I forgot how to breathe. My heart may have faltered too, a brief, terrifying silence between beats. An avalanche of ice broke down my spine as I stared at the three men in the room, my sense of safety evaporating like smoke. Crimson flickered in Ermes’s eyes, and panic bloomed in my chest like a living thing.
“We’re not going to hurt you, Domitilla.”
Gosto’s deep, sonorous voice snapped my head in his direction. He took a step toward me. I pressed myself harder against the wall, desperate to vanish into it.
“No one can bite you unless you’re willing.”
A dry, disbelieving groan escaped me. “What does that even mean?” I shot a glance at Ermes and the white-haired man beside him. Discomfort contorted their expressions. My irritation gave way to anger.
“I seriously doubt those waitresses
