Just for a heartbeat. Just a flash of something—surprise? Offence? Amusement at the sheer suicidal audacity of this charity-case speck?—before the porcelain mask slammed back into place, flawless and cold.
"Before you say anything," Phei continued, because apparently his survival instincts had booked a one-way ticket to the Bahamas and left a postcard saying wish you were here, "don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. Whining because someone's stronger than you…"
He shrugged, casual, like he wasn't standing in the den of a creature that could unmake him with a syllable. "That's for the weak. For people destined to be slaves to the powerful."
Something shifted in her expression.
Her eyes narrowed. Slowly. Like a cat deciding the mouse in front of her had just done something unexpectedly entertaining.
