"You know...? It's funny..." Rex held Mireya's chin, but she tried to look away because she predicted what he was going to say, having known him well enough since then.
Rex's grip on her jaw tightened, his fingers digging into her skin with a bruising intensity that demanded total submission. He didn't just want her eyes; he wanted her spirit to buckle under the weight of his gaze.
A cruel, lopsided smirk played on his lips, the expression of a predator who had already cornered his prey and was now simply enjoying the frantic beating of its heart.
"Look at me, Mireya," he commanded, his voice a low, gravelly rasp that vibrated in the small space between them. "Stop looking at the floor like a scolded child."
"You aren't in the expedition anymore, and you certainly aren't in control here."
