Threat

The heavy thunk of the door locking behind us was the kind of sound that crawled up my spine and settled in my brain, flashing neon signs that screamed, Bad idea, bad idea.

Why hadn't I just dumped Rhiannon at the castle gate and peeled out of there like a half-sane person? Oh, right. Leora's stupid instructions.

"Drive her back, Maeve," I muttered under my breath, standing stiffly in the center of Seraphine's lavishly intimidating office. "It'll be a quick drop-off, Maeve. You'll be fine, Maeve. Sure. Just ignore the fact you're stepping into the lair of the Demon Queen."

Seraphine turned toward me, her movements slow and deliberate, like a predator sizing up its prey.

The golden-red glow of the fireplace cast shadows across her sharp, impossibly perfect features. Her eyes were now twin pools of molten lava, zeroed in on me with a force that made my skin prickle.