Rulien's rage receded as quickly as it had erupted, draining away to leave behind a terrifying, polished calm. He pulled his bleeding hand from the splintered stone, regarding the dark, sluggish drops of his own immortal blood with a look of detached distaste, as if they were a stain on a pristine carpet.
He straightened his coat, the very picture of composure once more. The monster was back in its cage of refined elegance. It was, Clara thought, infinitely more frightening than the beast that had been unleashed.
"Your education," he said, his voice once again a silken, chilling purr, "will now be… accelerated. You have an unfortunate taste for the theatrical. We will burn it out of you."
