Page 45 of The Dawn of the Cursed Queen

My back slammed against the unyielding stone of the table, his devastating grip unyielding. He forced himself between my legs and pressed his weight against me.

“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Vincent hissed.

The scales from his armored gauntlet cracked the pendant between my breasts. Magic flickered and crackled until it spluttered out. Cool air rippled over me as my form solidified. With his arm pressed between my breasts and his hips spreading my thighs, I struggled to ignore the brief flash of heat that burned deep in my belly. I shook my head. What was wrong with me? Holy burning gods.

“How did you know I was here?”

“I smelled haughty witch the second you walked in here. You’re lucky they didn’t,” he hissed in a whisper, and I realized even with the brute fucking force he was using, he wasn’t yelling or alerting anyone.

My hand wrapped around his wrist, and a soft emerald glow formed.

“Let go of me, or I’ll melt your cock off.”

A corner of his lips twitched, but he stood up and glanced at the open door before saying, “Do it. You’ll only be doing me a favor. Maybe she would leave me alone for a day.”

I rubbed my throat and looked down at my pendant. I grabbed it. “You broke this.”

“You’re a witch. Fix it,” he said, shrugging his massive shoulders.

He moved away from me and closed the door as I did just that.

“Why do you say I am a witch like it is a curse?”

“Isn’t it?”

I glared at him as the pendant in my hand slowly mended. “No.”

“They use you for your power, not caring what or who you are. They don’t care what your favorite food is or if you sleep with a light on for comfort in a strange new world. No one will ask about your dreams or your greatest fears. You are nothing but power to anyone here. Sounds like a curse to me.”

My head reared back, and I paused. Why would any of that matter to him? “Are we talking about me or you?”

Vincent glared at me. “What was your plan, anyway? Even if you eavesdrop and find whatever information you think you need, you’ll never escape this place. No one escapes Nismera.”

“Maybe no one has ever tried hard enough,” I said, folding my arms.

A haunted look flickered across Vincent’s features, disappearing as quickly as it came. We didn’t have the relationship, nor did I care enough to ask what it meant.

“Come on,” he said, tipping his head toward the door. “We’re leaving.”

“No,” I said. “I’m still looking.”

Vincent stalked toward me with the grace of a predator and gripped my arm. “That wasn’t a request.”

He pulled me to the door. After making sure it was clear, he opened it and tugged me into the hall.

I pulled against his hold, not liking the sparks that danced through me from his touch. “Stop dragging me around like a brute, would you?”

“I will when you start listening to me and go where I ask,” he said without even looking at me. I knew he hated this. Nismera had thrust us together the second we got here. I couldn’t even piss without Vincent or some other guard being in earshot. I was trapped here in more ways than one, and gods above, I refused to be treated like a barely tolerated pet.

“When you ask me nicely and not order me around like I am beneath you, I will,” I snapped back. His grip eased, but he didn’t let me go. “Where are we going, anyway?”

“To get you food,” he said, the guards we passed bending their heads to Vincent.

“Food?”

“Yes.” This time, he did glance at me over his shoulder. “You haven’t eaten today.”

My brows furrowed. “And how would you know that?”

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