Nate grinned.
The expression caught Aire completely off guard.
Not because he smiled often. He didn't. She was caught off guard because of the way the grin looked on him. His grin looked almost boyish beneath all that coldness.
Aire tightened her grip slightly on the razor.
"You seem too comfortable handing this to me," she murmured.
Nate leaned further back into the chair lazily, exposing more of his throat to her without hesitation.
"If you wanted me dead," he said calmly, "you would've tried harder already."
Aire stared at him for a second longer. She exhaled softly and stepped closer. The scent of cedarwood wrapped around her again immediately.
Closer now, she could see the faint shadow of exhaustion beneath his eyes. It surprised her slightly. Nate always looked composed, controlled, and untouchable.
Yet tonight, sitting carelessly before the mirror while allowing someone else to hold a blade against his throat… He looked strangely human.
