Ashe's bold laughter rang out. "My dear mistress, you're just as easy to read as you were in the cabin. You always become talkative when you lie. You use a flood of words to divert attention, hiding your true feelings behind a wall of excuses. You say you want to kill us? If that's a lie, then it means you absolutely won't.

"As for the why? The answer is obvious. The Incarnation of Secrets matters too much to you. You can't afford the risk of losing it, so you try to force us into submission with hollow threats."

Denzel leaned back. "Quite a bold guess. But aren't you afraid I'll lose my temper and simply toss you out?"

Ashe glanced at Sonya. She looked away, avoiding his gaze, but her fingers dug into his hand, clinging to him as if he were her only anchor.

Ashe challenged. "Go ahead, then. I've heard spiders wrap their prey up and turn them into something like...