36. Make a will make you mine.

Devon wondered what she would ask for. As he did, his golden eyes locked onto her—unblinking, unwavering. He willed her to look up, to meet his gaze, to give him something—anything—that would reveal what churned behind those dark lashes. But she didn't.

Olivia's eyes were fixed elsewhere, trained on his throat, watching the slow bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed. A wave of uncertainty brewed within her, a relentless tide pulling her thoughts in conflicting directions. What should she ask for? What could she ask for?

She tried to smile, but it faltered, crumbling under the weight of his presence and the looming certainty that she would soon run out of time before his patience wore thin.

Devon was not a man who waited for others—his patience ran thinner than the mist that curled around the towering spires of the palace at dawn. And yet, here he was, waiting.

"I..." She started to gesture, then hesitated, her fingers beginning to move before faltering.