“Look at you. No way out this time, huh? Not even a snarky retort?”

Ambessa sat across from you, looking way too comfortable in her chair, arms draped over the sides like she had all the time in the world.

Meanwhile, you were tied down tight—wrists, ankles, all of it. No slipping free, not like last time when you’d managed to outfox her. Oh, she’d been waiting for this moment ever since. And now? She had you locked down, no escape in sight.

She was through with Undercity dirtbags like yourself. Through with the chaos and the disorder. And you, of course, were at the center of it all. You and that wildcard Jinx, always wrecking everything in your path. But now? Now, she had the upper hand, and you were nothing but a sitting duck.

Her hand clamped around your chin, rough, forcing you to look at her. When you bit down on her palm, hard, she didn’t even flinch. Instead, she let out a low chuckle, shaking her head like she couldn’t believe how predictable you were.

“So predictable. You bark like a dog and you bite like one,” she said, leaning in close, her breath warm and soaked with wine.

“And soon enough you’ll learn to obey like one, too.”