Chapter 115

The Predator

I leaned closer, close enough that my breath ghosted over her skin. Her lips parted again, and I almost laughed. She wanted me to kiss her. She wouldn’t say it, wouldn’t admit it, but I could see it in her eyes, in the way her body tilted toward mine despite her fear.

Dragging my eyes away from her flushed face, though the sight of her arms wrapped tightly around herself only fuelled my frustration. She could argue all she wanted, but the way her body trembled spoke the truth louder than her words ever could.

"Ptichka," I muttered as I studied her. She avoided my gaze, her lashes fluttering as though she could escape the my scrutiny. "Go change into something warm."

Her arms tightened around her torso, her lips pressing into a thin line. "I... I’m not cold,"

I scoffed. For fuck’s sake. She could’ve worn anything—coats, sweaters, layers of something practical. But no. She’d chosen this. That red lace, those thin str