Page 78 of King of Storms and Feathers

“What?” Raiden laughed. “With your violent attitude and prickly demeanor, you can’t blame me for initially thinking the worst of you. And as much as I hate to admit it, he’s been less agitated since you’ve been… how shall I put this, diverting him?”

The king slouched on his throne, tousled hair of copper and gold framing cut-glass cheekbones, his black leather-clad knees spread wide, and the golden feathers on his chest plate glinting in the subdued light of the hall.

It was almost a shame that before long, I’d have to stick a blade somewhere deep and painful in that startlingly attractive body. But all good things came to those who waited, and for now, I needed to try to make him like me.

As the intensity of his stare radiated over my skin, both my knees and my resolve to despise my captor weakened ever so slightly, which I supposed would make my job to re-frame myself as indispensable a little bit easier. It would be no real hardship to let this magnetic creature touch me all over.

To achieve this elevated status, I needed to bed the king with such authentic abandon he could think of nothing else but repeating the act over and over. I had to gain his trust and make him depend upon me for more than just soothing his nightmares.

I curled my damp palms into fists and reminded myself that fooling him was a type of vengeance in itself, albeit a rather cruel one.

As I stepped in front of Arrow, the kanara gong rang through the city, and a swirl of feathers burst from out of nowhere and eddied around the king’s body like a halo, a jarring but mesmerizing sight that made me smile. The storm king was far from an angel.

Arrow selected a feather that had landed on his bare stomach and held it out to me. “A feather for my wandering Leaf.”

Unsure whether he was accusing me of trying to flee again or reproaching me for my past attempts, I took the feather and tucked it behind my ear as Raiden bent and detached the chain from my ankle cuff. He handed it to the king before bowing and bolting down the stairs toward Ari’s table.

Wearing a disarming crooked grin, Arrow patted his thigh, and I perched between his spread legs. He draped the chain around my neck as if it was a fine piece of jewelry, then ran his finger around the admittedly beautiful neck cuff.

“Yes, I believe I would pay the price many times over.” He flicked the band of sparkling material that made a pretense of covering my breasts. “Although this outfit pleases me, I think I will order a dozen enchanting gowns for you to wear at court. Would you like that?”

“Thank you,” I said, pretending gratitude as I inserted a feather that had floated onto my lap into the side of his crown.

His smile grew, then he kissed me. My head spun as his mouth gently opened mine. The entire court might have been watching us, but I pushed that thought away and gripped his biceps, shifting so that my weight pressed over his hardness.

Drawing a ragged breath, his silver eyes shot open. “Time for bed,” he whispered against my lips.

I steeled my jaw and forced the protective shields from my eyes, allowing real desire to shine through.

“I’ve tried to punish you as I should, defiant human, spent countless hours picturing all the ways to hurt you. But cannot and will not. Not ever. Do you believe me?”

“Yes,” I lied, watching his hand tremble with lust as he gestured for me to rise.

Fear clenched the muscles between my ribs, my heart pounding erratically because I was about to surrender to the Storm King. I prayed I could allow myself to do the one thing that pleased him the most… the thing I’d sworn I would never do.

Beg for what I wanted.

And what I wanted was to feel his heavy weight crush me as he moved inside me in long, punishing thrusts, while I dissolved in reckless abandon in his arms. Not too much to ask for, surely.

But if he kept me writhing on the precipice again, unless I begged… well, I didn’t know what would happen.

And as the king led me from the hall, I wondered for the thousandth time if I had ever allowed a man to do such things to me before.

And if I hadn’t, would Arrow be able to tell?

Chapter 21

Leaf

“There is more than one way to punish someone,” said the king as he exited the elevator into his bedchamber with me draped over his shoulder like a living, trembling cloak.

Without ceremony, he dumped me on the bed. I flailed on my back, wriggling until I perched on the edge, and stared up at him with what I hoped passed for a sultry gaze.

As he loomed above me, his powerful muscles flexed, a storm brewing in his eyes, and for a moment, terror seized me. I was at this fae beast’s mercy. If he lost control, he could kill me with a single click of his fingers, melt the flesh from my bones without raising a bead of sweat. It wasn’t an overreaction to think that this might end quite badly.

Trying to look docile, I smiled sweetly, and he grunted a laugh in response.

I was in so much trouble.

---