Page 3 of To Tame An Angel

Slowly, I touched his hair. It felt wrong to snatch up his face when he’d not given me permission. Behind me, Zaya laughed at my lack of violence. Ignoring her, I caressed him to see if he would lean into me.

“Quiet,” mother snapped. Her eyes were on me, inspecting my technique. The same techniques she’d shown me since I was a child.

“What’s your name?” I asked the man.

He stiffened under my fingers. “Eighty-nine.”

I resisted the urge to probe. They each have a name. They each hide it. It’s my job to extract it from him. To pull it from his screaming mouth as I broke him. Revealing his name would mean he was mine and I’ve done nothing to deserve him. I’ve not shown him the might of Actasia. The might of the queendom surrounding us.

Sensing movement, I nearly detected a chuckle. Pausing my inspection of Eighty-nine, I glanced to my right. Locked in a cage is a man. Much like the others, only he’s not on his knees. He was bound, sweaty, and looking rabid. But his eyes were open, and he stared at me.

My near gasp almost gave him away.

His stare was so intense I almost jumped out of my skin. He quickly closed his eyes, but the smile still played on his lips. He was massive, wide and muscled, yet trimmed from many hours of labor. His hair was so dark it seemed black, his skin is tanned, with scars on his forearms from the shackles. His face was sharp, but his eyes were blue. A bright crystalline blue.

And he’d dared look at me.

I didn’t know why he was in a cage. I didn’t know why he was not out with the rest. I just knew this man looked at me. This man mocked me.

A sharp fire rose in me. The arousal I felt was not lost on me, but I reeled it in. My interest in Eighty-Nine evaporated.

“Why is that one in a cage?” I asked.

Mother perked up at my interest. She smiled, a slow Cheshire smile. “Ask him, daughter. Make him tell you.”

“Nalla cannot handle a cager.” Zaya laughed, throwing her head back as her long braid cascaded down her back.

A cager.

Yes, I’d heard of them. They’re not for the having, but if I wanted him… if I wanted him, I could get him. Mother would make sure of that. I carefully walked to the man and stood as close to the bars as I dared. A part of me was apprehensive about his boldness. Another part of me felt heated. The sizzling of magic danced from the tips of my fingers.

Our magic was so special, it should only be used in specific situations. It drained us, took our strength, but it was available if we should need it.

“What is your name?” I asked him.

He lifted his angular chin. That damn smile was still there.

“The lady knows I’ll not tell,” his voice is deep. The type that cuts through flesh. The silken smooth baritone rippled my skin.

I resisted the urge to slap him. If he weren’t already in a cage, I would.

“What did he say?” Mother asked. She had little patience for my indecisions.

I looked back at the man. His eyes might be closed, but there was a defiance to him. If he wasn’t caged, he would escape. I was certain of it. With his colossal frame, it would take our combined magic to chain him once more.

“Tell me your number. I command you,” I said with as much strength and steadiness as I could manage.

His eyelids fluttered. He desperately wished to look at me. But he’d caught the attention of the women so he wouldn’t dare. Interesting. His jaw twitched, and he tightened his fists within his shackles.

“Seventy-four.” There was a drip of venom in his voice.

I stepped closer to his cage, feeling braver. “Why are you in this cage, Seventy-four?”

He tilted his head until it cracked his neck. “Because I’ve been a bad boy.”

The amusement in his tone outraged me. How dare he speak this way? I’d never heard a man be so forthright. I had to reel myself in. His words were for me, and no one else.

“Do you know who I am?” I asked. “Since you like to stare.”

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