-LILIAN-
The silence in the chamber stretched, heavy with the weight of Alexander's admission. His eyes still burned into mine, those molten gold depths holding a terrifying mixture of raw possession and something that defied simple categorization.
I wanted to believe it was genuine concern, a flicker of genuine care for my well-being, but my mind, still bruised from the betrayal of Drex and the cold reality of my new 'title,' screamed caution. My heart, a frantic bird against my ribs, refused to settle.
"Dangerous? Interesting?" My voice was still hoarse from the prior choking incident and my near-death ordeal, but a new wave of burning anger, fueled by his callous dismissal of my agony as merely a 'lesson,' coursed through me.
"Is that all I am to you, Alexander? Some exotic speci
