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well.―
    â€œYou displeased him in some way.― Razvan made it a statement.
    She found she could barely breathe in the close confines of the room with the Dragonseeker’s hunger beating at her.
    Maybe it wasn’t just his hunger. Maybe it was the way his eyes moved over her with a hint of possession, a male’s intense look of interest. No one had looked at her that way since the prince’s eldest son—and that hadn’t turned out so well.
    Her skin ached. Her bones. She’d forgotten that pain, or at least pushed it so far back in her memories that it was dull and faded. Now, looking at him looking at her, asking her questions, her body remembered the feel of sharp objects slicing through bone and tissue.
    â€œIvory,― he prompted, his voice gentle. “What did you do to displease him?―
    She sank down along the wall, drew up her knees and clasped her arms around her legs, making herself much smaller. “I wanted to go to Xavier’s school and learn from him. My brothers and five of their friends raised me. Ten strong warriors indulging my every whim. I learned how to fight, but was never allowed to use my knowledge. I could do things no other woman could do, yet was expected to sit home and wait for a lifemate to provide safety for me.― She shook her head, remembering the frustration of having an active brain desperate for knowledge, any kind, and running into a stone wall as her brothers refused to allow her any freedoms.
    She rubbed her chin on her knees. “At that time, Vlad Dubrinsky was the prince.― She was giving him a very convoluted explanation, rambling on instead of making it short and succinct. She pressed her fingers to her eyes. “I think it has been so long since I have carried on a conversation with anyone but my pack that I have forgotten how.― She rubbed her palm up and down her thigh.
    Razvan’s gaze jumped to her hand and lingered there, recognizing the sign of nerves. She was wild, like her pack, uneasy with his presence, not because he represented danger, or because he was her lifemate, but simply because she was inherently wary of everyone.
    â€œBe calm, Ivory,― he said softly, crooning as he would to tame a cornered wild animal. “I seek nothing from you. I do not believe that Xavier will hunt for my body this soon. He has grown weak and old without Carpathian blood to feed on. He will need to find his strength before he can strike at me. Lara escaped his prison first and then my aunts. So for the moment you are safe, but never turn your back on me. Consider killing me.―
    She ignored his last statement. “How did you escape?―
    â€œXavier took my body out of the ice caves when his fortress was destroyed. He needs blood now to survive and be strong.― He looked down at his worn, torn body with a brief, humorless smile. “He had used my blood until little enough remained. I believe he had it in his mind to kill me, but when the aunts escaped, he needed my blood to keep him alive. He is determined to gain immortality. As you can see, there is little left of me, and he grew weak trying to build his new fortress.―
    Ivory took a deep breath and let it out. He could see she struggled with herself before she made the offer.
    â€œYou need to feed.―
    Her voice was low, trembling, and his heart turned over in his chest. It had been long since another had offered a kindness to him.
    â€œI thank you for your offer, but I must regretfully decline. I have taken enough blood from those I should have protected and I will not take yours.―

    She frowned at him. “I can feel your hunger.―
    â€œI know. I cannot control the needs spilling into the close confines of this room. I am truly sorry for causing you distress.―
    He didn’t want her dwelling on the hunger crawling through his body, every cell crying out