood of the bottom shelf for support.
She was caught in a violent internal vice... torn between the electric thrill of his attention and the cold, paralyzing fear of what he was demanding.
She wanted him to break her right there, on the cold stone, but she knew her own limits. She knew she couldn't take the full weight of him without shattering the silence of the library.
