Selene suddenly stepped back, her shadow peeling away from his as if she'd just lost interest. But the mutter that left her lips was low and dangerous.
"It seems you don't open your mouth with beating…"
Before Kellan could smirk again, she raised her hand and bit into the pad of her own finger, deep enough for blood to well bright and scarlet. In the same motion, she seized his chin, forcing his head up until his neck strained painfully.
Her smile was sweet in a way that made Kellan's skin crawl.
"Now… when you open your eyes again, be ready to tell the truth," she whispered. "Or I'll show you a thousand more methods like this."
Kellan jerked against the chains, but she was already moving, her blood trailing in a deliberate pattern across his sweat-slick skin. A strange symbol began to form on his forehead, the lines sharp and exact, each one drawn with unshaking precision.
