Chapter 381: The Leash and the Wolf
Lyria's POV
I stared at him, my heart pounding so violently that I was certain he must have heard it.
"Why?" I asked, my voice scarcely above a whisper. "W-why are you b-begging me to u-use you?"
For a moment, Earl Hawthorne merely looked at me.
Then he smiled softly.
He stepped nearer.
I instinctively drew a breath.
He stopped only when there was scarcely any space between us. I could smell his cologne now, warm and subtle, carrying the scent of cedar and sandalwood with something else beneath it that I could not quite identify.
He lowered his voice.
"I am not a man of considerable cunning, Your Highness. I leave that particular talent to men such as Evander and Alistair."
There was a faint trace of humour in his words.
"Nor would I presume to place myself among the cleverest minds of our acquaintance. Lucian and Julian would have me thoroughly beaten in that regard."
His gaze remained upon mine.
