Chapter 90: Cocoon
Matteo straightened, raising his chin as he stared down at Eira. "I assure you, you don’t need to worry about that. And you’re wrong—anything that concerns Master Aelion is very much our problem. Especially something as serious as this."
"And what exactly is ’this’?" Eira asked sharply, her tone laced with annoyance.
Matteo’s expression remained unreadable. "I’m not sure if you realize it, but no woman—aside from Jania—has ever gotten close to Master Aelion. That wouldn’t be as startling if you weren’t as important to him as you appear to be. For a man like him, someone like you is a liability, Ephyra Allen. A weakness."
He chuckled dryly, his gray eyes gleaming with an unsettling mixture of amusement and disdain. "I mean, you can’t even protect yourself from your stepmother’s abuse." Eira’s fists clenched at his words, her nails biting into her palms. "How do you think you’ll fare when Master Aelion’s enemies find out about you? They’ll see you as an easy target—someone they can kill or manipulate to get to him."
Eira inhaled deeply, forcing herself to relax as she slowly unclenched her fists. "Though your explanation was mind-numbingly boring, I understand the point you’re trying to make. But that still doesn’t justify abducting me. If you had any sense, you could’ve approached me like a normal person and had a conversation. Civilly."
Matteo scoffed, shaking his head. "And what makes you think Master Aelion’s enemies wouldn’t resort to something far worse than this? Do you honestly believe they’d request a polite meeting and ask for your cooperation? No, Ephyra, they wouldn’t."
Eira tilted her head, her smirk returning. "Well, you’re not Lyle’s enemies, are you? And even if they did manage to capture me, what makes you so sure they could use me against him? They might kill me, yes, but who’s to say that would have any real effect on Lyle? He seemed just fine before I came into the picture. I doubt my death would be his undoing."
She leaned back, her voice dropping to a cold, deliberate tone. "Sure, I don’t want to die, and I’ll fight tooth and nail to survive. But don’t you dare assume I’d betray the only person who’s treated me so annoyingly well without even knowing it. You don’t know me, Matteo—or whatever the hell your name is—so don’t talk as if you do."
Matteo’s jaw tightened, his gray eyes narrowing slightly, but he said nothing.
Eira let her gaze sweep across the room, her smirk fading into a hardened expression. "Now, what are these oh-so-important questions you have for me? Let’s get this over with so I can move on with my life."
Matteo raised an eyebrow, his tone even colder. "Forgive me if I find your words difficult to believe. You’re human, after all. And almost every human fears death enough to do whatever it takes to avoid it—even if it means selling their soul to the devil."